Reviews and Praise for Joy Sackett Wood
Reviews for the Amazon best selling first edition Joy’s book ‘From Hole to Whole’: Embracing the Transformational Power of Grief and Loss'
An absolute must read...
This truly gorgeous, heart-warming and comforting book is for a anyone who wants to explore how loss and grief can help them to evolve and gain deeper inner strength.
For me this book can be read regardless of your own personal journey and I couldn't help but think whilst reading it that if you haven't experienced loss and grief that this book will help to set you up for when this time will inevitably arrive. Losing a loved one can be so transformational in so many ways, it hurts, it's painful and those feelings you feel can be so scary as they are new. This book really helps you to understand what is happening with you, that it is totally normal whilst feeling supported. What I love is how this book guides you on how you can take all these feelings and emotions and use them positively to help you gain a deeper inner strength.
Sadly, death is part of life, it's something we cannot avoid, yet we can use it for the better to help ourselves and others around us, as Joy says "Love never dies". This book gives us the tools to "expand as a human and not to shrink". How amazing is that, what a positive opportunity for us all if we choose it. For you, the hardest step will be in recognising that you are ready to do this, I know it's hard when you are so grief stricken but trust me you will be so thankful you made the step.
Thank you Joy for writing this inspirational book, I really hope that lots and lots of people find the book and read it as it will really make such a huge difference to one of the toughest experiences, we all have to face.
Jeneen Thomsen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When Grief Feels Like a Hole.
Grief is an individual experience. Having lost my husband some eighteen months ago now, my journey has been unique to me. Just as yours is or will be to you.
Through her own experience, Joy has been able to put into this book what it was like for her.
Joy was devastated when her son Jack died suddenly, only a day before his 40th birthday. But she has used that awful experience to learn and put it together with her previous knowledge, beliefs and love for herself to convey how resilience can be a way forward.
She impresses on the reader that grief is not something that you get over. It stays, but can be transformed into change, and a new life. That has certainly been my experience.
I found this book a page turner and read it through quite quickly, only because I’d been there. And done most of what she had suggested already, which meant that it was a lot like reading about my own journey through grief.
But if grief is what you are dealing with now, whether it is new or perhaps something you are struggling with, and you want it to be transforming instead of a weight or a HOLE, you will find this book points a way to go. In which case it becomes a map and a guide to follow slowly and carefully.
Mrs Patricia Cherry
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Can’t recommend enough!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have learnt a great deal; I think it extends to many of life’s challenges, not just grief! I love the title and its meaning throughout the book along with the Resilience model and Shifting from Loss to Gain model – they are very clever! I also really like the way the book incorporates personal experiences/case studies with factual information and blends the spiritual view with science. I also thought the practical exercises were great.
Nik
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For all types of grief.
This book gently guides and lifts the reader to a peaceful path during one of the most tumultuous times. The concepts described are clear and concise whilst also eye-opening. Case studies combined with Joy’s own experience bring a grounding reality and humanity which are necessary to soothe such a raw and emotive journey. Joy takes the pain and hurt of loss and expands our view so we may find our way through.
Linzi
An enlightening journey through the grieving process
This wonderful book by Joy uses her own personal tragic experience and her skills as a counsellor to carefully carry the reader through the grieving process stage by stage to build back their resilience and to enable the reader not only to move from hole to whole but to learn and benefit from the process. A must read for all those who are suffering from the loss of a loved one.
P C
Beautifully written book that lifts the spirit
I loved this book and it's changed the way I think and feel. It's beautifully written with such love and caring. It's a heart-warming read and it suggested useful ways to move from hole to whole in a way that works best for you. As another reviewer said, this is a book everyone should read.
Stephanie Taylor
I loved this book, so helpful on many levels!!
Ifound this book - From Hole to Whole - a great read, easy to follow and very insightful. I would definitely recommend this book. Well done and thank you, Joy ! Xx
Happy Camper
Grief work for the 2020s
This takes working with grief to a new level. The book covers all of the important things everyone needs to know about coping with loss and grief, with plenty of grounded, useful advice that goes beyond most of the popular approaches to grief work. The author has many years of experience as a counsellor and therapist, and she also shares information about what she learned in the huge process of learning to cope with the death of her son. Her extensive professional experience really shows, as she really does understand what you go through when a loved one dies - and how you can learn to live with it in the most constructive ways possible. Then the book takes a new turn into territories that are rarely addressed by professionals who support people in grief. She explores some energetic and spiritual aspects of working with grief so that you can learn how maintain your wellbeing when you are going through it. . She looks at the opportunities for growth and learning that grief offers, and how you could begin to explore this so that you can cope with the trauma of your loss and develop greater resilience. She also explores the relationship she still has with her son on the other side, the ways he actively communicates with her, and just how much there is to learn when we accept that there is no death, only the body dies, and we can retain an active relationship with those we love. For those who are missing a loved one, this message of hope can make all the difference. Following his death, she found new mediumship skills, and her life became joyful and exciting when she realised she had not lost her son at all. There are plenty of ideas, resources and tips that will help you get through, whether you are in grief yourself or supporting someone who is. The book is well put together and has been created with a great deal of care and love to convey all the author has learned about grief, both as a professional and personally, and especially about how she has learned to transcend it.
Alyss Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My grief seems different to other people's, now I understand why.
I’ve read books about managing the feelings of grief however this is the first which also includes helping me understand it’s impact on me, my relationships and my work. This book gives the logical frameworks of the stages of grief and then adds to that by describing how it affects us in different ways and answered some of my questions about why I seemed to respond differently to others even though circumstances looked similar.
I hadn’t recognised the impact of trauma on my brain and now completely understand why the accounts I did to close the Estate made no sense to others. Reading them a year later with a clear head it became obvious and at the time I had had no idea how scrambled my brain had been! Had I read this book I would have known to plan and allow for time for the readjustment.
It’s rare to find a book which weaves thoughts around emotional, psychological, spiritual and energetic health into something practical and to do that in relation to grief is quite an achievement. There’s just enough information to introduce concepts and ways of supporting yourself without overwhelming you with detail and there’s links to more when you’re ready to dive in deeper.
The book takes you through stages and how to develop resilience within or because of that. It led me through a path of appreciating the value of grief that I hadn’t considered before. It also reaffirmed to me that whilst grief is about loss it is also about growth because if you’re willing to face it rather than avoid it there is a place for getting to know yourself in a new way.
Lucy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From Hole to Whole.
This really is a transformational book. This is a book that will help and support people who have suffered or are suffering from grief and loss and also fellow therapists. Honest, open, from the heart and backed up by theory (without an overload of it) with plenty of practical support. It's refreshingly easy to read and digest.
Liza
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A beautiful, kind and nurturing guide which is full of hope.
For me Joy Sackett Wood's big message is that the death of a loved one is not the death of your relationship with them. So as well as covering practical things like how to manage sleeplessness, guilt and anger, she sheds light on ways in which you can continue your relationship after death including through evidential mediumship and other alternative therapies.
A wonderful practical and holistic guide all in one.
Vicky
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Book That Everyone Should Read!!
This book exceeded my expectations, I can't recommend it enough. It's warm, full of compassion for the reader, and contains practical steps to help you get through the most difficult of times. You'll learn so much from reading this book too. Personally, it's given me a better understanding of grief, the little-known physical effects it has on you and your body, and it's made me see things with a much clearer perspective. I credit the author and thank her for writing such a beautiful, inspiring, and comforting book. 🙂
Emma Gabba
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Such a loving and inspiring book.
Wow! Such a lovingly, heartfelt, well written book. Where the author shares her story of loss and all the pain that comes with it to inspire and help others at their darkest hour. I have just started to read it and I am now on chapter 5. Joy's story of resilience is truly inspirational. I have read a number of books on grief recently, but none that talked to me like this one. I shall definitely recommend to my friends. Thank you Joy.
Ray
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Entirely gripping and very helpful.
I bought this book for my mum (a physical copy) and downloaded a digital copy for myself and, wow, there is so much heartfelt wisdom in this beautifully written book. When you lose someone you love, however prepared you may be, it is a shock to the soul and makes you question your very place in the universe.
For me, it was losing my dad to a sudden heart attack when I was 31 and having to deal with the fact that I lost the other half of my soul and the one person who truly understood me. Joy's book has really helped heal some of those wounds and think about bereavement in a different way. While the pain is still there, it makes sense now. It feels like a more universal experience that others have been through and understand.
I'd wholeheartedly recommend buying a hard copy of this book, booking the weekend off from doing whatever you usually do and just losing yourself in this beautifully written story of grief, loss and...ultimately, hope and light. Five stars from me. Thank you!
Rebecca Louise Woods
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An understanding companion through grief.
Joy Sackett Wood brings deep knowledge and care as a therapist to help you understand and live through the process of grief. But she also understands it from a personal perspective, and includes her spiritual experiences after the death of her son.
The book is practical as well as emotional. There are ideas for follow up – from additional healing modalities to material to read or watch - so that you feel encouraged to take further steps if you wish.
This would be helpful reading for any stage of grief or loss. But the dominant impression of the book is of hope and comfort in a relationship which has not, in fact, been terminated by death. Highly recommended.
Jean Wolfe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Exceptionally warm helpful guide to dealing with grief.
This is a book of two halves. The first half is packed with warm advice, resources, comfort and hope. Joy's own personal journey in grief, which she includes when relevant. keeps her connected to the process and makes you feel like she is holding your hand. Joy's view and experience of grief are both honest and open and leave you feeling that death and its aftermath are a part of life that we don't like to look at but which will affect us all without exception so we need to look at this and find our way through. Joy's steps towards resilience add advice, resources, ideas and knowledge wrapped up a layer of companionship and understanding which will help to support anyone going through this process. The second half of the book is about the spiritual connections we all have and I found this the most comforting and hopeful part of the book.
Joy's experiences, which she shares so openly, are full of hope, and even humour, teaching us to trust our intuition and helping us to remain connected to those we have loved and lost. For anyone suffering from grief, new or old, this is a new take, a new view of things and we need that. I warmly recommend it.
Mimicat
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Truly Compelling and Uplifting Read!
For anybody going through the pain of losing someone you love, this book will help and guide you on your journey through grief.
Packed with illuminating insights and helpful information, suggestions and tools, it offers a truly multi-dimensional approach to getting through and navigating your grief.
The fascinating chapters on spiritual growth and evolution will compel you to research and discover more for yourselves and potentially bring peace, comfort and even joy in the belief, feeling and knowing that there is so much more…………..!
Having the pleasure of knowing Joy personally, it’s been a great privilege to read and review her first book which is comprehensive as well as heart-warming and also a fantastic reference book for those working in the field of emotional healing.
Cathy Regan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ beautiful, compassionate, heartfelt journey through loss.
This is a great book that i will definitely be recommending to some friends who are experiencing great loss and grief currently. It is delivered with compassion, sensitivity and in the most soothing manner that i can hear almost Joy's voice as i read it. Joy makes it easy and simple to read and understand with all the different cycles of grief being explained in the order they occur whilst also reminding us that there is not an order to grief or a rule book. Everyone's will look different.
'It is important to emphasise here that grief cannot behealed. Grief is not an illness you can recover from; it is an altered state of life that you learn to accept over time. Your life will go on, but it can never be the same as it was.'
This connected with me and i felt heard in a way i haven't before. I really enjoyed the spiritual healing and alternative therapies that Joy has allowed to help herself and the bravery and courage with her own story which reminded me that joy is coming at this subject from a knowledge of loss herself.
Brave book to write. Beautiful tale interwoven of her continuing relationship with her son.
Sue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent for anyone who has experienced loss or major life change, not just bereavement.
Having been thoroughly engrossed in the book, the overwhelming feeling at the end for me was that this needs to read by anyone who has experienced loss or major life change, not just bereavement. I really enjoyed Joy's style of writing, it flowed really well and was very clear and well explained in plain English not ’technical’ language. I was very moved by Joy's own story which really added depth to the insight and advice she gives. It’s not written in a ‘I’m telling you to do this’ way - more a sharing of valuable experience which means so much as Joy has been through it herself but also knows about from a professional viewpoint. Highly recommended for anyone who is grieving due to a huge change in their life, whether it be the loss of a loved one, end of a relationship or change of circumstance.
Liz G
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Must read for anyone who has suffered loss of any kind.
This book is a must read for anyone who has suffered loss of any kind. It may be that someone close to you has died or someone close to you has suddenly left your world! I love the deep but easy to read explanation of how our mind works and the grief cycle. It so resonates with me as both my parents have passed away, I have a family and run my own Coaching business. There is so much that makes sense and reassures to the feelings felt at the time and still now in some instances. The free resources are perfect. In fact I downloaded a couple to use as I have a will but talking with loved ones about the detail is such a great idea and the checklist is masterful.
Thank you Joy for writing this insightful and carefully put together book. I am so sorry for your loss, however, grateful for you sharing your journey of resilience so beautifully.
Best wishes
Jean
Jean
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Everyone will need this book at some point in their life – and it won’t let them down.
I've suffered a few very close bereavements in the last few years. I have found that grief is cumulative and so, with a heavy heart and not very much hope, I read this book - and was instantly grateful for a fresh perspective on grieving. And even more than that...I feel like Joy has taken me by the hand and guided me, very gently and with such warmth, to a much better place both mentally and emotionally.
I can't begin to figure out how Joy has written this book. My losses felt complex because the relationships themselves were complex - but they were at least in what we might consider 'the right order' of things, even for those friends taken far too soon.
Joy, on the other hand, has lost her son - unexpectedly and without any vain attempt at preparation or saying goodbye. And in what I can only describe as an act of absolute bravery, she has taken that devastation and created a blueprint for recovery and resilience that - sadly - we'll all need at some point(s) in our lives.
But this is not a book of platitudes. It is full of understanding and empathy, yes, but it goes beyond hopefulness into practical steps for healing. Interestingly, I work with neuroplasticity models and tools in my professional life, including traditional constructs such as the Kübler-Ross grief curve adapted to a business / crisis context....but I was really struck by the overt and powerful role of neuroscience that Joy brings into play even in something as raw and emotional as grief.
This book honestly made me look at grief in a different light. A more positive and healing light, I have to say - moving me from a rather stuck feeling of loss and of being bereft, to a place where I'm starting to see that the love I have for those I have lost can and must continue - just as a full and happy life can and must continue. And I am now seeing that those two things are entirely compatible after all.
The expression 'from surviving to thriving' is in danger sometimes of being over-used these days, but honestly that's what this book is helping me do. It's not just a process manual or an explanation of grief stages...and there are plenty of those around; it's helpful to know what's happening and why, but constructive help to rebuild is even better. This book goes deeper, and for me it is less about 'letting go' - good! I don't want to let go of some of the most important people in my life! Rather, it's about preserving those relationships in a way that honours them and makes sense when that someone has died.
Sadly, not one of us is shielded from grief. To some extent, we will all experience it and we must all find our way through it. This book doesn't pretend to offer short-cuts or ways to jump the curve, any more than it offers empty platitudes. What it offers is hope, empathy and guidance, wrapped up in a spirit of care and friendship. It's a blend of professional counselling / therapy expertise and practical tools, with the credibility and personal guidance of someone who has navigated perhaps the most devastating loss of all.
If you are grieving, or feeling helpless alongside someone who is, I offer you love and sympathy in the face of your loss - and I recommend you read this book.
Lucy Boulter
Testimonial for Joy’s Grief Counselling / Coaching
“Before I started my sessions with Joy, I really felt that there was no future at all. Even though I have my children I just couldn’t ever see that I could be happy or enjoy life again. I remember thinking That counselling might help me to “get over “the sudden loss of my husband.
I have never experienced such terrible grief before so it was a learning curve for me. I know now that you never “get over it “, but you learn to live and cope with the new situation. I have learnt so much from the Grief Curve and the effects that it has in the Brain. Understanding this has really helped me to heal.
When it first happened, I felt as though I had been dropped in a huge Black Sea with nothing to hold on to. I relied on my husband for a lot of things and really felt totally helpless. After having weekly sessions with Joy and gradually reducing to fortnightly, I have learned that I can manage ok and I don’t feel that Black Sea feeling anymore.
I have done a lot of home improvements which has helped and even taken the children away in holiday which was a big mountain to climb. I actually enjoyed Christmas this year surrounded by my family but I really felt that I would never enjoy again.
My sessions have taught me to accept my situation and live as a family of three instead of four. I dreaded that thought at first but I have learnt that acceptance is a big step.
I have a long way to go and life will never be the same but I am learning all the time. There are triggers all the time and down days but they have become less. I no longer feel guilty for laughing or smiling.
Thank you Joy x
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