The Climb Out Of The Valley - Creative Monday Linky

     My decision to start this blog was always with an intention to share ways to heal after loss. Anyone who has lost someone knows how difficult it is to cope and I am glad that in various ways I have been able to share how I have faced this challenge. I thank Peggy Sweeney of The Sweeney Alliance for giving me an opportunity to share my article The Climb Out Of The Valley in the February issue of the newsletter Journeys Through Grief.  

Source: journeysthrugrief.wordpress.com via JUDY on Pinterest

 
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Book Review - Beginning with the End by Mary R. Morgan

   'Beginning with the End' is a compelling book dealing with the loss of one's twin. Author Mary R. Morgan lost her twin Michael Rockefeller in 1961 when he disappeared on an anthropology expedition off the remote coast of New Guinea. As the daughter of then Governor of New York, Mr. Nelson A. Rockefeller, she had to deal with this crisis in the glare of the public eye.

   Throughout the book she gives important insights on the experiences that one encounters following the loss of one's twin. The information will not only resonate with fraternal and identical twinless twins  but anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one. Her personal account of what it means to repress grief over a long period and how the support one gets from family and friends affects an individual is very instructive.

   The need to adjust to life without a twin is dealt with in a detailed manner. The steps she used to achieve this are interesting. I was particularly struck by the use of imagery and the impact of nature.

    Serious food for thought is given to the twinless twin as he/she learns how crucial it is that you do not try to see your twin in another individual as it causes a myriad of problems.  Mary reveals this as she relates how it affected her relationships.

    The feeling of being off balance is an important revelation. Mary’s account is a real eye-opener for those of us who have had a similar experience.

    Her flashback to moments spent with Michael encourages the twinless twin to treasure memories while trying to adjust to a whole new world. Immediately the saying “Once a twin always a twin” comes to mind.

     Mary holds a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University and has played an important role as psychotherapist to other twinless twins. Of particular note is her assistance to those who became twinless twins following the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster.

     I recommend this book as it offers an unique perspective on loss and grief as well the healing journey that one must take if life is to continue to be meaningful. 

A Book I Must Read!

  

     I am always eager to read books about twin loss from various authors  having experienced it myself. I must therefore thank Jeff Umbro, Digital Marketing Manager of Goldberg McDuffie Communications for informing me about yet another book available on this subject. He is working on the publicity campaign and shared the following information with me:-

   “I hope you have heard of BEGINNING WITH THE END: A Memoir of Twin Loss and Healing by Mary Rockefeller Morgan (Vantage Point; Publication date: May 31, 2012). With the rise in twin births, Morgan’s book is very timely. In it, she shares the deeply candid story of her journey to heal from and accept the death of her twin brother, shedding interesting light on the subject of twin grief.

   When Mary Morgan was twenty-three-years-old tragedy changed her life forever when her twin brother Michael Rockefeller disappeared off the remote coast of New Guinea while on an anthropology expedition. Given that their father was Nelson A. Rockefeller, then Governor of New York, it was a worldwide news event, with repercussions that Mary would confront for the rest of her life: Michael was never found. Following Michael’s tragic disappearance was a twenty-seven-year repression of her grief and unconscious denial of his death, which she allowed to control her relationships and life.

  In BEGINNING WITH THE END, Morgan shares poignant memories of Michael, the one person with whom she had shared everything, while revealing her spiritual healing process. In the course of telling her story, she provides fascinating insight into the subject of bereavement, particularly the complexities of twin loss, which inspired her to pursue her Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University and counsel twinless twins for the past fifteen years. Through her personal and professional experiences, she reveals the anguish and isolation brought on by the death of a loved one and the silent, subtle ways in which it can seize your life in order to open up the dialogue on the grief process.

   A beautifully honest story, BEGINNING WITH THE END will resonate with all readers who have lost someone close to them.

   Mary R. Morgan, L.M.S.W. is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in working with twinless twins. She lectures on the subject of twin loss and has led a bereavement group for twins whose twin died in the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster. She is married and lives in New York.”

    As I await my copy I wish Mary success with this book and her continued work with helping twinless twins on a very difficult journey. Persons can learn more by becoming a fan of the BEGINNING WITH THE END Facebook Fan Page at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/beginningwiththeend