The Fatal Number: How to Survive Loss, Help the Grieving, and Change Your Attitude Toward Death

Why is it okay not to cry at a funeral? How to forgive yourself for the death of a loved one? Where to begin a conversation about death? Why it’s not okay to suffer in silence? What if there’s no one to talk to about death? MARIA KOKOVA is a psychologist, scholar of religion, and a researcher in Death Studies. She works with the evidence-based psychologists team “Nesi suda” and at the HSE University psychological counseling center. When a loved one dies, some people shut down, while others react to the news more calmly and don’t change their way of life. In this book, you’ll learn why grief reactions can differ, how long grieving lasts, and how to help yourself or a loved one пережити the loss. The book discusses all kinds of cases connected with experiencing loss—death of a close person or a seriously ill relative, perinatal loss, the death of a pet at home, the death of a stranger, and much more. Plus: useful information on organizing funerals and inheritance rules, as well as interesting facts about handling a body after death and types of burial.