"Colors of Loss and Healing"

disclaimer:  I received the following product for free in exchange for my honest opinions.  All opinions are my own.

"Colors of Loss and Healing :  An Adult Coloring Book for Getting Through Tough Times"

by Deborah S. Derman, Ph.D.

  So I know a lot of you are probably wondering how a coloring book could possibly help a person through tough times.  Well Deborah had a lot of experience with death and healing as she witnessed the death of both of her parents in a plane crash, she lost a close friend to suicide, her husband passed away when she was pregnant with their third child, and she also survived breast cancer.

  So if anybody knows how to teach others how to cope with their grief than I believe Deborah is qualified : )  She puts it this way:

  "The emotional and physical pain were just too great to handle.  I made a deal with myself to try to live for just one more hour at a time.  I looked at my watch at 10 a.m., thinking I would just try to live until 11.  Coloring, for me, is a beautiful metaphor for taking things one small step at a time.  Just pick up a pencil, and fill in one space.  Don't worry about filling the whole page or completing the whole book.  Healing from loss is a lifelong process.  We need to make meaning of the loss as we move forward in our lives."

  This isn't just an adult coloring book either, it also features a word or phrase on every page as part of the overall picture design.  Each page is focused on part of healing.  Some of my favorite examples are "One Day at a Time", Forgive, and Breathe.  Each page also has a place for you to write your thoughts and feelings about what the word on that page means to you.

  Mommy in PA:  I really didn't know what to expect with this book.  I wasn't sure if I would even like any of the pictures as I totally expected just a bunch of flowers or designs like most of the other adult coloring books I have seen.  I was totally surprised that this one features all kinds of nice pictures including animals, flowers, household settings, and even music themed.

  I love the words on every page idea.  It really does help to think about what each of the words means to you, even if you currently aren't dealing with any majorly tragic event it still helps to think about when you did and how you coped then.

  I am not really into using colored pencils and decided to use my ultra fine point permanent markers.  Now if you really want to do the writing parts or even the next picture, this is not a good idea as they bleed right through.  I am going to have to get some colored pencils for the rest of the book I guess    : )

  I think another way that this helps with grief is by taking your mind off of it for awhile.  If you are busy concentrating on filling out these tiny little patterns than you aren't really thinking about much else.  You can get lost in these pictures for hours.