Kathleen A. Brehony is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist and author of Ordinary Grace. All of us know people who seem unable to muster the strength or resolve to get themselves back together after illness, loss of a loved one, disappointment, or a personal disaster. We also know people who are able to learn through suffering and deepen as human beings. As the author puts it: "Like a refiner's fire, these dark times seem to catapult them into higher levels of consciousness. They become stronger, wiser, more compassionate, and even spiritually awakened."
Throughout this edifying work, Brehony provides stories and illustrative material on ways individuals have coped with suffering. The world's religions all point to the value in this dimension of life. "Rich suffering burns clean;" Marion Woodman has written, "neurotic suffering creates more and more soot."
Brehony salutes resilient people; they possess "a kind of toughness and flexibility that harbors the power to recover." Near the end of the book, the author presents 12 strategies for growing through pain. Among these are: discover a larger perspective, turn toward compassion and help others, recognize and stop self-imposed suffering, practice mindfulness, count your blessings, discover the power of optimism, and keep a sense of humor.
