Emotions

John W. James

John did not wake up one morning 31 years ago and say “Grief, what a concept, I think I’ll devote my life to helping people deal with it.” John was propelled into this arena by the death of a three day old son, an event which caused him to question his desire to stay alive. The death of the baby was the latest in a string of losses that brought John to wonder why he should keep on going. John’s litany started with the early death of his father, followed by the unspeakable horrors of combat in the jungles of Vietnam, and then the tragic, unexplainable death of a 20-year-old brother.

Through trial and experimentation, John discovered a method of completing the pain caused by the death of his son, and then realized that what he had learned, was applicable to all significant emotional losses.  He founded The Grief Recovery Institute over 30 years ago to help people who are affected by losses of every kind. At latest count, in excess of 1,000,000 people have benefitted directly from John’s discoveries and the actions that led them back to full participation in their lives. Along with partner and co-author Russell Friedman, John has devoted his life to helping grieving people complete the pain caused by losses.