Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore

To love is to grieve—an essential part of being fully human.

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, featured in the 2021 documentary series The Me You Can’t See, brings her expertise in bereavement to Bearing the Unbearable, a Gold Medal winner for Self-Help in the Foreword INDIES Awards.

When a loved one dies, especially in a traumatic way, the pain can feel overwhelming. Grief is often wild, nonlinear, and longer-lasting than society expects. Bearing the Unbearable offers 52 short chapters that serve as a companion during life’s most difficult times, showing how grief can open our hearts to connection, compassion, and our shared humanity.

Dr. Cacciatore, a bereavement educator, Zen priest, and leading counselor, shares moving stories from her decades of supporting others and her own experience with loss. This book is essential not just for the bereaved but also for grief counselors, therapists, clergy, educators, and medical professionals. It's also available as an online course and a guided journal for grieving.