Colors of Loss & Healing

A gentle and creative way of dealing with loss

I am a firm advocate of adult colouring books and have several already!

This book is a new concept for me in that it focuses specifically on getting through tough times with a number of images the revolve around a set of words.

The drawings are intricate and expertly drawn and will keep you busy for hours!! 

The creator of this book has seen some awfully challenging times at a young age and has survived and thrived!

She created this book to help people heal according to elements she feels, based on her work and personal experience, aid recovery

I think you can't place a price on peace of mind and this book would definitely help even if it only settles the mind for an hour a day.

This coloring book supports the healing process, enables the person in duress to heal...one stroke of the pencil at a time. During grief, life's colors wash out. This coloring book enables the colorer to bring them back to the surface. 

The pages each focus on a word upon which to meditate while coloring. The words can be action oriented, such as "prioritize" or simply, "rest." Small steps add up to a journey traveled.

The author's introduction connects the colorer to her. She, too, has experienced grief. Through the coloring book, the author stands with the grieving person and that, too, is healing.

I reviewed this as a NetGalley book.

I am not sure how this book is to colour but I love the pictures and words chosen for this creative book on healing.  I, too, have lost many people in my life and losing my grandmother (3 years ago) was the most painful.  I hope maybe to get this in print form so I can see how it helps when I can actually colour it.

As a coloring and bibliotherapy fan, Colors of Loss and Healing: An Adult Coloring Book for Getting Through Tough Times by Dr. Deborah S. Derman, spoke to me immediately. I was moved by Dr. Derman's Introduction. The strength shown through her own loss and healing can be a source of power and inspiration for anyone dealing with a difficult situation.  Each coloring page features a word or words to provide "a blueprint toward healing and recovery". Dr. Derman asks the reader / colorer to focus on the words and reflect on the their meaning to you as you begin to heal.

The beautiful images, created by Lisa Powell Braun, are shown as full page illustrations. Based on the electronic copy I am reviewing, it looks like the back of each image is blank for personal reflections. Some pages are single images (a grouping of hot air balloons, mandala) others are more elaborate with full background patterning or borders with a focal image. They are all intricate and look like they would be very therapeutic to color. I believe this would be a great book to gift to someone who is dealing with loss or in need of help through a difficult time in their life.

This book is a great addition to any art classroom. I liked the theme of the book and the images were thoughtful and interesting.  I just think that a few of the pictures would be for an older reader and not a teenager.  However, I think the idea for the book is great and it could help someone work through struggles or grief by coloring these designs.

I received a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. The pictures are very beautiful and you can feel hope through the pages. I work in a nursing home and I plan on purchasing this book for therapeutic activities for the residents. There are so many different therapeutic coloring books out there and it is hard to find the appropriate ones and ones that actually help with stress, as some coloring books end up being the cause of stress :)