If we live long enough, life will knock us around. Relationships will fail. Loved ones will die. Injury, illness and disease will all take their toll. Our suffering might seem unbearable at these times, but there is hope. The Reality Slap is a compassionate, wise and extremely practical guide to handling the anxiety, grief and suffering that inevitably follow such major life blows.

Ten years after the success of its first publication, this updated and revised edition—with over 50 percent brand new material—contains a wealth of strategies for coping well when life truly hurts. You’ll learn how to handle all those difficult thoughts, feelings, emotions and memories; how to take the impact out of them—and let them flow through you without sweeping you away. You’ll discover how to be there for yourself in a kind and supportive way; how to take a courageous stand in the face of your loss; and how to rebuild your life, one small step at a time.

"Deeply moving and easy to understand, The Reality Slap is a book that takes us to the heart of being human, to really help us change from the inside."— Professor Paul Gilbert, PhD, author of The Compassionate Mind

"This wise book is one to keep within reach. It will do more than soothe — it will ground you, guide you and help you grow." — Steven C. Hayes, Foundation Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, and author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life