The Importance of Grief

Mark Matousek’s father abandoned him when he was four years old. For years, he carried his grief like a sandbag he had unconsciously strapped to his back, weighing him down at every step.

It wasn’t until he hired a private detective to track down his father — and wrote daily about his thoughts, his grief and his experiences — that he finally found closure and peace.

He turned to writing to center himself and sort out his feelings about his father because he had discovered the healing power of this deep inner work all the way back in the second grade. “I wrote every chance I got and found that when I was writing, describing what I felt and saw, I felt stronger and clearer,” he says. “Something was healed in me when I wrote.”

Mark, now a celebrated memoirist and internationally respected teacher, shares his thoughts about grief — its energy, its impact and yes, its gifts — in this 3-minute audio clip:

Mark is a bestselling author, teacher and speaker whose work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. The essence of Mark’s philosophy is that “When you tell the truth, your story changes. When your story changes, your life is transformed.”

Click here to register for Mark’s free virtual event on Wednesday, May 17: How to Heal & Awaken Through Writing: 9 Essential Steps to Wholeness & Freeing Your Authentic Self.