Self Help

With vulnerability and honesty, Jerry Sittser walks through his own grief and loss to show that new life is possible--one marked by spiritual depth, joy, compassion, and a deeper appreciation of simple blessings.

Loss came suddenly for Jerry Sittser. In an instant, a tragic car accident claimed three generations of his family: his mother, his wife, and his young daughter. While most of us will not experience such a catastrophic loss in our lifetime, all of us will taste it. And we can, if we choose, know the grace that transforms it.

Whether your suffering has come in the form of short-term illness, chronic illness, disability, divorce, rape, emotional abuse, physical or sexual abuse, chronic unemployment, crushing disappointment, mental illness, or the loss of someone you love, Sittser will help you put your thoughts into words in a way that will guide you deeper into your own healing process.

A Grace Disguised plumbs the depths of our sorrows, asks questions many people are afraid to ask, and provides hope in its answers:

The circumstances are not important; what we do with those circumstances is. In coming to the end of ourselves, we can come to the beginning of a new life.

"Having just watched the first presidential debate, the level of civility in the United States has sunk lower than we ever thought possible. This book, therefore, couldn't come at a better time. Through examples from his own life as a professional drummer, Tai Chi practitioner, father, and therapist; as well of the life's of the famous and infamous, David Medeiros not only reminds us how important the qualities of responsibility, accountability, compassion, and civility are but also provides clear guidelines for achieving them." -Richard Schwartz, Ph.D. Founder and Developer of the Internal Family Systems Model of psychotherapy

"Since David began working with us almost ten years ago, he has saved many young people's lives. This book is a reflection of his influences and integration of models of psychotherapy, the performance arts, real life experiences, and relevance of universal truths." -Dorothy Jungels and Aaron Jungels, Co-Founding Artistic Directors, Everett: Company, Stage & School

We, as a nation, are experiencing one of the most openly divisive times in our countries history. How did we get here, why are we languishing here, and what can we, as individuals, do about it? More than we think.

Through self-reflection and a recommitment to a sense of responsibility we can, on an individual and collective level, get back on a path towards civility. Some of the paths described in this book may surprise you, and one of them, the Internal Family Systems Model, can provide a clear, practical, and elegant framework that we can apply to ourselves and our actions, and improve the way we relate to and acknowledge the dignity and humanity of others.

David Medeiros was a musician for 20 years and inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame as a drummer. Currently, he is a Clinical Social Worker/psychotherapist in private practice. Areas of specialization and training include Complex and Developmental Trauma, Threat Assessment and Risk Management, integrated with models such as Internal Family Systems, and EMDR. In addition, he is proud to be involved with the Everett: Company, where he collaborated on the development of Good Grief; an exploration, through the lens of performance arts and Internal Family Systems, on how trauma is encoded, embodied, and experienced.