2 years to first glimpses of meaning
Kessler began to experience glimpses of returning to life and finding meaning approximately two years after his son's unexpected death.
Snapshot · The School of Greatness
The Grief Expert Who Discovered a Sixth Stage | David Kessler
Explore episode
Aug 10, 2026
Where this was said
Finding Meaning: Personal and Universal
At 11:58 · chapter starts 8:10
Lewis pushes Kessler on the personal dimension: who were you before your son's death, and who are you now? Kessler's answer is layered — he appreciates the temporariness of life more intensely, has stripped away illusions of control, and now focuses his power on how he experiences each moment and what he chooses to say yes or no to. He shares the striking observation that his son's funeral was packed, and that his son did not know how loved he was — which became a catalyst for Kessler to express love to living people rather than only at funerals. He traces the reason it's so hard for people to express love while others are alive: we suppress all emotions or we let all in — there's no selective filtering. His grief groups, he notes, were the most laughing rooms at every conference, because allowing the full range of grief expands the full range of joy. He also reveals that the path to the sixth stage was gradual — approximately two years after his son died, glimpses of returning to life began [1] — David Kessler "2 years to first glimpses of meaning: Kessler began to experience glimpses of returning to life and finding meaning approximately two years…" 11:58 .
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