The Surviving Twin: Enduring Twin Loss and Complicated Grief

You are not alone! The Surviving Twin, is told by a twin who has lost his twin brother in a tragic boating, drowning accident. It describes the potentially dangerous and complex physiological and emotional aspects of twin loss. The book describes in a very open and honest fashion of how devastating the loss of a twin is to the surviving twin. It also delves into the difficulties of non-twins being able to relate to this complicated grief that only other surviving twins can relate. This story is told by a man who is very open to what other surviving male twins will most likely experience in their grief journey. The Surviving Twin, Enduring Twin Loss and Complicated Grief, will be helpful to anyone dealing with severe loss and complicated grief.ENDORSEMENTSJust finished reading the book. Larry, wonderful job! I believe it will serve as an amazing tool for helping any who are dealing with grief, especially a surviving twin. I also hope and believe it is a blessing to you, yourself, as an expression of your own struggle with loss and grieving. Thank you for your transparency and honest thought throughout—I was moved to tears, and it ministered to me deeply.Miles Clark, retired ministerIn soliloquy style Larry summons the depth and range of grief on and after the tragic death of his twin brother. With transparency he spotlights a uniqueness and loneliness he felt that non-twins can only imagine. Memories are revisited bringing both sadness and healing. He considered all the therapeutic options—some productive, some destructive—and made his choice. Join him on a journey where a grieving heart speaks a language no vocabulary can supply.Dr. Thomas G. Ewald, Author and retired seminary professorI was sitting beside Larry at my father-in-law’s (his uncle’s) funeral dinner almost exactly one year after Terry’s passing when Larry said to me, “Tony, the Lord is telling me I need to write a book about a twin losing his or her twin.” As Larry spoke about this new calling from the Lord on his life and the scarcity of any real resources for twins that lose a twin, I found myself full of joy. I sensed in this endeavor an opportunity for Larry to heal while creating a powerful resource for a surviving twin. As a minister, the insights into the additional struggles a surviving twin faces will be eye-opening and a valuable tool in your ministry toolbox. For a surviving twin, the open honesty about the pain, invasive thoughts, guilt, and emptiness will most certainly reveal you are not alone and open a door to a path of healing. I hope and pray this book brings healing, blessing, and insight to all who read it!Tony Billingsley, ministerAn essential part of processing the pain of grief is telling your story. Larry does an excellent job blending his story with sound emotional and biblical guidance for the reader. He gives wonderful insights into the unique grief of a twin and the masculine side of grief work. Like Larry, I’ve found that many men do their grief work in solitude or while doing an activity that connects with the one they lost. It seemed fitting that I finished reading this on the opening day for deer hunting. Larry takes the reader through J. William Worden’s (2018) four tasks of mourning: to accept the reality of the loss, to process the pain of grief, to adjust to a world without Terry, and to find a way to remember Terry while embarking on the rest of one’s journey through life (Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, 5th ed., 41–50).Ray Maurer, MSW, M.Div, D.Min., Christian therapist Read more