Synopsis "Rebuilding Your Life After Homicide"
Victim Support Services, formerly Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Violent Crime Victims originally published this booklet in 1983 under a different title called "Grief by Homicide". The new title of this book, "Rebuilding your Life after Homicide" has been chosen because it reflects the experience that surviving victims of homicide undergo after the unthinkable happens. Survivors report that they literally had to pick up the pieces of the old, and find a new way to carry on. Rebuilding a new normal and a new way of living. Life as they knew it was different after the violent loss of their loved one. The most important message of this book is to convey that you are not alone. Many mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, aunt's, uncle's, steps, grandparents, and close friends have walked a similar path before you. Losing a loved one to homicide is a very misunderstood form of grief, no one is prepared for such a sudden and violent act. We are sorry that you are going through this. This book was written with you, your loved one, and your family in mind. Everyone's story is unique. There is no blue print available to get you through this. There is no right way to grieve or recover. This book has been developed as a guide of what you might expect along the way. This journey will not be easy. It will take everything that you have to make it through it, there will be really difficult moments, as well as positive ones. You are not alone, agencies like Victim Support Services are across the United States to help guide you through this process. Please don't hesitate to reach out to someone if you need help.
