To the Editor:

Re “Resilience, Not Misery, in Coping With Loss” (Books, Dec. 29): Dr. Abigail Zuger’s review of “The Other Side of Sadness” implicates Freud and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross as culprits perpetuating misguided ideas about bereavement. Dr. Zuger’s repetitive emphasis on “the grim slog of Freudian grief work” perplexes me.

In “Mourning and Melancholia” (1917), Freud describes a psychic mechanism by which people relinquish their emotional attachment to the person who has died and redirect their love toward the self, other people and life. While Freud believed the grieving process took time and resembled depression, he did not advocate therapeutic intervention in such cases because he didn’t consider bereavement pathological.

It’s unfortunate that George A. Bonanno’s intriguing topic is made less accessible by a review that, in maligning Freud, may distract readers from engaging with Dr. Bonanno’s innovative ideas. Julie Willstatter

White Plains