Losing Your Only by Dr. Debi Yohn -- A Review

Life has an order about it that we have all come to expect, even if we haven't thought about it.  We are born and we grow, become adults and usually parents. We grow older and eventually pass on.  In spite of this fairly predictable cycle, the order of things sometimes change and we are faced with losing a child.  Whenever this occurs, grief seems deeper than we can ever imagine.  When the child is our only one, the grief can be even deeper, for not only do we lose our child, we lose our identity as a parent.

Dr. Debi Yohn lost her son when he was only twenty.  In her book, Losing Your Only, she bares her soul as she relates the process she went through.  This isn't just her story, however, because she offers advice between the pieces of her story.  Using her experience, she reaches out to other parents who have lost their only child and helps them understand the process they will go through, giving helpful advice on how to best deal with each stage of the process.

Losing Your Only isn't a "get over and go on" book.  I really liked the fact that Dr. Yohn tells readers that they will question.  She is honest about the depth of pain.  She is also positive in her assertion that things do get better with time.  She acknowledges they won't be the same, but they will be better.  The author found her greatest strength in spirituality.  This book, however, isn't based on any particular religion.  She states many times that the parent needs to reach toward their own Higher Power, follow their own cultural beliefs and traditions.  What is most important is being able to reach out and accept the love and help of others.

I also found the process described by Dr. Yohn as one that can help any parent, anywhere get through the death of their only child.  She brings hope and healing through her words and practical actions a parent can take, not just find a way talk.  This is a book that should be available to anyone who has ever felt the loss of a child.  It is a subject so often avoided in written material, but it needs to be available--and Dr. Debi Yohn allowed her grief to push her forward to give hope to others.

Losing Your Only rates six colors on the Rainbow Scale.

Thank you for your interest in Losing Your Only, by Dr Debi Yohn. This is a very personal story which helped Dr Yohn discover her purpose – to motivate and support parents and others to live life to their highest potential. The digital version of the book is currently available at http://losingyouronly.com/get-the-book/. If you would like to be notified about the upcoming print and audio release, please visit this page and send Dr Debi your name and email address.

Dr. Debi Yohn On Losing Your Only

Dr Deb Yohn is my very special guest today and tomorrow.  Dr. Yohn normally writes with a witty style that not only teaches both parents and children, but also entertains as well.  Dan Poynter, author of The Self Publishing Manual describes Deb Yohn as "Dr.Phil with red hair and heels!"  Dr. Yohn's current book, however, takes a different tone.  Losing Your Only came about from personal tradgedy--and the courage and strength it took to get through it.  Deb explains this book's origin best:

A Comment From Dr Debi About Losing Your Only


"My current book, Losing Your Only is written to the Parents or Loved Ones that have lost an only child. This book is written from my own personal experience. When my only child was killed in a car accident, my life took a different path. I was living in Shanghai China. He was going to college in USA. In my grief, I discovered that my purpose is to motivate, and support parents and all clients live to their life potential. Losing a child is horrific, losing an only child brings it up a notch. So what do we do with that kind of experience? We have decisions to make. We can live or we can die with the child. I decided not only to live, but to thrive"

Tomorrow, please stop by and see my review of this book.

.Dr. Debi is an accomplished international psychologist, author, mentor, mother and speaker with 32 years of the most remarkable experience anyone could imagine.


She began her career in psychology helping families in the poor rural south...where greetings were occasionally, "Please put the gun down...I'm a social worker not a revenuer."

As she continued her education, she lived in Saudi Arabia for 7 years where she conducted team building workshops…and in spite of an arrest for an airspace violation, forced landing and resulting disagreement with a middle eastern general, she managed to “discuss” her (and her 87 fellow passengers) way to freedom.

Back in the US, working for 2 Fortune 500 organizations, one in healthcare and one in insurance, quickly rose to the position of Director and skillfully avoided most “rightsizings” except the last one.

She was thrown into crisis intervention when a nearby explosion in a manufacturing plant killed 12 workers and injured another 50. She was part of a team of early responders that helped the families of the deceased, injured and non-injured survivors deal with the emotional aftermath of such a devastating accident.

Off on her next assignment of choice in China, she developed a private practice serving the English-speaking expatriate community of 300,000 providing psychological counseling and help for expats and their families adjusting to life abroad.

Eating bloodworms (yes, a Chinese delicacy and as nasty as it sounds) at the home of a government official or helping to establish “Lifeline Shanghai” an English speaking 911 service to help expats in need are just 2 of her many interesting adventures.

She has always felt that life teaches us what we need to learn and finding ways to learn those lessons as quickly and fully as possible helps improve the overall quality of the life experience.

Fortunately, in our complicated, overscheduled, and often crazy world, Dr. Yohn teaches specific strategies to bring joy, serenity and relaxation to your life even when things don’t look so good.

She has written four books and lectured on a wide variety of subjects related to parenting, mental health, adjusting to change, dealing with loss of a loved one and strategies for a success filled life.

She currently lives between Huatulco, Mexico and Shanghai, China. She travels the world working with her clients, writing and managing her diversified business and charitable interests.