Seeing Through our Tears

Book excerpt: Why do we cry when we're angry? What can tears tell us about fatigue? Here is a book to enlighten and encourage all who struggle to understand their tears -- as well as those people who care for them. Drawing on gripping case studies from his experiences as pastor, counselor, and professor, Daniel G. Bagby explores the language of tears. In successive chapters, the book probes beneath tears to uncover emotions and experiences that trigger them: anger, remorse, fatigue, fear, frustration, relief, loneliness, manipulation, and sorrow -- as well as exploring times when we cannot cry. Bagby demonstrates how, when we come to understand and welcome our tears, they become cleansing agents that rid us of physical and psychic toxins, clear our inner vision, and point us to healing and wholeness.