The Science & Process of Healing from Grief | Episode 74
Main Takeaways
Grief is more than just sadness; it's a state of yearning and desire for something that is just outside your reach until you remap your relationship with that person or thing.
There are two categories of grief: complicated grief, which does not resolve itself after a prolonged period of time, and non-complicated grief, which allows you to maintain functions in life.
Grief is a motivational state; it is a desire for something and not actually a desire to have the person back.
Grief is a distinct psychological and physiological event in the brain and body from depression.
The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It is important to note that not everyone makes their way through all stages.
The brain areas associated with motivation and action are the primary areas associated with stages of grief.
To get through grief, we have to remap our attachment, which is the process of uncoupling our relationship from space, time, and closeness.
People who experience deep grief have been shown to have heightened oxytocin receptors in brain regions responsible for craving and pursuit.
Cortisol levels can affect complicated grieving, and it's important to establish as normal a pattern of cortisol as possible and view sunlight shortly after waking.
To engage in and move through grief, it is essential to maintain attachment but start understanding that what happened before won't happen again, set aside dedicated time to feel the feelings, avoid counterfactual thinking, and place notions of where that person is now. Breathing practices can be helpful unless you are grieving intensely and often in ways that are impacting your daily functions.
