The Grieving Brain

Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD

In this fascinating and insightful book, ‘The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss’, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor delves into the workings of the brain to explore the ‘mechanics’ behind feelings of love and loss. Her aim is to move beyond the ‘what’ of grief (what does it feel like?) and understand the ‘why’ of grief (why does it hurt so very much?).

Cutting-edge neuroscience has enabled neuroscientists to study brain activity and to discover which regions of the brain are most active in certain social and emotional situations. These observations are helping them to understand why the death of someone close to us feels so deeply painful and disorientating. Mary-Frances hopes this research will help people to better navigate the often difficult journey through grief and grieving. She believes that understanding grief ‘through a neurobiological lens can enhance our understanding, create a more holistic view of grief, and help us engage in new ways with the anguish and terror of what grief is like’.

To read a full whiteballoon review of this book, please go to our Blog page.

About the Author

Mary-Frances O’Connor is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona in the USA, where she directs the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress (GLASS) lab in investigating the effects of grief on the brain and body. Her latest book ‘The Grieving Body’ looks at the effects of grief and loss on the physical body.