Episode Five: How Grief Lives in the Body
You know how when you are grieving you might feel clumsy? Or perhaps your heart literally hurts — not metaphorically? These are some of the many physical manifestations of grief that have been scientifically observed — and humanly felt. And not just humanly!!! Animals grieve, too. (Wait until you learn about crow funerals!) Today we’re talking to Dr. Dorothy Holinger, psychologist and author of The Anatomy of Grief. This validating conversation is an exploration of the science and spirituality of grief, how deeply personal and individualistic the grief experience is and how integral it is to all living beings.
GUEST:
Dorothy P. Holinger, Ph.D.
Dorothy P. Holinger, Ph.D., was an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for more than twenty-three years. She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and has her own psychotherapy practice.
KEY QUESTIONS:
What does your grief feel like?
What did you do that, in hindsight, you realize now was a response to your grief?
What happens in our bodies when we grieve?
RESOURCES:
What Happens in the Body During Grief • The NY Times
Dealing with Physical Grief Symptoms • What’s Your Grief
How Grief Shows Up in Your Body • WebMD
6 Physical Effects of Grief • Good Therapy
Understanding a Broken Heart: The Physiology of Grief • ZRT Laboratory
How Grief Affects Your Body • United Physician Group
The Emotions and Traditional Chinese Medicine • Encircle Acupuncture
Transforming Somatic Grief • Dr. Lyn Prashant, FT. IGT. CMTI.
WHITE PAPER:
Download the white paper here.
CREDITS:
Grief, Collected is a production of The Mash-Up Americans. Executive produced by Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer. Senior editor and producer is Sara Pellegrini. Development Producer is Dupe Oyebolu. Production manager Shelby Sandlin. Original music composed by The Brothers Tang. Sound design support by Pedro Rafael Rosado. Website design by Rebecca Fernandez. Grief, Collected was supported in part by a grant from The Pop Culture Collaborative.