How Grief Shows up in the Body

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 658 Ratings

🗓️ 10 August 2022

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Grief is a painful experience, but it's not just in the mind, or spirit, Grief actually has a physical impact on our bodies. In this episode I have a conversation with Dr. Dorothy Hollinger, the author of The Anatomy of Grief, about how Grief shows up in our physical heart, in our brains, our tears. How grief impacts sleep and appetite and digestion. Grief and loss can be terribly painful, but there is also hope for healing and growth through the process. Check out our mini-course Understanding Grief, Loss and Mourning https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grief Dr. Hollinger's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Grief-Dorothy-Holinger-Ph-D/dp/0300226233 Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/store Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/ Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Emma McAdam. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist.
0:03.0	And today on the channel, we have a special guest, Dr. Dorothy Hollinger, and she has recently written the book, The Anatomy of Grief.
0:11.0	Today we're going to be talking about how grief shows up in the brain, the heart, in your body, and in your tears.
0:18.0	And we're going to talk about a few ways to work through the grieving process in a healthy way.
0:23.6	If you'd like to learn more about how to work through the grieving process in a healthy way,
0:28.6	please check out our mini course, an introduction to grief, loss, and mourning.
0:32.6	It's taught by Sarah Engler, a licensed to clinical social worker.
0:36.6	And in it you'll learn a lot of essential
0:38.6	skills to giving words to your experience and how to know what is a healthy way to work through
0:45.1	grief. So if you'd like to check that out, please do so. The link is in the description.
0:49.9	I'm really excited to speak with Dr. Hollinger, and so let's jump in. Thank you so much for being willing to join us.
0:55.6	I'm really excited to learn from you and my audience to learn from you.
0:59.1	Can we just jump in?
1:00.3	How does the brain process grief and what changes do we see in the brain when someone is grieving?
1:07.2	Well, let's start with what happens when they hear the news.
1:12.0	And that's when the amygdala is alerted.
1:16.4	And that's a part of the brain that really is the guardian of our survival.
1:21.2	And so when news of a death hits someone, it affects the entire human self of the survivor, the brain, the heart, and the body.
1:31.3	And the news registers in the amygdala. And what it does is raises the alarm, and this is research
1:39.2	that has been in non-human animals, to fight, to flee, or to freeze.
1:46.4	And so in humans, when that happens, if someone gets that response of fight,
1:54.0	they'll scream or say no or just absolutely become furious at the news.
	...

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