Love and loss are often described in terms of how it makes us feel. Fortunately, new research on the brain is helping us understand the WHY. Why are attachment bonds so deeply rooted in our psyche? Why is grief often experienced as a state of disorientation? With functional MRI technology, we now have evidence that the closeness we feel with loved ones exists in the tangible hardware of our brains. It follows that when we suffer a loss, our brains need time to catch up before creating a new map of reality. This SDG will explore both the scientific and humanistic approaches. We will examine the brain’s responses and see how they change over time. Discussions will include attachment bonds, coping mechanisms, brain mapping and tools for building resilience. Let’s remove the stigma and study the latest research on grief and how it relates to our capacity for love. Core Books will include:

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss, by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, 2023

Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: by Claire Bidwell Smith, 2022

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