The Grieving Brain, MaryFrances OConnor
The Grieving Brain, MaryFrances OConnor
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The Grieving Brain
The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

Author: Mary-Frances O'Connor

Narrator: Callie Beaulieu

Unabridged: 8 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 02/01/2022


Synopsis

NPR SciFri Book Club PickNext Big Idea Club's ""Top 21 Psychology Books of 2022""Behavioral Scientist Notable Books of 2022A renowned grief expert and neuroscientist shares groundbreaking discoveries about what happens in our brain when we grieve, providing a new paradigm for understanding love, loss, and learning.In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, gives us a fascinating new window into one of the hallmark experiences of being human. O’Connor has devoted decades to researching the effects of grief on the brain, and in this book, she makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible through her contagious enthusiasm, and guides us through how we encode love and grief. With love, our neurons help us form attachments to others; but, with loss, our brain must come to terms with where our loved ones went, or how to imagine a future without them. The Grieving Brain addresses:Why it’s so hard to understand that a loved one has died and is gone foreverWhy grief causes so many emotions—sadness, anger, blame, guilt, and yearningWhy grieving takes so longThe distinction between grief and prolonged griefWhy we ruminate so much after we lose a loved oneHow we go about restoring a meaningful life while grievingBased on O’Connor’s own trailblazing neuroimaging work, research in the field, and her real-life stories, The Grieving Brain combines storytelling, accessible science, and practical knowledge that will help us better understand what happens when we grieve and how to navigate loss with more ease and grace. 

About Mary-Frances O'Connor

Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, investigating the effects of grief on the brain and the body. Her book The Grieving Brain was included on Oprah’s list of Best Books to Comfort a Grieving Friend. O’Connor holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Having grown up in Montana, she now lives in Tucson, Arizona.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bharath on April 25, 2023

This is a unique book which explains what research reveals about how our brain reacts to loss. The author has absolutely the right credentials for writing this book – as she directs the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab at the University of Arizona, in investigating the effects of grief on......more

Goodreads review by Megan on June 27, 2022

The Grieving Brain is a research-heavy book that’s good for understanding how the brain functions during grief. However, this book lacked application of that research in easy, digestible ways; thus, I probably will not recommend this book to most people who are actively grieving.......more

Goodreads review by Lillian on March 05, 2022

One of the best sources on grief and grieving I've discovered to date - the last 100 pages, especially, are very informative and thoughtful. I highly recommend to anyone who has experienced acute grief or is struggling to help and better understand someone who is grieving. This is definitely a book......more

Goodreads review by Graeme on November 20, 2023

This book dives deep into the neurological underpinnings of grief, blending scientific research with real-world stories. O'Connor, while not a naturally gifted writer per se, still manages to showcase considerable skill in her writing craft. She made complex concepts accessible and engaging, not an......more

Goodreads review by Robyn on March 17, 2022

This book kinda found me at the library.Having lost my partner 14 months ago has been so painful to me, I thought I would be over it in a years time but now I see that may have been a survival mechanism in my brain to just help me get thru..... This book helped me understand that the grieving I hav......more