The neuroscience of grief and grieving is a relatively new field, but one that offers practical discoveries for people of all backgrounds. This month we talk with Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss.

We talk about what has been learned from a variety of approaches, including both brain imaging and, surprisingly even from animal studies. We learn why it is so hard for our brains to accept the loss of a loved one and this work offers hope for helping those who struggle with prolonged or complicated grief.

The incredible loss of life cause by the COVID pandemic makes this work especially timely.

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• The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O'Connor

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