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Digital Seminar

The Neuroscience of Grief

$69.99 Standard

Why does grief hurt so much? Why does death, the permanent absence of a person with whom you are bonded, result in such devastating feelings and lead to behavior and beliefs that are inexplicable, even to the grieving person? Neuroscience and cognitive psychology can provide some answers beyond what grief feels like—tackling the questions of why. Some of the answers to our questions about grief can be found in the brain, the seat of our thoughts and feelings, motivations, and behaviors. By looking at grief from the perspective of the brain, we will discuss the contemporary neuroscience of how bonded relationships are encoded in order to better understand the why of grief. Considering grieving to be a form of learning is helpful to understanding the trajectory of adaptation during bereavement. 

Here's What You'll Learn

Neurobiology of grief and grieving 

  • Neurobiology of attachment in humans and pair-bonded animals 
  • The difference between grief and grieving 
  • The Gone But Also Everlasting theory 
  • Risks and Limitations 

Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) 

  • Debunking the myth of the 5 stages of grief 
  • Empirical data on the grieving trajectories 

Grieving as a form of learning 

  • Complications for learning are also complications for grieving 

Toolkit of coping strategies and psychotherapeutic intervention 

  • Emotion regulation flexibility, the right strategy for the right moment 
  • Avoidance 
  • Rumination 

Everything You're Getting

  • More than 1 hour of video content
  • Up to 1.0 CE credits
  • Certificate of completion
  • Handouts and resources

Meet Your Experts

Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD

Toggle speaker biography

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. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in 2004 and following a faculty appointment at UCLA, she returned to the University of Arizona in 2012. Her research focuses on the neurobiological, cardiovascular, and immune response to bereavement. She believes that a clinical science approach toward the experience and physiology of grief can improve psychological treatment. Dr. O’ Connor’s first book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (2022; HarperOne) has garnered praise from peers and literary critics alike and has led to speaking engagements around the world. Her new book, The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing was published in February, 2025.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Mary-Frances O'Connor has an employment relationship with the University of Arizona and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Mary-Frances O'Connor has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

More taught by Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD

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Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Product Code:
POS059800
Duration:
1 hour, 1 minute
Copyright:
Apr 25, 2024
Closed Captions:
Available
Format:
Audio and Video

ADA Needs

We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

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