Episode
The Science & Process of Healing from Grief
2:06:59
Published: Mon May 30 2022
Description
This episode, I discuss grief and the challenges of processing losses of different kinds. I explain the biological mechanisms of grief, including how neural circuits for emotional and factual memory combine with those for love and attachment, to create feelings of absence and yearning. I discuss how grief is distinct from depression, yet why they can feel so similar. I also provide science-based tools to assist with the grieving process, including how to reframe and remap the relationship with those we have lost while still maintaining a strong emotional connection to them. I also explain the importance of having and building strong foundational psychological and biological states so that we can better cope with grief when it happens. Finally, I describe tools to adjust those states, including those for accessing sleep, managing stress and emotional swings. This episode is for those suffering from grief but also for everyone, given that we all experience grief at some point in our lives. We recorded this episode before the recent mass shooting tragedies in the United States. While we hope the information in this episode will be of use to anyone suffering from grief of any kind and at any time, we are also careful to acknowledge that many people require additional support and resources. For that reason, we include mention of such resources and we generally hope people will access them if needed. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Grief & Bereavement (00:04:02) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:08:35) Grief vs. Depression, Complicated Grief (00:12:20) Stages of Grief, Individual Variation for Grieving (00:16:05) Grief: Lack & Motivation, Dopamine (00:23:15) Three Dimensions of Relationships (00:29:52) Tool: Remapping Relationships (00:37:15) Grief, Maintaining Emotional Closeness & Remapping (00:44:40) Memories of Loved Ones & Remapping Attachments (00:48:04) Yearning for Loved Ones: Memories vs. Reality, Episodic Memory (00:51:40) Tools: Adaptively Processing Grief, Counterfactual Thinking, Phantom Limbs (01:00:32) Tool: Remembering Emotional Connection & Processing Grief (01:04:03) Memories, Hippocampal Trace Cells & Feeling An Absence (01:10:14) Yearning & Oxytocin, Individualized Grief Cycles (01:18:24) Tool: Complicated Grief & Adrenaline (Epinephrine) (01:24:37) Sentimental Attachment to Objects (01:26:13) Why do Some People Grieve More Quickly? Individual Attachment Capacity (01:29:42) “Vagal Tone,” Heart Rate, Breathwork & Grief Recovery (01:42:32) Complicated Grief & Cortisol Patterns (01:48:50) Tool: Improving Sleep & Grieving (01:54:28) Tools: Grief Processing & Adaptive Recovery (02:03:36) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
This podcast looks at how our psychological and biological states can impact our grief process and whether it ends up being complicated or non-complicated.
00:00 - 08:31 (08:31)
Summary
This podcast looks at how our psychological and biological states can impact our grief process and whether it ends up being complicated or non-complicated. It also provides scientific information and tools for navigating through grief, no matter the intensity, and provides recommendations for a healthy lifestyle.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
The article discusses how grief is now being conceptualized as a motivational process by scientists and psychologists, and brain imaging studies have taught us that the brain areas associated with motivation and craving are some of the primary areas activated during states of grief.
08:31 - 21:59 (13:27)
Summary
The article discusses how grief is now being conceptualized as a motivational process by scientists and psychologists, and brain imaging studies have taught us that the brain areas associated with motivation and craving are some of the primary areas activated during states of grief.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
Studies show that a portion of the brain seems uniquely tuned to distance; for instance, changes in physical spacing of objects, changes in the temporal spacing of sounds, and changes in emotional distance between people result in the same brain area being uniquely activated.
21:59 - 31:12 (09:12)
Summary
Studies show that a portion of the brain seems uniquely tuned to distance; for instance, changes in physical spacing of objects, changes in the temporal spacing of sounds, and changes in emotional distance between people result in the same brain area being uniquely activated.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode discusses how all relationships are mapped in the brain and body through three dimensions: space, time, and closeness or proximity.
31:12 - 42:02 (10:50)
Summary
This episode discusses how all relationships are mapped in the brain and body through three dimensions: space, time, and closeness or proximity. It explores the disorienting feeling of maintaining a close attachment while not being able to predict where or when someone, or something, will be, and how this can lead to profound grief and difficulty reconciling the logical and emotional worlds.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
To move through the grieving process effectively, one must understand attachment and how relationships are mapped in the brain, space, time, and closeness; simply knowing that someone or something is no longer accessible to us won't make us stop feeling grief, but there are specific steps one can take to remap these dimensions while still maintaining a sense of attachment to the person.
42:03 - 53:43 (11:40)
Summary
To move through the grieving process effectively, one must understand attachment and how relationships are mapped in the brain, space, time, and closeness; simply knowing that someone or something is no longer accessible to us won't make us stop feeling grief, but there are specific steps one can take to remap these dimensions while still maintaining a sense of attachment to the person.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
The process of moving through grief adaptively in a healthy way involves maintaining the attachment but uncoupling that attachment from the space and time representation of the person, animal or thing that was lost.
53:43 - 1:06:49 (13:05)
Summary
The process of moving through grief adaptively in a healthy way involves maintaining the attachment but uncoupling that attachment from the space and time representation of the person, animal or thing that was lost. Experiments with phantom limb pain have shown that the pain can be resolved by using a mirror box to give the visual impression that the limb is still present and moving.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
The loss of a loved one doesn't erase the cognitive map in our brain and the important role they played in our lives; instead, trace cells become very active in the immediate stage after the loss of a loved one.
1:06:49 - 1:13:00 (06:10)
Summary
The loss of a loved one doesn't erase the cognitive map in our brain and the important role they played in our lives; instead, trace cells become very active in the immediate stage after the loss of a loved one. These cells act as a coordinate system to orient us in space and time.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
There are behavioral tools rooted in science that can help to control the autonomic nervous system and reduce the overall level of stress.
1:13:00 - 1:24:37 (11:36)
Summary
There are behavioral tools rooted in science that can help to control the autonomic nervous system and reduce the overall level of stress. These tools are beneficial in moving through healthy normal grieving, and there are ways to cope with the loss of someone or something without prolonged grief disorder or complicated grief.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
The depth of attachment to someone can predict how long it will take to process the loss of that person, which is why the loss of personal possessions with sentimental value can be so difficult to overcome.
1:24:37 - 1:31:11 (06:34)
Summary
The depth of attachment to someone can predict how long it will take to process the loss of that person, which is why the loss of personal possessions with sentimental value can be so difficult to overcome.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode discusses the relationship between the autonomic nervous system, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and vagal tone with the heart rate, and how conscious training of slowing heart rate with exhales and increasing heart rate with inhales can be beneficial to overall health.
1:31:11 - 1:36:14 (05:02)
Summary
This episode discusses the relationship between the autonomic nervous system, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and vagal tone with the heart rate, and how conscious training of slowing heart rate with exhales and increasing heart rate with inhales can be beneficial to overall health.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
Practicing breathing exercises, specifically focusing on slowing the heart rate while exhaling and increasing it while inhaling, can improve the mind-body relationship and help individuals better access feelings of attachment while moving through grief, according to this podcast episode.
1:36:14 - 1:44:18 (08:04)
Summary
Practicing breathing exercises, specifically focusing on slowing the heart rate while exhaling and increasing it while inhaling, can improve the mind-body relationship and help individuals better access feelings of attachment while moving through grief, according to this podcast episode.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
Individuals with complicated grief have significantly higher cortisol levels at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., indicating the potential role of cortisol regulation in navigating grief.
1:44:18 - 1:50:49 (06:30)
Summary
Individuals with complicated grief have significantly higher cortisol levels at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., indicating the potential role of cortisol regulation in navigating grief. However, further research is needed to determine causality.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast delves into understanding grief and attachment through neuroscience, explaining how the plasticity necessary for neural rewiring and emotional regulation is triggered naturally during the loss of a loved one.
1:50:49 - 2:04:13 (13:24)
Summary
This podcast delves into understanding grief and attachment through neuroscience, explaining how the plasticity necessary for neural rewiring and emotional regulation is triggered naturally during the loss of a loved one. It identifies tools to deepen the intensity of one’s attachment to the person while simultaneously uncoupling oneself from a catalog of episodic memories to distance oneself from expectations that are maladaptive for a real and complete loss.
EpisodeThe Science & Process of Healing from Grief
PodcastHuberman Lab
The Huberman Lab podcast has discussed the benefits of supplements for improving sleep, focus and more.
2:04:13 - 2:07:13 (02:59)
Summary
The Huberman Lab podcast has discussed the benefits of supplements for improving sleep, focus and more. Some listeners faced difficulties in accessing these supplements outside of the US, but it is expected that they will be available worldwide soon.