Prompt Cast
The Neuroscience and Psychology of Grief: Understanding the Dimensions of Space, Time, and Closeness
TLDR This podcast episode explores the neuroscience and psychology behind grief, including the three dimensions of space, time, and closeness that establish close bonds with people and require reorganization when we lose them. Grief is a process with a beginning, middle, and end, and understanding where you are in that process can be beneficial for preserving the memory of the person or animal you lost while maintaining your own functional capacity in life.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Grief is a natural emotion that most people experience at some point in their lives, and this podcast episode explores the neuroscience and psychology behind grief, including the three dimensions of space, time, and closeness that establish close bonds with people and require reorganization when we lose them.
06:59
Grief is a process with a beginning, middle, and end, and understanding where you are in that process can be beneficial for preserving the memory of the person or animal you lost while maintaining your own functional capacity in life.
14:15
Grief is not just a state of sadness and pain, but also a state of yearning and desire, activating brain areas associated with motivation and reward, such as the nucleus accumbens, which is driven by dopamine and leads to an anticipatory state and a desire for action.
22:07
The experiment showed that changes in physical spacing, temporal spacing, and emotional distance all activate the same brain area, the inferior parietal lobule, which suggests that our map of emotional closeness is intertwined with our map of physical space and time.
29:59
Grief is the process of reordering our understanding of someone's physical and temporal presence after their loss, while still maintaining the emotional attachment to them.
37:43
Grief involves maintaining a deep attachment to a person who has passed away, while also remapping the dimensions of closeness, space, and time associated with that person.
45:35
Grief involves maintaining a deep attachment to a person who has passed away, while also remapping the dimensions of closeness, space, and time associated with that person, and it is important to acknowledge and understand this attachment without trying to disengage from it or convince oneself that the attachment wasn't as strong as it actually was.
53:07
Maintaining the emotional bond while uncoupling the attachment from the space and time representation of the person, animal, or thing is an adaptive way to move through grief.
01:00:09
Trace cells in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex are responsible for the absence of someone or something and become active after the loss of a loved one, leading to the expectation of their presence despite the cognitive understanding of their absence.
01:07:30
The intensity of grief and the yearning for attachment after a loss may be related to the presence of oxytocin receptors in the brain regions associated with motivation and pursuit.
01:15:01
People move through grief at different rates, and the presence of high levels of epinephrine (adrenaline) in the body can contribute to complicated grief symptoms and prolonged grief.
01:22:00
The depth of attachment to someone does not necessarily predict how long it will take to move through the loss of that person, and neuroscience and psychology cannot make predictions about attachment and grieving.
01:29:01
The vagus nerve and respiratory sinus arrhythmia play a role in stress modulation and can be used as a tool for navigating grief, as shown in a study where individuals with higher vagal tone benefited more from writing exercises about their attachment to the person they lost.
01:35:39
Accessing states of emotionality through writing or thinking about someone can engage the mind and body in attachment, aiding in the process of moving through grief, and individuals with higher vagal tone may benefit more from this practice.
01:42:29
Proper sleep and establishing a normal pattern of cortisol, particularly through exposure to sunlight in the morning, is crucial for navigating the grief process effectively.
01:49:27
Proper sleep and accessing deep rest through neuroplasticity are essential tools for navigating the grieving process effectively and avoiding prolonged grief disorders.
01:56:31
Preparing ourselves to grieve adaptively by regulating catecholamines and using tools like increasing vagal tone can help us navigate the grieving process effectively.
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Science
