Understanding How Grief - Affects the Brain
Grief not only impacts our emotions but also brings significant changes to the brain, affecting memory, stress levels, and overall well-being. With a personal reflection from our celebrity ambassador, Darragh Ennis, we bring together insights from experts to offer guidance on navigating grief with resilience and hope.
Understanding How Grief Affects the Brain: Practical Insights
Grief is a profound and universal human experience, touching every aspect of ourselves. Beyond the emotional turmoil, grief causes significant changes within the brain, influencing our thoughts, behaviours, and overall health. By understanding these neurological impacts, we can better navigate the grieving process and find pathways to healing.
The Neurological Impact of Grief
When we lose someone important, our brain perceives this loss as a form of emotional trauma. This perception activates the brain's survival mechanisms, commonly known as the "fight or flight" response. Dr. Lisa M. Shulman, a neurologist at the University of Maryland, explains that such traumatic loss is "perceived as a threat to survival," triggering protective responses that elevate blood pressure, increase heart rate, and release stress hormones. These physiological changes can lead to changes in memory, behaviour, sleep patterns, and overall bodily functions. Over time, chronic stress from prolonged grief can weaken the immune system and negatively impact heart health.
Moreover, grief affects various brain functions, including memory recall, perspective-taking, and even the regulation of heart rate and pain perception. Researcher and author Mary-Frances O'Connor notes that grief is intertwined with numerous brain activities, ranging from recalling memories to understanding others' perspectives.
The Brain's Adaptation Through Neuroplasticity
Our brains possess a remarkable ability called neuroplasticity, which allows them to reorganise and form new neural connections in response to experiences, including loss. In the context of grief, neuroplasticity enables the brain to adapt to the absence of a loved one by reshaping its neural pathways. Dr. Shulman emphasises that while low to moderate stress can promote nerve growth and enhance memory, chronic stress associated with prolonged grief can have the opposite effect, reducing nerve growth and impairing cognitive functions. Repeated stress can reinforce these pathways, making them our default response to grief.
Practical Strategies for Healing the Grieving Brain
Understanding the brain's response to grief can provide practical coping mechanisms that can facilitate healing:
Engage in Mindfulness and Relaxation Practices: Techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and journaling can help calm the mind and reduce stress. These practices encourage the brain to form new, healthier neural connections, promoting emotional regulation.
Seek Social Support: Connecting with friends, family, or support groups provides emotional comfort and can alleviate feelings of isolation. Social interactions stimulate the release of oxytocin, a hormone that counteracts stress.
Maintain Physical Health: Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep are crucial. Physical activity, in particular, has been shown to boost mood and cognitive function by releasing endorphins.
Engage in Creative Activities: Pursuing hobbies such as painting, music, or writing can serve as emotional outlets, allowing for expression and processing complex feelings associated with grief.
Consider Professional Counselling for Persistent Grief: Therapists trained in grief counselling can provide personalised strategies and coping techniques, helping individuals navigate their unique grieving process.
Embracing the Journey of Healing
Grieving is not a linear process but a deeply personal journey that reshapes our inner world. By acknowledging the neurological effects of grief and actively engaging in practices that promote brain health, we can navigate this journey with greater resilience and hope. It's important to remember that while the pain of loss may never fully disappear, our brains have the capacity to adapt, heal, and find new ways to experience joy and connection.
(Material taken from "How your brain copes with grief, and why it takes time to heal" an NPR interview with clinical psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor, available here. And "Healing Your Brain After Loss: How Grief Rewires the Brain" a recap of American Brain Foundation webinar “Healing Your Brain After Loss: A Neurologist’s Perspective” by Dr. Shulman, available here.)
A Reflection from Darragh Ennis
'Grief affects everyone differently, but not many people realise that it can impact us on a physiological level. The impact of grief on our brains can cause a decrease in cognitive function (our ability to think), it can impact our memory, disrupt our sleep and behaviour as well as the more well-known changes in our emotions. For many people these changes reduce over time, but for some it can develop into prolonged grief disorder which can cause long-term changes to our brain function. Coping with and processing grief is vital not just for our emotional and mental well-being, it is also essential for the physical health of the brain, the part of us that makes us who we are.'
Latest Articles
