

95. What’s So Bad About Denial?
11 snips Apr 17, 2022
The podcast explores whether denial can aid in coping with the loss of a loved one. It questions the traditional five stages of grief, suggesting they may misrepresent genuine emotional experiences. Personal anecdotes illustrate the risks of denial while also revealing its comfort in times of sorrow. Listeners share their unique strategies for navigating grief and processing emotions. Additionally, the conversation tackles interesting pop culture clarifications, including the number of Rocky films, keeping the dialogue both heartfelt and humorous.
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Anna's Grief Response
- At age nine, Anna felt physically sick after a loved one died, but denying the death alleviated her symptoms.
- Resuming denial brought the sickness back, highlighting a mind-body connection.
Denial and Attention
- Denial involves shifting attention from painful things, similar to how attention highlights specific aspects of reality.
- The Kubler-Ross five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) lack empirical evidence.
Denial in Everyday Life
- Angela Duckworth uses denial by covering her eyes during disturbing movie scenes or averting her gaze from roadkill.
- She compares this to children looking away from marshmallows in the marshmallow test to delay gratification.