New Books Network Mary-Frances O’Connor, The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can be an Opportunity for Healing (Harper One, 2025)
Sep 14, 2025
Mary-Frances O’Connor, a psychologist and grief expert at the University of Arizona, delves into the profound connection between grief and physical health. She explains how emotions manifest in our bodies and explore the cognitive impacts of loss. O’Connor addresses questions like whether we can die of a broken heart and the physiological toll of grief on our cardiovascular and immune systems. Her insights emphasize that grief can catalyze healing, offering hope and practical coping strategies for those navigating loss.
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Grief As An Opportunity To Attend
- Grief captures attention and makes you notice how your body responds to loss.
- That focused attention can become an opportunity to learn how to integrate grief into daily life.
Body Relearning After Loss
- Grief forces the body to relearn routines and creates physiological effort and tension.
- That effort manifests as raised heart rate, muscle tension, and sustained bodily vigilance.
Physiological Toll Of Grief
- Grief commonly raises heart rate and blood pressure and can elevate cortisol for months.
- These physiological changes increase inflammation and can worsen existing medical conditions.
