The Grieving Body

How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

Mary-Frances O'Connor

$59.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

HarperOne
12 February 2025

Ethical issues: scientific & technological developments; Sociology: death & dying; Social, group or collective psychology; Psychology: emotions; Nursing & ancillary services

The follow-up to celebrated grief expert, neuroscientist, and psychologist Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor’s The Grieving Brain focuses on the impact of grief—and life’s other major stressors—on the human body.

Coping with death and grief is one of the most painful human experiences. While we can speak to the psychological and emotional ramifications of loss and sorrow, we often overlook its impact on our physical bodies. Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor specializes in the study of grief, and in The Grieving Body she shares vital scientific research, revealing imperative new insights on its profound physiological impact. As she did in The Grieving Brain, O’Connor combines illuminating studies and personal stories to explore the toll loss takes on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems and the larger implications for our long-term well-being.

The Grieving Body addresses questions about how bereavement affects us, such as:

Can we die of a broken heart What happens in our bodies when we’re grieving How do our coping behaviors affect our physical health What is the cognitive impact of grief Why are we more prone to illness during times of enormous stress and more

Research-backed, warm, and empathetic, The Grieving Body is an essential, hopeful read for those experiencing loss as well as their supportive friends and family.

The Grieving Body is illustrated with black-and-white charts and graphs.

By: Mary-Frances O'Connor
Imprint: HarperOne
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 646g
ISBN: 9780063338906
ISBN 10: 0063338904
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 12 February 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

MARY-FRANCES O'CONNOR, PhD is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. O'Connor received her BA in psychology from Northwestern University in 1996, and went on to earn a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in 2004. She completed clinical training at the formerly named UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital and has worked in clinical settings from Arizona State Prison to the Revlon UCLA Breast Center. Soon after, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She then joined the faculty at UCLA before moving to the psychology department at the University of Arizona in 2012. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews for The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

“No one has done more for the science of grief than Mary-Frances O’Connor. Deeply human and wise, The Grieving Body delivers a grounded, logical understanding of the effects of stress and loss on our bodies. O’Connor doesn’t just explain what happens and why, she offers hopeful, beautiful solutions to support ourselves and our world.” — Megan Devine, author of It’s Ok that You’re Not Ok “With The Grieving Body, O’Connor remarkably combines fascinating science, intimate storytelling, and her generous heart to help us better understand the very human experience of living while grieving - and how to care for ourselves and our loved ones when grief inevitably arrives at our door."" – — Lisa Keefauver, MSW, Author of Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss ""Mary Frances O'Connor demystifies the grieving process like no one else, offering comfort and understanding when we need it most. The Grieving Body deftly explains the physical changes our bodies undergo after loss and gives us the tools we so desperately need to move through the overwhelming experience of grief. I will be recommending this book to all of my clients.” — Claire Bidwell Smith, therapist and author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief