Essentials: The Science & Process of Healing from Grief
Huberman Lab
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.
Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
LMNT: drinklmnt.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: eightsleep.com/huberman
- (00:00:00) Grief
- (00:01:47) Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI
- (00:03:56) Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity
- (00:07:05) Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness
- (00:09:20) Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss
- (00:11:28) Sponsor: Eight Sleep
- (00:14:21) Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt
- (00:15:52) Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief
- (00:18:21) Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens
- (00:22:30) Sponsor: LMNT
- (00:24:48) Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study
- (00:29:40) Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight
- (00:33:03) Sponsor: AG1
- (00:34:59) Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Raw Description
<p>In this <a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/essentials">Huberman Lab Essentials</a> episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.</p> <p>Read the episode show notes at <a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/essentials-the-science-and-process-of-healing-from-grief">hubermanlab.com</a>.</p> <p><strong>Thank you to our sponsors</strong></p> <p>AG1: <a href="https://drinkag1.com/huberman">https://drinkag1.com/huberman</a></p> <p>LMNT: <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/huberman">https://drinklmnt.com/huberman</a></p> <p>Eight Sleep: <a href="https://eightsleep.com/huberman">https://eightsleep.com/huberman</a></p> <p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p> <p>(00:00:00) Grief</p> <p>(00:01:47) Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI</p> <p>(00:03:56) Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity</p> <p>(00:07:05) Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness</p> <p>(00:09:20) Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss</p> <p>(00:11:28) Sponsor: Eight Sleep</p> <p>(00:14:21) Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt</p> <p>(00:15:52) Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief</p> <p>(00:18:21) Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens</p> <p>(00:22:30) Sponsor: LMNT</p> <p>(00:24:48) Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study</p> <p>(00:29:40) Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight</p> <p>(00:33:03) Sponsor: AG1</p> <p>(00:34:59) Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR</p> <p><a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer">Disclaimer & Disclosures</a></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a></p>
Chapters (1/14)
Show Notes
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.
Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
LMNT: drinklmnt.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: eightsleep.com/huberman
- (00:00:00) Grief
- (00:01:47) Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI
- (00:03:56) Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity
- (00:07:05) Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness
- (00:09:20) Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss
- (00:11:28) Sponsor: Eight Sleep
- (00:14:21) Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt
- (00:15:52) Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief
- (00:18:21) Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens
- (00:22:30) Sponsor: LMNT
- (00:24:48) Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study
- (00:29:40) Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight
- (00:33:03) Sponsor: AG1
- (00:34:59) Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Raw Description
<p>In this <a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/essentials">Huberman Lab Essentials</a> episode, I explain the neuroscience of grief, including how the brain maps relationships across three dimensions — space, time, and closeness — and why losing someone requires a remapping of those neural circuits. I describe how grief differs from depression, the role of oxytocin in driving yearning after a loss, and why people move through grief at different rates. I also discuss science-based tools for grieving adaptively, including how to access feelings of attachment while decoupling them from episodic memory. Finally, I explain how foundational biology — particularly sleep and cortisol rhythms — shapes our capacity to navigate the grieving process.</p> <p>Read the episode show notes at <a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/essentials-the-science-and-process-of-healing-from-grief">hubermanlab.com</a>.</p> <p><strong>Thank you to our sponsors</strong></p> <p>AG1: <a href="https://drinkag1.com/huberman">https://drinkag1.com/huberman</a></p> <p>LMNT: <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/huberman">https://drinklmnt.com/huberman</a></p> <p>Eight Sleep: <a href="https://eightsleep.com/huberman">https://eightsleep.com/huberman</a></p> <p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p> <p>(00:00:00) Grief</p> <p>(00:01:47) Myths of Grief, Kubler-Ross & fMRI</p> <p>(00:03:56) Brain Mapping Experiment, Proximity</p> <p>(00:07:05) Inferior Parietal Lobule; Space, Time & Closeness</p> <p>(00:09:20) Episodic Memory & Remapping After Loss</p> <p>(00:11:28) Sponsor: Eight Sleep</p> <p>(00:14:21) Tool: Dedicated Time, Counterfactual Thinking & Guilt</p> <p>(00:15:52) Oxytocin & Individual Differences in Grief</p> <p>(00:18:21) Prairie Voles, Monogamy & Nucleus Accumbens</p> <p>(00:22:30) Sponsor: LMNT</p> <p>(00:24:48) Vagal Tone, Emotional Disclosure & Bereavement Writing Study</p> <p>(00:29:40) Cortisol Rhythms, Complicated Grief & Sunlight</p> <p>(00:33:03) Sponsor: AG1</p> <p>(00:34:59) Rational Grieving, Neuroplasticity & NSDR</p> <p><a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer">Disclaimer & Disclosures</a></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a></p>