As part of our continued conversation about grief, we speak with Professor George A. Bonnano, expert on bereavement and author of “The Other Side of Sadness.” We learn the evolutionary purpose of grief and the dangers of assuming that everyone should follow a particular model for mourning. We also hear three stories about dealing with loss: we speak with Carly about how she recovered after her experience with stillbirth; Julie shares what it was like to be forced into grief counseling during high school; and former New York Times health reporter Catherine Saint Louis explains why she was nervous about her absence of grief after the death of her estranged father. Grief Stories #2 will be released on 5/15. More info at www.grouppodcast.com.
FEATURED Expert
Professor George Bonanno
George A. Bonanno, Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Teachers College Columbia University. His research and scholarly interests have centered on the question of how human beings cope with loss, trauma and other forms of extreme adversity, with an emphasis on resilience and the salutary role of flexible coping and emotion regulatory processes. Professor Bonanno’s recent work has focused on defining and documenting adult resilience in the face of loss or potential traumatic events, and on identifying the range of psychological and contextual variables that predict both psychopathological and resilient outcomes. He is the author of The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells us about Life After Loss.
FEATURED GUEST
Catherine Saint Louis is a health reporter and editor, formerly with The New York Times. She's currently a podcaster at Transom and is working on a book about estrangement. She recently wrote a a piece debunking myths about estrangement for The Times: read the full story here.