A grief attack hits the body – this is how it differs from grief

The person starts shaking, breathing becomes difficult, the heart beats and the crying comes out uncontrollably. If the cause of the grief is the death of a loved one, a strong longing comes to mind.

It is this combination—panic attack-like bodily symptoms and intense longing and sadness—that seems to characterize an intense grief attack.

Suru is a natural part of life, but far from painless.

This is how the research summarizes Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics in the journal. Its main author, a psychologist Sherman Lee tells about bouts of grief New Scientist in the magazine.

Grief can interfere with sleep and eating, and the stress associated with grief can weaken the immune system. For spouses who have been together for a long time, the death of the other can even increase the risk of death of the widow.

In the mind, sadness can manifest as strong longing, sadness and anger. Thoughts may revolve around the lost person, especially if the death was tragic.

Perceived sensations of a dead loved one are also quite common. A couple of years ago research according to more than 10,000 mourners, half said they felt the presence of the deceased. About a third felt they heard this voice.

Strong sadness can be reflected in brain activity. The heavier and more complex the grief experience is, the more studies have found difficulties in memory and attention, for example.

In mourning According to Lee, several brain areas related to fear, pain, longing and reward are activated at the same time.

The brain’s emotional and fear center, the amygdala, reacts as if in a threat situation.

The reward system participates in the strong longing for a lost loved one and, as it were, seeks this back.

At the same time, brain areas related to experiencing pain are activated.

That’s why grief can feel so overwhelming. It’s not just about sad thoughts, but the body’s alert state, longing and the experience of pain start at the same time.

Lee urges you to seek professional help when grief becomes too heavy to handle or starts to impair your ability to function. At worst, seizures can lead to work accidents or traffic accidents, for example.

Researchers suggest ways to regulate emotions for the panic symptoms of a grief attack.

One way is to return the attention to the present moment, for example by focusing on concrete sensations, such as the sensations of the soles of the feet or the sounds of the environment.

The purpose is to shift the attention from the rolling experience of panic or sadness to the present moment.

Strongly when dealing with longing, the researchers also suggest that you don’t have to try to just mentally let go of a dead loved one.

The relationship with him can continue in memories and rituals that are meaningful to him, even though he is no longer physically present. These can be, for example, visiting the grave, lighting a candle or remembering the deceased on a certain day.

The idea is that you don’t have to fight against the grief, but you can let it come and go.

However, Lee emphasizes that the researchers did not test this means of alleviating grief experimentally. However, recognizing a grief episode can be of practical use.