Status Updates From El cerebro en duelo: Lo que...

In the Dual-Process model of grief, it is not just loss-oriented stressors that are recognized. Restoration-oriented stressors are tasks we now have to do because the loss person is gone (grocery shopping by ourselves, taxes, driving, parenting alone, etc). We have to make new choices & develop new goals in the face of our new reality in restoring a meaningful life. It is normal to oscillate between the two states.

Why does the mistaken linear 5-stage model of grief persist so strongly in people’s minds & in our culture? Likely because of the cultural normativity of the monomyth-The Hero’s Journey- found in countless popular stories. The protagonist enters a strange frightening new world & must complete difficult tasks, returning transformed with new wisdom. Thru this lens we mistakenly see the 5 stages as tasks to complete

Parasocial Grief is strong grief over the death of a celebrity (even when not known personally) and is very real. People are represented in the virtual reality of our brains, and there is much information about celebrities in the public to build these maps of attachment. They seem “special & are “always there for you” (ie in their movies, shows, music etc); these are often consumed in a height. emotional state.