The Anatomy of Grief - Dorothy P. Holinger

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Grief happens to everyone. Universal and enveloping, grief cannot be ignored or denied.

This original new book by psychologist Dorothy P. Holinger uses humanistic and physiological approaches to describe grief’s impact on the bereaved. Taking examples from literature, music, poetry, paleoarchaeology, personal experience, memoirs, and patient narratives, Holinger describes what happens in the brain, the heart, and the body of the bereaved.

Readers will learn what grief is like after a loved one dies: how language and clarity of thought become elusive, why life feels empty, why grief surges and ebbs so persistently, and why the bereaved cry. Resting on a scientific foundation, this literary book shows the bereaved how to move through the grieving process and how understanding grief in deeper, more multidimensional ways can help quell this sorrow and allow life to be lived again with joy.

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Holinger teases out…intimate connections, and the psychology of the broken heart, fusing science and the humanities, in her introspective and poetic book.
Erin Blakemore, Washington Post
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“A gift…With the use of case studies, literature, and historical context, Holinger illustrates grief in a way that educates readers and resonates with our varied experiences.”
Samantha Airey, Therapy Today

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“The Anatomy of Grief sets out to examine the nexus of connections between the physiology and psychology of grief. . . . What’s central for Holinger is that turning feeling into words, and giving voice to buried emotions, acts to release tension. She is a passionate advocate for language as healer.”
Clair Wills, New York Review of Books
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“Holinger’s orchestration of different voices describing the vicissitudes of their anguish is often moving. . . . [She] respects the stinging particularity of the grieving process, but she also wants people to know they are not alone in their sadness.”
Michael Roth, Los Angeles Review of Books
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“Our circumstances have changed. A loved one has died. We’ve lost the language of our shared life and a new way of talking must be learned… We grope for words to express our grief.”
Brad Sheets, Friends Journal
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“Books are like people: some of them stop you in your tracks and demand closer attention. This is one of those books. The writing is elegant and engaging. Holinger weaves the anthropological, the historical, and the cultural, from ancient Greek texts to contemporary film and fiction, to enrich her depiction of the “cascade of sorrows” that is grief.”

Phyllis S. Kosminsky, Death Studies
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“The Anatomy of Grief is a gem. Dorothy Holinger approaches grief as a scientist and clinician, combined with personal experience, exploring the evolutionary history, anatomy, and physiology of grief. A real masterpiece.”
Donald L. Schomer, MD, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, editor of Niedermeyer’s Electroencephalography, VIth, and VIIth editions
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“This is a unique and truly important book to anyone who wishes to understand and learn how to cope with, grief. Combining research, clinical and personal experience, it presents a practical, relatable, and deeply human guide to the most difficult of times.”
Chris Reid, Director of Product Development & Publishing, Science Magazine
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“The Anatomy of Grief brings together Dorothy Holinger’s expertise in brain research and her clinical work with grieving patients. She speaks compellingly to the grief-stricken, urging them to resist society’s pressure to ‘get over it’ on some imposed timetable.”
Barbara J. King, author of How Animals Grieve
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“The Anatomy of Grief is a great read. All of us have been affected by grief and will find satisfaction in the new knowledge gained as well as enjoyment from Dorothy Holinger’s talent as a writer.”
Michael K. Rees, MD, MPH, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
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“Dorothy Holinger’s exploration of the contours of grief is wise, moving, thought-provoking, and, best of all, extraordinarily helpful. Beautifully written and humane, it is a balm for the bereaved.”
Barry Bearak, Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting

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customer

2021-08-21

The Anatomy of Grief: Fairly technical Good for research

Amazon Customer

2021-05-16

The Anatomy of Grief: Highly recommended This is a very helpful book on grief & loss if you have lost loved-ones. It compassionately affirms that there is no right or wrong way to grieve your unique loss, or time limit.Your heart will tell you when to move forward, while still honoring your Beloved.The section on Sibling Loss has helped me understand how our childhood memories are part of our genuine grief experience. Sibling Loss is often overlooked by society as an important grief-process, unlike losing a spouse or child.This is a helpful & interesting book, with stories of people who have suffered loss through both illness & sudden death, with concrete & helpful suggestions.

Martha E. Shenton

2021-03-27

The Anatomy of Grief: Thoughtful, Reflective, Compassionate, and Goes to the Heart of Grief My husband died at the beginning of the pandemic. I have since read many books on grief. This book stands out as not only informative, helpful, and validating of the experience of grief but the author is also compassionate and understands grief from the perspective of sitting with those who are grieving. She has thus not only knowledge of grief and its impact on others in a manner that acknowledges the need for this process to "be" -- but she also provides anecdotes from her experience and from the experience of others, and connects this information with what is known about the history and biology of grief.

Richard Redus

2021-01-14

The Anatomy of Grief: ok. Not as good as the interview that I heard with the author. I wanted to enjoy it more.

2020-12-28

The Anatomy of Grief: A must read!! Dr. Holinger explains the anatomy of grief scientifically while keeping it interesting and relatable. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the nature of grief, naming it, and experiencing it through examples of research as well as stories, novel and art.I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Willie Cade

2020-12-21

The Anatomy of Grief: A helpful guide for my grief journey My wife has Dementia. Dr. Holinger's book is helping me "live a long goodbye." I'm more patient and kind with her as together we grieve her loss. In those moments when I can set my emotions aside, my wife and I even find a little laughter.

Cherie Dorlac

2020-12-15

The Anatomy of Grief: 🖤Beautiful Thank you for the chance to read this. Grief pains us all and more words are needed to describe this harsh emotion🦋

T-Revs

2020-11-11

The Anatomy of Grief: Exquisite blend of memoir, narrative, and scholarship Anatomy of Grief not only outlines the anatomy and the many types of grief, but focuses on how grief affects a variety of family relationships. Holinger clarifies each chapter with personal anecdotes, recent research, and literary examples, weaving scholarship with more personal and informal insights. A text that will assuage the grief of those who read this who have suffered or suffering from a loss.

Louise Smillie

2020-11-03

The Anatomy of Grief: Incredibly helpful and informative. This therapist as done in depth work and compassionate accounts of death and loss and how grief changes usIt also shines light on the fact that time can truly heal if Grief is allowed to be accounted for and faced. I lost my little brother when he was 19 in an accident , at that time, there were no books for siblings and the trauma of that kind of loss. I was told to take care of my parents. I felt so horribly for them that for many years I never attended to myself. This book really focuses on the loss of siblings at the last chapters and I was so grateful.This is an excellent and informative read written by a caring and incredibly bright, insightful person.

D. Hart

2020-10-02

The Anatomy of Grief: Leaves no stone unturned... A highly skilled clinician, researcher, and writer - Dr. Holinger's unique book offers the reader strategies for going on when death comes calling and you find yourself completely unmoored. "Grief is a chameleon" and, here you are not going to find ways to OVERCOME grief. Rather, Dr. Holinger takes the reader through what grief is truly like, on the brain, the heart, and the body of the bereaved . Includes sections on complicated and extended loss. Tremendous, and beautifully written.