I was honored when asked by Linda May Grobman, Publisher/Editor of The New Social Worker magazine, to review The Grieving Body by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD. My life experience acquainted me with the work of Dr. O’Connor through her previous book, The Grieving Brain, published in 2022. I approached this review not only as a social worker with more than 15 years of hospice social work and bereavement service, but also as a bereaved spouse. Tim, my macro social worker husband, died in June of 2023. As I come upon two years into this new existence, I find the material presented in The Grieving Body to be a valuable tool with which to navigate one aspect of the experience of profound loss.
Dr. O’Connor is a neuroscientist and psychologist who is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona. Dr. O’Connor also directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress Lab (GLASS), where she investigates how grief impacts the brain and the body. In addition to drawing from her extensive medical and research experience to discuss the effects of grief on the body, she shares her lived bereavement experiences, which include the death of her mother, her MS diagnosis, as well as her own divorce to illustrate the impact of this phenomenon. She concludes by outlining the tools that enabled her to view her own losses as an opportunity for healing.
The book is divided into two parts, consisting of “The Physical Nature of Grief” and “Healing During Grief.” The first part provides the reader with an in-depth review of the various body systems. Dr. O’Connor discusses impact of grief on the heart, immune system, endocrine system, liver and lungs, brain, and the sympathetic nervous system. Part Two guides the reader toward healing that can be achieved through focus on energy and motivation; healthy habits; awareness; intention/attention; and purpose, love, and social connection.
Social workers will find The Grieving Body a valuable resource for the development of bereavement interventions on micro, macro, and mezzo levels. Throughout her book, Dr. O’Connor provides social workers with a blueprint to explore a variety of bereavement interventions along with advocacy and research possibilities. For example, she discusses the need to screen those with severe grief who are at higher risk for more medical outcomes. She views bereavement through a lens of health disparity while advocating for culturally appropriate bereavement support. Consistent with social work values, she encourages support for grieving people where they are now along with focusing toward the future.
From both a professional and personal point of view, I encourage social workers to incorporate the information provided by Dr. O’Connor in any level of practice. Grief and loss are encountered on a daily basis in our work. Depending on a person’s grief intensity and time frame since the loss, social workers should consider presenting portions of the material or assigning the entire book as an educational tool.
The work accomplished by Dr. O’Connor in The Grieving Body can be invaluable in helping grieving persons normalize and understand the reactions taking place in their bodies after a loss, as well as offer guidance toward healing.
Reviewed by Barbara Biancone, LCSW, a retired social worker in Massachusetts. As part of a career including a variety of social work experiences, she spent more than 15 years providing service in hospice social work and bereavement in Pennsylvania.