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A better grief metaphor
Imagine a healing brain instead of getting through a dark tunnel
Grief over the death of my mother is different than I anticipated. There is no other experience in my life where I have been so clearly aware that I would never be the same as I was before. They talk about “getting through” hard things. Getting through the grief. Which implies grief is like a tunnel. You start out in the sunshine and for some undetermined amount of time you are in this dark sad place and then you make it to the other side the same you as before.
(you) → (you + grief) → (you)
The idea that grief has a start and end seems ridiculous to me now.
Instead of getting through this grief tunnel, I now imagine the brain of someone that has lost their ability to see as a metaphor for learning to live after someone you love has died.
Forgive my simplistic analogy, which is scientifically off (it has been awhile since I took a super basic neuroscience course)…
Brain Metaphor for Grief
- Imagine that you once could see, but now you are blind.
- Your eye’s can no longer give you any clear information or guidance that you are accustomed to.
- So the area of your brain that used to…
