Scientific American Mind Matter's blog has just published an article I wrote on grief hallucinations, the remarkably common experience of seeing, hearing, touching or sensing our loved ones after they've passed away.
Grief hallucinations are a normal reaction to having someone close to you die and are a common part of the mourning process, but it's remarkable how often people are embarrassed to say they've had the experience because they worry what others might think.
I was inspired to write the piece after reading a wonderful paper, published in Transcultural Psychiatry, by psychiatrist Carlos Sluzki on the cultural significance of one Hispanic lady's post-grief hallucinations.
My reference to the shadow cat draws on the intro to Sluzki's article which must be one of the most beautiful openings to an academic article I've ever read.
Tuesday 2 December 2008
Mind Hacks: The dead stay with us
