A 5-Week Guided Book Club

 

The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

 

by Mary-Frances O'Conner, PHD

 

Grief doesn't just live in the heart. It lives in the body — in the cardiovascular system, the immune response, the hormones that shift after loss, the exhaustion that arrives before you even know why.

O'Connor explores the toll loss takes on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems — and what that means for our long-term wellbeing. And crucially, she doesn't stop at the science. She offers a path toward healing that meets the body where it actually is.

This Grief Book Club is a five-week guided reading and conversation space centered on The Grieving Body — the follow-up to The Grieving Brain — by neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD. Together, we'll explore what loss does to the physical body, and how understanding that can bring relief, self-compassion, and a more grounded path forward.

This is an educational and reflective space for thoughtful adults who want to understand their own grief — or the grief of someone they love — through a science-based, body-centered lens.

Begins April 15

 

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Schedule & Format

 

5 weekly live Zoom sessions Tuesdays, 5:30 PM PST 60–90 minutes each We'll take integration breaks May 6 and May 13 — no sessions those weeks.

  • April 15 — Session 1: The Body Holds What We've Loved We begin by orienting to the book and to each other, and exploring the foundational premise: that grief is not only an emotional experience, but a physiological one.
  • April 22 — Session 2: Stress, Loss, and the Nervous System We explore the science of how loss activates the body's stress systems — and why grief can feel so physically overwhelming.
  • April 29 — Session 3: Cardiovascular, Immune, and Endocrine Effects of Grief We look at what research reveals about how grief moves through specific systems of the body, and what that means for how we care for ourselves.
  • May 6 — Integration Break (no session — rest is part of the work)
  • May 13 — Integration Break (no session)
  • May 20 — Session 4: Healing as a Physical Process Returning from our rest weeks, we explore what the body needs to integrate loss — and what "healing" actually looks like at a physiological level.
  • May 27 — Session 5: Integration and Moving Forward Our final gathering weaves together key themes, honors what we've carried together, and explores how this understanding can support us in living alongside loss.

Investment

 

$108 for all six sessions

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What to Expect

 

his is not group therapy.

It is a facilitated, trauma-aware conversation rooted in science, somatic awareness, and real lived experience.

Together, we will:

  • Read and discuss The Grieving Body at a gentle, steady pace
  • Explore how grief affects the cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine systems
  • Name and normalize why grief feels the way it does — physically, not just emotionally
  • Learn in community with care, curiosity, and respect
  • Leave with language, understanding, and frameworks you can carry forward

This space honors the uniqueness of each grief while offering shared understanding and support.

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Christine Turrentine

is a Certified Grief & Loss Coach with over 20 years of experience in health and wellness. Her work is rooted in the principles of Yoga and Somatics, and informed by her training as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Women’s Health Coach, Elementum Life Coach, and Grief & Loss Provider.  She brings a steady, compassionate approach to supporting people through loss—honoring the wisdom of the body, mind, and spirit.
After losing her mother to suicide in her early 20s, Christine came to understand that grief is not something to overcome, but a lifelong journey. In her work, she creates compassionate spaces where people can learn about grief, gently reconnect with their bodies through yoga & somatics, and build resilience at their own pace—moving forward in ways that honor both loss and life.

Learn More about Christine

Shanna Williams

is a Certified Trauma-Informed Somatic Coach, Professional Astrologer and Regenerative Farmer, specializing in grief and nervous system care. She approaches healing through a holistic lens, guided by a deep respect for the body’s intelligence and its role in navigating change.

After losing her father at sixteen and experiencing a series of losses in the years that followed, grief became a long-term companion in Shanna’s life. Over the past nineteen years, this journey has taught her that grief is not something to overcome, but something to be lived with—supported by community, nervous system care, and a compassionate relationship to our mind, body, and spirit.

Learn More about Shanna

Want to Join the Next Grief Book Club?

If this round didn’t align with your schedule — or you’re just now finding us — we’d love to have you join the next one.

Our guided grief book club is an ongoing series, each round centered around a different book exploring grief and what it means to live alongside loss.

These spaces are slow, thoughtful, and gently facilitated — weaving reflection, somatic awareness, and honest conversation in community.

Join the waitlist to:
• Be the first to know the next book
• Get early access to registration
• Receive priority enrollment

Grief doesn’t move on a timeline.
And neither do we.

Add your name below and we’ll keep you in the loop

If you’re curious about grief, the body, and what it means to heal over time, join us.

Grief Book Club

This six-week space is designed to offer grounded education, thoughtful conversation, and compassionate reflection as we explore The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD. Our intention is to create a container that feels steady, respectful, and human — where curiosity is welcome and nothing needs to be fixed or rushed.

$88.00 USD