Grief follows us throughout our lives, and when we lose a beloved person, we face questions that can be difficult to answer: How do we live on with grief? Where do we find comfort in longing that returns again and again?
Maja O'Connor, professor of psychology at Aarhus University, explores grief through her research. She presents grief as a fundamental human emotion that does not disappear but rather moves within us — like waves on the North Sea: unpredictable, intense, and returning. She shows how our understanding of grief has evolved from earlier conceptions of discrete phases that should be "worked through" to a more open perspective that allows for very different personal ways of grieving.
The lecture also sheds light on the situation for those affected by complicated grief — a form of grief that becomes so all-encompassing that it becomes debilitating. This grief is compared to a solar eclipse, where loss fills everything. For these people, proper treatment and support are essential to restore the possibility of living. Come and gain insight into the complexity of grief and discover tools to understand and live with it.
Practical information: The event is part of the Folk University's knowledge festival Hearts & Minds. Admission costs 50 kr and is held at Dokk1/Aarhus Main Library.
