Conference paper
MOURNING FROM COVID-19 AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER New therapeutic tools in the treatment of pathological bereavement
Maria Grazia Spurio
; Research Centre and Psychological Studies "Genius Academy", Rome, Italy
Abstract
Deaths caused by the virus Covid-19 expose survivors to a high risk of developing a mourning pathology, a state of suffering that
presents traumatic aspects similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The characteristics with which the death process took
place, during the period following the Coronavirus infection, are configured as important risk factors due to the inability to give the
last farewell to the deceased during the period of the lockdown, to see and accompany their loved ones in the last moments of their
life. The absence of the deceased body to cry for, the lack of a funeral and any other type of social and personal ritual, are to be
considered as obstacles and aggravation factors with respect to the usual elaborative dynamics of mourning. The functional role of
some brain areas such as the amygdala in mediating both the responses to stress and the learning of emotions implicitly identifies its
importance in the pathophysiology of major trauma such as in pathological bereavement and in PTSD. Behavioral and
environmental psychology studies have highlighted the therapeutic value of open contexts, in particular green areas, such as in
forest bathing, in the processing of traumas, in which the narration can take place in a way that is independent from traditional
therapy, with encouraging results, as demonstrated from the clinical case of Sofia.
Keywords
COVID-19; PTSD; farewell rites; limbic system; forest bathing
Hrčak ID:
274179
URI
Publication date:
16.9.2021.
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