Exploring Loss and Processing: Expanded States of Consciousness and Grief

Grief is a universal experience, yet it is often isolating, nonlinear, and difficult to articulate. Loss can leave people feeling stuck between holding on and moving forward, unsure how to relate to pain that doesn’t always simply fade with time.

Studies show that expanded states of consciousness may influence how people process grief, memory, and emotional attachment. Rather than erasing loss or bypassing sadness, these experiences are often described as changing how grief is held and understood. 

In fact, according to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, randomized clinical trials demonstrated the efficacy of expanded states of consciousness in reducing symptom severity in depression and PTSD symptomatology. Experiences involving expanded states of consciousness often produce other subjective effects that may be uniquely relevant to the existential distress experienced in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) [1].

What We’ll Explore

• How grief commonly manifests long after loss, including delayed, unresolved, or complicated forms
• What current research suggests about how expanded states of consciousness may affect emotional processing and meaning-making related to loss
• How people often describe changes in their relationship to grief, memory, and attachment following these experiences
• Important limitations, risks, and misconceptions to understand when considering expanded states of consciousness in the context of grief

[1] https://pure.johnshopkins.edu/en/publications/narrative-review-of-the-potential-for-psychedelics-to-treat-prolo/