Psychological and Biological Aspects of “Without-Body Bereavement”: Reflections at COVID-19 Pandemic Time

Abstract

Grief is an individual, family, and social psychological process following the death of a loved one, during which the pain caused by loss follows several stages that will lead to the reorganization and acceptance of the mourning event. In this article, we will examine some elaboration processes that can allow for an analysis of the cultural, social, and religious processes and structures as a consequence of the “grief without a body,” namely, the mourning by the relatives who have experienced the loss of a loved one without being able to ritualize the social function of the funeral because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, some biological and neurological processes that modulate and allow for the mourning process will be synthesized.