A Philosopher's Case for Grieving — What Loss Does to the Self | Michael Cholbi & Imi Lo

https://eggshelltherapy.com/podcast-blog/2026/05/26/grief/This is one of my favourite conversations I have recorded for The Intense Mind. As I was researching mortality and grief myself, I came across Professor Cholbi's Grief: A Philosophical Guide as a reader. I loved the book so much that I annotated it heavily. To go from reading the book to sitting with the author feels surreal, in a really wondrous way. Most of what we are offered when we grieve either asks whether something has gone wrong with us or hands us techniques to manage the pain. A philosophical approach does not try to diagnose grief. Instead, it gives us conceptual tools to understand and think about grief in a new way.  It gives us tools to make the experience feel less disorienting without pretending to solve it.Dr. Cholbi is Chair in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and the author of Grief: A Philosophical Guide. In this conversation we discuss:— Why grief is better understood as a sustained form of attention than as a single emotion — Whose deaths we actually grieve, and why intimacy and love don't fully explain it — Ambivalent grief, and the relief that can sit beside sorrow — Why the pain of grief is not a cost we pay but part of how we understand what we have lost — His argument that we may have a duty to grieve, and that everyone is entitled to be grieved by someone — Why he resists treating grief as an illness to be diagnosed and shortenedProfessor Cholbi’s website: https://michael.cholbi.com Eggshell Therapy and Coaching: eggshelltherapy.com/Imi Lo:  imiloimilo.comSister Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Zcl8ZUsu4AePugDoWtXcgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eggshelltransformationsNewsletters: https://eepurl.com/bykHRzDisclaimers: https://www.eggshelltherapy.com/disclaimers  Trigger Warning: This episode may cover sensitive topics including but not limited to suicide, abuse, violence, severe mental illnesses, relationship challenges, sex, drugs, alcohol addiction, psychedelics, and the use of plant medicines. You are advised to refrain from watching or listening to the YouTube Channel or Podcast if you are likely to be offended or adversely impacted by any of these topics.Disclaimer: The content provided is for informational purposes only. Please do not consider any of the content to be clinical or professional advice. None of the content can substitute professional consultation, psychotherapy, diagnosis, or any mental health intervention.  Opinions and views expressed by the host and the guests are personal views, and they reserve the right to change their opinions. The opinions of the guest do not reflect the position of this channel or Imi. We also cannot guarantee that everything mentioned is factual and completely accurate. Any action you take based on the information in this episode is taken strictly at your own risk.  For a full disclaimer, please refer to: https://www.eggshelltherapy.c...