Colorado Sun highlights grief research with Dr. Angie LeRoy

The Colorado Sun recently featured Dr. Angie LeRoy in an article exploring how people are finding new ways to process grief. The story, “6 Coloradans took to the Colorado River to grieve. What they found was a way to feel less alone”, followed participants on a retreat along the Colorado River and highlighted how nature and shared experience can help people navigate loss.

“Loss is just love being expressed in a different form,” said Dr. LeRoy, a grief researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of North Florida.

In the article, Dr. LeRoy explained how grief is rooted in our deepest attachment bonds. From infancy, humans seek closeness with caregivers as a survival instinct. As adults, those bonds often form with romantic partners or other intimate relationships. These attachments go beyond emotion — partners co-regulate each other’s bodies, from sleep cycles to the nervous system, creating a profound sense of connection.

When a loved one dies, the body and brain feel the absence of that attachment, which helps explain why grief can be so overwhelming. As Dr. LeRoy described it:

“When you first fall in love with someone, you just want to be around this person all the time. That’s part of the attachment system working.”

We’re honored to see the HEAL Lab perspectives included in this important conversation, and we invite you to read the full article in the Colorado Sun.