# Why Breakups Hurt So Much: Attachment, Grief, and Healing

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-angry-therapist-podcast-743385/why-breakups-hurt-so-much-attachment-grief-and-healing
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-angry-therapist-podcast-743385/why-breakups-hurt-so-much-attachment-grief-and-healing.md
Podcast: [The Angry Therapist Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-angry-therapist-podcast-743385)
Published: 2026-06-08T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/441/traffic.megaphone.fm/BVLLC3921540480.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/441/traffic.megaphone.fm/BVLLC3921540480.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-angry-therapist-podcast-743385/episodes/why-breakups-hurt-so-much-attachment-grief-and-healing
Duration seconds: 1395

## Resource

Why does a breakup feel like more than heartbreak? In this episode, John Kim explores why breakups can feel like a death, and why that experience is rooted in more than emotion alone. Drawing from neuroscience, attachment theory, and years of therapeutic experience, he explains what happens in the brain after a relationship ends and why healing takes time. John unpacks the hidden losses that often come with heartbreak, from the future we imagined to the identity we built inside a relationship. He also shares why recovery isn't about forgetting someone, but learning to create a new reality without them. In this episode: • Why breakups feel physically painful • The role dopamine and attachment play in heartbreak • How relationships become part of our emotional regulation system • The grief of losing a future that never actually happened • Identity loss after a breakup • Why healing is really about rewiring If someone in your life is going through a breakup, share this episode with them. Follow the podcast for more conversations on relationships, healing, and personal growth. 🎙️ More about John: 📘 Pre order my new book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest. https://a.co/d/031PzkW4 John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE Order John's new book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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