**Separation is usually followed by heartbreak. The body also goes crazy. It reacts in a similar way as people do to drug withdrawal.**

After her break-up with her former boyfriend, Lana is in a really bad way. All she does is lie in bed and can hardly get herself up to do anything, let alone go out. Either she feels the need to fill her belly with food or she is not hungry at all. And in between? Only grey, dull emptiness. Lana is deprived of love.‍*


**The biology of separation**
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Lana's reaction to the separation is biologically explainable. After all, our brains and bodies are designed to bond with other people. Our natural programming is geared towards reproduction. That is why we react so violently to separations. Our brains run a programme very similar to that of drug users in withdrawal. It even goes so far that in the first few days after the break-up, the mere thought of the ex is enough to trigger reactions.

Helen Fisher from Rutgers University has found out that love withdrawal is associated with decreased motivation, low dopamine levels, increased emotional pain and stress. In an experiment, the researcher found out that looking at pictures of former partners is enough to activate the same areas in the brain as in people who are withdrawing from drugs.

**Back to life**
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But fortunately, love withdrawal does not become as harmful and painful in the long run as drug withdrawal. For those affected, as well as for Lana, it is advisable to first accept the separation and then dedicate oneself to the various stages of mourning. Working on one's own resilience can also help during separations. Only in this way can Lana find her way out of her situation as healthily as possible.

*You've just come out of a break-up, but you just don't know what to do? Then let's talk about it! Book a session with one of our coaches today.*

‍

The human body reacts to a break-up in a similar way to drug addicts who are going through withdrawal. But fortunately, the long-term damage is usually manageable.

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Love withdrawal - How our body reacts to a break-up