Steffanie Thornock wrote the following article on the benefits of a good cry. Crying is something I’ve thought a lot about over the years and she does a great job of exploring some of the core elements involved in shedding tears. Now I need to convince her to write a follow article to help those of us who are “tear-duct challenged” learn how to release the rusty valves keeping us locked up.

Steffanie Thornock
Aug. 1, 2009

Crying is good for physical and psychological health

Like many ten year old boys, when my son turned that age, he wanted a BB gun.  The blessed day arrived, it was a rite of passage of sorts, out came that polished black barrel with the shiny plastic wood looking handle from the oversized box.  His dad gave him the classic “don’t shoot your eye out” lecture and he was off.  One spring morning, after a few months of target practice, he, along with my other boys, was out back and I was watching them through the window.  I see a rabbit go running across the yard and stop under our trampoline.  My little hunter-gatherer also spotted the potential target.  I see him take aim.  Thinking to myself, “it’s no big deal, he won’t hit it”.  I hear the sound of the BB and instantly, I see the rabbit flipping and flopping around.  At times, it tries to run with its front leg but the back legs aren’t moving at all.  There is a sort of high pitched squeal that the injured rabbit is making.  It is obviously in pain.  I instantly go to my feet and cover my mouth with my hand.  Tears are suddenly burning my eyes.  I am overwhelmed with anger, sadness and empathy at the plight of this damaged creature.  My emotions came on so quickly, it was a physically painful experience.  After I had a good cry for that darling fuzzy animal, I found that I actually felt better.  I still felt bad for the rabbit but physiologically, something changed inside me.  I felt differently.  As I look back on this experience, I remember being extremely upset.  What was it that made those tears emerge? What had changed in my brain and/or physically, both before the traumatic event and after? Why did I feel better after weeping?  I have often thought about this particular episode and wanted answers to my burning questions. Read the rest of this entry »