How Impossible Coincidences Help Us Live with Grief | Kim Penberthy, EP 430

Grief often opens us to moments that feel impossible to explain. In this episode, Dr. Bernard Beitman speaks with clinical psychologist and researcher Jennifer “Kim” Penberthy about the meaningful coincidences many people experience after loss. Together, they explore how these moments can be acknowledged without being pathologized, how to stay grounded while remaining open, and how coincidences may support healing, resilience, and continued connection during grief.

Jennifer “Kim” Penberthy, Ph.D., ABPP is the Chester F. Carlson Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she conducts research, teaches, and provides clinical care. She is a Board Certified licensed clinical psychologist who has been practicing for over 20 years. She is President of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology. She is on the advisory committee for the American Psychological Association Continuing Education Committee and a fellow in the APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology. Dr. Penberthy’s research involves discovering the mechanisms of action of therapeutic and contemplative practices on human wellbeing, experiences, and performance. She also studies altered states of consciousness and the methods and impact of such, including meditation, psychedelic medicines, spontaneous experiences. She has published extensively and lectures internationally about wellness, resilience, extraordinary experiences, and psychotherapy. She has presented her work and research for the World Bank, the United Nations, the American Psychological Association, multiple national and regional health systems and physician groups as well as at international conferences. She has scores of publications in professional journals, books, and book chapters. Her most recent book is “Living Mindfully Across the Lifespan: An Intergenerational Guide,” which was co-authored with her daughter, Morgan.

Some thoughtful questions for the viewer:

What is a 3-step script for responding to a powerful coincidence: notice → name feelings/meaning → reality-test?

What validating, non-pathologizing phrases can clinicians use when patients share a powerful coincidence?

What reflective prompts can help patients metabolize a coincidence into values-aligned action?

Bernard D. Beitman, MD is a Yale and Stanford educated psychiatrist and the founder of The Coincidence Project. He is a former chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri Columbia and the author of Connecting with Coincidence and Meaningful Coincidences. Dr. Beitman has spent decades researching how meaningful coincidences influence mental health, decision making, and personal growth. Through his clinical work, research, and the Connecting with Coincidence podcast, he brings scientific rigor to extraordinary human experiences and explores how synchronicity can help people feel more connected to themselves, others, and the world around them.