Life is a Journey
Life is a Dream
Life is a Mystery
Life is…

There are countless metaphors for LIFE and I have found that one of the most empowering ways to live fully is to acknowledge that there are no guarantees as to how many days, months, or years we have in this existence.

As the Buddhist story about “The Mustard Seed” goes:  each one of us has experienced loss of some kind and no one can escape that fact that we are all mortal and will someday have to depart from this world.   Rather than that be seen only as a tragic and dreaded experience, I believe it is also possible to reframe our mortality so that we get the most out of our Journey.

How is this different from other forms of therapy or supportive counseling?  Well, for some it is no different and for others this process may resonate with a part of their spirit that is ready to embrace our time limitation so that we can become more mindful in our life practices.    This process of developing mindful living and conscious dying practices has been especially helpful if you are…

  • dealing with a chronic, acute or terminal condition
  • caregiving for a sick or dying friend or family member
  • experiencing loss due to death or other life transitions (i.e. job, relationship)
  • a contemplative existentialist looking for a safe place to explore the meaning of your life
  • experiencing much regret or remorse and wanting to find peace of mind

 

“The purpose of life is to familiarize oneself with this after-death body so that the act of dying will not create confusion in the psyche.” – Terence McKenna

What is a "Death Doula"?

According to wisegeek.com, a death doula is someone who undergoes special training to assist the dying and their family members. While the word “doula” comes from a Greek word which means “woman who serves,” a death doula can be of any gender, and the background of a death doula can be incredibly diverse. In regions where death doulas are available for the dying, they generally work through hospice and in-home care programs.

Caring for someone who is dying can be traumatic and confusing for family members, especially in a culture where caring for the dead is not ingrained in society. A death doula can guide family members through the process of death, telling them what to expect and acting as an advocate for them and for the decedent with representatives of the hospital, funeral homes, and other personnel who may be involved in the death process.

For the dying, a death doula offers comfort, support, and companionship. Many death doulas work in groups, so that someone will always be available to sit at the deathbed, and doulas may sit quietly with the dying, sing to them, talk with them, or offer other acts of companionship. Death doulas with nursing training may also offer some end of life care, ranging from providing medication to bathing the dying.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

― Pema Chödrön

“You have to remember one life, one death–this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the inbreath or outbreath, requires only a moment, this moment. And along with it all the mindfulness we can muster, and each stage of our ongoing birth, and the confident joy of our inherent luminosity. (24)” 

― Stephen Levine, A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last

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