No One Has to Die Alone
In the 25 years I have worked as a psychotherapist and hospice worker, I have had the privilege of being at the bedside of more than 500 people as they died. They taught me that how they die matters....
View ArticleNo One Has to Grieve Alone
Grief does not end, but grief can be transformed. Grief can soften. We can learn to accept our grief.read more
View ArticleRole Models of Resiliency
Susan is a 40-year old mother of two sons and she is at a loss about how to help her 9 and 7-year olds understand that their father will never play ball with them again. She has to tell them that they...
View ArticleThe Double-Bind of Masculine Grief
Men often report feeling in a “double bind” in which they are expected to “act like a man”, but judged for not sharing “like a woman”. Men feel their grief, but are more likely to manage it through...
View ArticleThe Power of Permission
When was the last time you asked a patient's permission to touch, talk, or enter their room?read more
View ArticleDeath Does Not End a Relationship
Death changes our physical relationship with one another, but dying well can enhance our emotional bond to our beloved. Death changes a relationship, but it need not end it.read more
View ArticleDeath Is Not a Dial Tone
In my last post, I mentioned that there is a body of research about the continuing presence of deceased loved ones, termed After Death Communication (ADC). The consensus of the literature is that the...
View ArticleDying gives as well as takes away.
I am sitting with Shelley, a 62-year old woman riddled with cancer. She tells me the doctors have told her there is no treatment left to fight her illness. She has made peace with her family, her past,...
View ArticleWe Can Discover As Well As Recover From Grief
Grief is information and we must bring it out into the light in order to discover how to soften our despair. read more
View ArticleListening Is a Ministry and Discipline
To listen to another asks that we create a safe place; hold their truth; and behold their highest nature.read more
View ArticleWe Can Help the Dying to Feel Held
Hospice care offers hope, reduces fears, and supports people to live right up to their last breath. We can be prepared and design our "best death" based on our values and wishes. With the hospice...
View ArticleThere Is No End to Hope
Giving up treatment does not mean we are abandoning hope. We can redefine and reframe hope for realistic, meaningful interventions and ways of being that can provide intimacy and authenticity at the...
View ArticleGrief is like a fingerprint.
Our grief is unique, like a fingerprint. But we all know loss. We must do our own grief work, but benefit from the support and validation that comes from belonging to a community that acknowledges the...
View ArticleNo One Has to Die Alone
In the 25 years I have worked as a psychotherapist and hospice worker, I have had the privilege of being at the bedside of more than 500 people as they died. They taught me that how they die matters....
View ArticleNo One Has to Grieve Alone
Grief does not end, but grief can be transformed. Grief can soften. We can learn to accept our grief.
View ArticleThe Double-Bind of Masculine Grief
Men often report feeling in a “double bind” in which they are expected to “act like a man”, but judged for not sharing “like a woman”. Men feel their grief, but are more likely to manage it through...
View ArticleThe Power of Permission
When was the last time you asked a patient's permission to touch, talk, or enter their room?
View Article
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