Death Doula

Sooner or later, everyone eventually asks questions about end of life. What happens to me when my physical body dies? Is there an afterlife? If so, where do I go? Do my loved ones meet me? Will they usher me to the next plane of existence? In Diary of a Death Doula, psychic medium, and near-death experience researcher Debra Diamond presents the story of life as a hospice 'Death Doula', revealing 25 critical life lessons from those at the threshold of the afterlife, and those who have already crossed over, ultimately revealing a new way of understanding death.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the #1 bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things, a riveting novel about the choices that change the course of our lives. Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She's on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. As thoughts flash through her mind, Dawn braces herself for impact. The shocking thing is the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years earlier. Miraculously, Dawn survives the crash, but so do all the doubts she suddenly feels. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, she has her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula who helps to ease the transition between life and death for her clients. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon. Now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the life choices she once made. After the crash, once they've been checked out by a doctor, the airline offers the passengers flights to a destination of their choice. The obvious thing for Dawn is to fly home, to her work, to her family. The other option that occurs to her, though, is to travel to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways--the first known map of the afterlife. As the story unfolds, Dawn's two futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts she's kept buried. And then there are the questions she's never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? When we leave the earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices or do our choices make us? And, who would you be, if you hadn't turned into the person you are right now?

Find practical and emotional support for your journey with this immersive workbook. If you are preparing for the end of life—or simply looking to bring more meaning to the here and now—The Death Doula’s Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared imparts valuable insight to nurture clarity and your internal strength on your journey. Infused with essential doula approaches, this workbook is a first-of-its-kind publication that invites you to process your life and legacy, create remembrance projects, build connections to vital supports, and draft informative wishes and plans for your last chapter. Replete with centering techniques and thought-provoking prompts, this comprehensive workbook is a welcome invitation for anyone seeking a more intentional approach to living and dying. It provides a practical template for end-of-life planning focused on designing comforting experiences that feel personally affirming—with sensitivity to all belief systems, cultures, identities, and histories of lived experience. The practices within chapters promote death literacy, and present steps to create your custom death journal. Completing this workbook is a brave act of healthy preparedness, as it breaks down a complex and often overwhelming topic into manageable tasks. You will tap into deep truths and poignant memories as you work through the exercises, often feeling lighter and less burdened upon their completion. Most importantly, you’ll find your best way to live fully and die prepared, by clarifying the fundamental ideals, priorities, and requests you want honored.

“Beautiful, poignant, pitch perfect and accessible . . . a road-map for clinicians, patients, family members, and caregivers”—BJ Miller, MD, author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death This groundbreaking book encourages us to face our fears and engage in an open, honest dialog about death. Here, longtime “death doula” Henry Fersko-Weiss helps the dying discover meaning in their lives, express that meaning in powerful and beautiful legacies, and plan for their final days with dignity. The doula approach to death emphasizes thoughtful planning for how the last days should look, sound, and feel, and encourages the use of touch, guided imagery, and ritual during the dying process. It also calls for around-the-clock vigil care, which provides emotional and spiritual support for both the dying person and their loved ones.

Death is one of the few certainties in life, yet it remains a topic that many of us find difficult to discuss. For some, death is a source of fear and anxiety, while others view it as a natural part of the cycle of life. Regardless of our beliefs, it's clear that the end-of-life journey can be a challenging and emotional experience for all involved.Conversations on Death with ChatGPT: Resources for Navigating the End-of-Life Journey by Karen Wyatt MD offers a fresh and compassionate approach to this complex and deeply personal subject. Drawing on her years of experience as a hospice physician and end-of-life educator, Dr. Wyatt engages in intimate conversations with ChatGPT, a cutting-edge language model trained by OpenAI, to explore a wide range of topics related to death and dying.From the practical aspects of end-of-life care to the emotional and spiritual dimensions of grief and after-death care, Conversations on Death with ChatGPT offers a comprehensive and compassionate approach to this sensitive topic. Through engaging and thought-provoking conversations, Dr. Wyatt and ChatGPT provide insights and guidance that will help readers navigate the end-of-life journey with grace, compassion, and wisdom. Whether you are a caregiver, a health professional, or someone who is facing the end-of-life journey yourself, Conversations on Death with ChatGPT is an essential resource that will provide you with the tools and insights you need to deepen your understanding of death and dying, and find support and guidance through this often challenging experience. In addition you'll explore the range of possibilities for using an AI language model to generate helpful resources about life's most difficult challenges.

Caring for the Dying describes a whole new way to approach death and dying. It explores how the dying and their families can bring deep meaning and great comfort to the care given at the end of a life. Created by Henry Fersko-Weiss, the end-of-life doula model is adapted from the work of birth doulas and helps the dying to find meaning in their life, express that meaning in powerful and beautiful legacies, and plan for the final days. The approach calls for around-the-clock vigil care, so the dying person and their family have the emotional and spiritual support they need along with guidance on signs and symptoms of dying. It also covers the work of reprocessing a death with the family afterward and the early work of grieving. Emphasis is placed on the space around the dying person and encourages the use of touch, guided imagery, and ritual during the dying process. Throughout the book Fersko-Weiss tells amazing and encouraging stories of the people he has cared for, as well as stories that come from doulas he has trained and worked with over the years. What is unique about this book is the well-conceived and thorough approach it describes to working skillfully with the dying. The guidance provided can help a dying person, their family, and caregivers to transform the dying experience from one of fear and despair into one that is uplifting and even life affirming. You will see death in a new light and gain a different perspective on how to help the dying. It may even change the way you live your life right now.

A practical and compassionate guide to physically, emotionally, and spiritually caring for the dying • Shares practices for emotional soothing, breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and pain, ways to reduce stress during the active dying process, and techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals • Explores ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level • Presents self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for “things to do” when there is nothing to do, mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality, as well as guidance for talking with children about death and dying • Winner of a 2020 Independent Publisher “IPPY” award Just as we might prepare a nest for one about to give birth, so can we lovingly prepare a nest for one who is dying. In this practical and compassionate guide, death doula educator Anne-Marie Keppel incorporates ancient and modern techniques, mindfulness practices, and herbal support to show how anyone can care for the dying, whether at home, in hospice, or even in the ICU. She demystifies the dying process by explaining what the body goes through during end of life and presents practices for emotional soothing and other ways to reduce stress and anxiety during the active dying process. The author provides techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals. She shares ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level. Providing support for caregivers and loved ones as well, Anne-Marie explores self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for “things to do” when there is nothing to do, and mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality. She also offers visualizations and techniques for talking with children about death and dying. Sharing glimpses into the world of spirit to reveal the poignancy of the dying process, the author shows that death is a sacred rite of passage we all experience.

The fourth edition of Dying and Death in Canada explores how the intensely personal experience of dying and death is shaped by society and culture, with new discussions of MAID and COVID-19.