Using didactic teaching, videos, guided rituals and meditations, sharing, and journaling, we will learn about how to support loved ones, friends and ourselves at the end of life.
MODULE 1
The first module of this Training will offer an opening to the many complex human issues and emotions that are likely to arise for all of us as we approach the end of life. Facing our death, we are asked to look deeper, to review our life and to ask:
“What have I done in this life?” Who have I loved and been loved by?” “What has been the significance and the meaning of my life?” ” What wisdom can I pass on before I go?”
We will explore our attitudes about aging and death, society’s taboos, and personal fears that we carry, consciously and unconsciously. We will bring awareness to our own inner emotional barriers that could prevent us from experiencing relaxation, acceptance, and peace in the dying process. We’ll discuss medical care, hospice and palliative care, as well as legal aspects that need to be addressed at end of life, like wills, trusts, and medical directives.
We’ll look into the medicalization of death and dying, and learn how we can begin to take control of our own comfort and care, and the comfort of our loved ones, at the end of life. Aging is a time to consider how we can heal old wounds, let go of old grudges, forgive ourselves, and share our wisdom; and even more importantly, to celebrate and enjoy ourselves as we age and ripen.