Diary of a Death Doula: 25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife - Softcover

Diamond Ph.D., Debra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1789041848 ISBN 13: 9781789041842

Verlag: Obooks, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

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.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Debra Diamond, Ph.D. is a psychic/medium, author and death doula. A former Wall Street money manager, CNBC commentator and Johns Hopkins University professor, life took a turn in 2008 when a transformational experience left Debra with unconventional powers as a clairvoyant. She has a Ph.D. in Metaphysics from the Esoteric Interfaith Theological Seminary. Debra lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Diary of a Death Doula

25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife

By Debra Diamond

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

Copyright © 2018 Debra Diamond
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-78904-184-2

Contents

Author's Preface, 1, 
Introduction, 5, 
Part One, 13, 
A Cultural History of Death — It Wasn't Always Taboo, 
The Impact of Religion On Our Beliefs About Death, 14, 
The Scientific View of Death, 15, 
Part Two, 17, 
A Spiritual Journey, 
The Role of Hospice, 24, 
What Exactly Is a Death Doula?, 25, 
What's a Medium?, 32, 
Part Three, 35, 
Lesson One: Death is Not About Dying. It's About Living, 
Lesson Two: Death is a Process Involving Body and Soul, 43, 
Lesson Three: Families of Hospice Patients Need Support, Too, 51, 
Lesson Four: We Retain Our Senses at End of Life, 59, 
Lesson Five: It's Impossible to Predict When Death Will Occur, 69, 
Lesson Six: Our Chakras Transform at End of Life, 77, 
Lesson Seven: The Soul Leaves the Body to Journey at End of Life, 85, 
Lesson Eight: There is Something Larger That Exists and We Are All Part of It, 91, 
Lesson Nine: Living Well is at the Sacred Center of Life and Death, 95, 
Lesson Ten: Our Soul is Intact at End of Life, No Matter What Our Physical Condition Is, 101, 
Lesson Eleven: Having Conversations About Death is Important, 107, 
Lesson Twelve: It's Important to Let Go of Your Expectations of a Person at End of Life, 111, 
Lesson Thirteen: Never Assume the Dying Cannot Hear You, 119, 
Lesson Fourteen: Our Loved Ones in Spirit are Waiting in the Wings at End of Life, 125, 
Lesson Fifteen: Family and Friends May Deal With Death Through Denial, 131, 
Lesson Sixteen: You Never Know if That Last Breath is Their Last Breath, 139, 
Lesson Seventeen: Each Passing is Different, 145, 
Lesson Eighteen: We Feel Loved, Peaceful, and Safe as We Journey to Higher Realms, 151, 
Lesson Nineteen: We May Mention an "Appointment" to Keep at End of Life, 155, 
Lesson Twenty: Personal Items Add Energy and Love to a Patient's Room, 161, 
Lesson Twenty-One: Granting Permission to Die Is Implicit, 169, 
Lesson Twenty-Two: Angels and Celestial Caregivers Assist Us at End of Life, 177, 
Lesson Twenty-Three: Synchronicity Exists in Life and Death, 183, 
Lesson Twenty-Four: As We Ascend, We Pass Through Ever Higher Levels of Consciousness, 187, 
Lesson Twenty-Five: We May Will Ourselves to Die, 191, 
25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife, 198, 
Part Four, 201, 
Consciousness at End of Life, at Death and in the Afterlife, 
What I Learned As a Death Doula, 203, 
The Meaning of Living and Dying, 204, 
Note to Reader, 205, 
Book Club Discussion Guide, 206, 

CHAPTER 1

Part One

A Cultural History of Death — It Wasn't Always Taboo

In the ancient world, human cultures were open to the mysteries of life; in some cases, more open than we are today. Our ancestors had respect for the invisible world, if for no other reason than their lack of an alternative explanation for virtually all natural phenomena. It was routine for ancient cultures to revere and respect the dead and they were commonly included in the lives of the living and even consulted for guidance. Sometimes they were treated in death as if they were still alive.

In ancient cultures the idea that the soul survived death was well accepted. Descriptions of communities of spirits, underworlds, heaven and realms of the dead were incorporated into life. Many of these beliefs continued throughout history and cultures for thousands of years. Not until we reach more modern times do these beliefs begin to be questioned or disregarded.

The Incas preserved their dead, sought their guidance, and even put them in chairs and carried them to parties and other social events. The Mayans buried their dead below the living room floor, to keep them involved as an extension of the family. This veneration of the ancestors stemmed partly from the belief that the dead continued to exist and partly as a way to ensure the ancestors' continued well-being.

Like the Mayans and the Incas, the Mesopotamians, going back in 3100 BCE, believed the dead continued an animated existence in the form of spirit. According to the Mesopotamians, the soul reunites with relatives who precede them in death, which is consistent with what I witnessed as a death doula. Anthropologists have discerned that nearly 2,500 years ago, the Mesopotamians believed that the soul was not immediately transported to the netherworld after bodily death, but had to undergo an arduous journey in order to reach it.

The ancient Egyptians believed that even in death they would live again, and these ideas are in many ways similar to what I encountered as a death doula. The continuity of life was demonstrated over and over in my work as patients traveled to their new home, visiting with family and loved ones on the other side, taking their beliefs, memories, and essence with them. To the Egyptians, death was the necessary first step to reaching the afterlife, a journey they prepared for thoroughly during their lifetimes.

Even in more recent Victorian times, death was openly discussed and mortality was confronted head-on. Death in those times was described as a journey of passage where the near and dear were ultimately heaven bound. Elaborate displays were part of the Victorian celebration of death and the advent of photography even enabled mourners to pose with the dead laid out in their coffins before they set off for burial.

Up until the twentieth century, most people died at home with family and friends around them. Death was an accepted part of life. Nowadays, we live much longer and prefer to lean towards the working hypothesis that medicine and healthy living — exercise, stress reduction and good nutrition — will prolong our lives and, psychologically speaking, that death won't actually happen to us!

The Impact of Religion On Our Beliefs About Death

It's really hard to talk about death and dying without some mention of religion and its power to comfort some, but strike fear in others. What about your own attitudes and apprehensions about death and dying? You may be religious and approach the subject with certain beliefs, or perhaps you count yourself among the growing number with no particular religious affiliation but are not an atheist either?

Undoubtedly, different religions and cultures and our own individual "buy in" of these beliefs greatly influence our views of life and death. Regardless of what they are, these values are drummed into most people from a very early age, and many find that later in life, they may begin to question these "truths." As a result, as we age, how we think of life and death can change dramatically.

Today in the West, we have no uniform religious or cultural beliefs, so we have no specific place where we believe everyone goes after death. We don't even have a uniform language for dying. Some simply say their loved ones died; others say they passed or passed over or made their transition or have gone home. The complex attitudes and language in the West arise from this "hodgepodge" of different cultures, theories, and religions all coming together to form our diverse society. Our wide-ranging beliefs include everything from reincarnation to purgatory to nirvana, and many gradations of each. We wrestle with and accommodate an unnerving combination of ideas and...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Obooks
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1789041848
• ISBN 13: 9781789041842
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 224
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar