'Wonderful, thoughtful, practical' - Cariad Lloyd, Griefcast 'Encouraging and inspiring' - Dr Kathryn Mannix, author of Amazon bestseller With the End in Mind End-of-life doula Anna Lyons and funeral director Louise Winter have joined forces to share a collection of the heartbreaking, surprising and uplifting stories of the ordinary and extraordinary lives they encounter every single day. From working with the living, the dying, the dead and the grieving, Anna and Louise reveal the lessons they've learned about life, death, love and loss. Together they've created a profound but practical guide to rethinking the one thing that's guaranteed to happen to us all. We are all going to die, and that's ok. Let's talk about it. This is a book about life and living, as much as it's a book about death and dying. It's a reflection on the beauties, blessings and tragedies of life, the exquisite agony and ecstasy of being alive, and the fragility of everything we hold dear. It's as simple and as complicated as that.

The Nature of Grief is a provocative new study on the evolution of grief. Most literature on the topic regards grief either as a psychiatric disorder or illness to be cured. In contrast to this, John Archer shows that grief is a natrual reaction to losses of many sorts, even to the death of a pet, and he proves this by bringing together material from evolutionary psychology, ethology and experimental psychology.
This innovative new work will be required reading for developmental and clinical psychologists and all those in the caring professions.

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This text synthesizes, integrates, refines, and expands upon the current information available on sibling bereavement. Exploring the history of the study of sibling bereavement, it also covers the immediate, short- and long-term responses and subsequent generational effects. A chapter on caregiver implications is also provided. Readers working with children - therapists, psychologists, counselors, social workers, funeral directors, and clergy - should find this book a useful resource.

Mourning the Dreams is an accessible and moving account of parents' experiences of grief and recovery after losing an infant during pregnancy, childbirth, or within the first month of life. Drawing from the sociology of emotions, health research and psychology, her own experience, and a range of qualitative methods, Claudia Malacrida finds that bereaved parents not only grieve their child and its unrealized potential, but often find their personal experiences are at odds with social forces and prevailing assumptions about the nature of their loss and how they should react to is. She explores the meanings parents create as they face denial, silence, and other reactions from friends, family, communities, coworkers, the medical community, and even within spousal relationships. She also describes the courage and creativity of parents who create and negotiate meanings that help them grieve, recover, and manage relationships.

This guide for professionals to aid adults with mental retardation in dealing with grief first covers background information on the universal grief process, then addresses grief issues specific to the mentally retarded adult population, and next provides practical guidelines for interacting and providing support over 100 specific ideas. It features original artwork of adults with mental retardation working through the grief process.

What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living is a spiritual approach to health care that teaches the reader about values, hope, and faith through actual experiences of terminally ill persons. This unique approach to health care teaches the living how to deal with grief and the bereavement process through faith and prayer. Priests, pastors, chaplains, and psychotherapists will learn how to treat parishioners or patients with the values the dying leave behind, allowing part of their deceased loved one's beliefs and teachings to guide them through the grieving process. In the end, you will also become aware of your spiritual self while helping others heal and renew their soul.While What the Dying Teach Us concentrates on the values you can learn from the terminally ill, the author includes his own views on: how our tears manifest the depth into which our relationship with a deceased loved one travels how dimensions of reality lead us to appreciate the present experiencing events in life without judgment or comparison the role faith may play in health care as a healer of the terminally ill how the strength of prayer can drastically change livesWhat the Dying Teach Us celebrates the spirit loved ones leave behind and teaches you how to surrender into an eternal relationship with them. Furthermore, because of this experience, you will be able to find a new and deeper realization of your own existence. What the Dying Teach Us will help you spiritually connect with yourself as well as with deceased loved ones that continue to live on through faith.

Wills from lower social status shed light on religious, social and cultural history. Lincolnshire has an extensive archive of sixteenth-century probate material, preserved in the registers of the consistory and archdeaconry courts of Lincoln, the peculiar court of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral, and thearchdeaconry court of Stow. Unlike the wills proved by the archiepiscopal probate courts of Canterbury and York, those from Lincolnshire reflect a population of lower social status. The overwhelming majority come from the ranks of husbandmen, yeomen, or tradesmen, rather than the gentry. In this respect the wills offer a valuable source for the cultural and religious preoccupations of the 'middling sort' and those lower in the social spectrum on the eve of the Reformation. Equally, the detailed bequests of property, livestock and land provide an insight into the material culture and prosperity of the testators, as well as extensive genealogical and topographical information of interest to local, regional and family historians.

Death, Gender and Ethnicity examines the ways in which gender and ethnicity shape the experiences of dying and bereavement, taking as its focus the diversity of ways through which the universal event of death is encountered. It brings together accounts of how these experiences are actually managed with analyses of a range of representations of dying and grieving in order to provide a more theoretical approach to the relationship between death, gender and ethnicity.
Though death and dying have been an increasingly important focus for academics and clinicians over the last thirty years, much of this work provides little insight into the impact of gender and ethnicity on the experience. The result is often a universalising representation which fails to take account of the personally unique and culturally specific experiences associated with a death. Drawing on a range of detailed case studies, Death, Gender and Ethnicity seeks to develop a more sensitive theoretical approach which will be invaluable reading for students and practitioners in health studies, sociology, social work and medical anthropology.

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are a mystifying and challenging state of consciousness. The incredible experiences reported by survivors of NDEs, such as out-of-body travel and soul-transforming peace and cosmic light, are stimulating interdisciplinary research in several fields, from the medical to the mystical. This work is a comprehensive collection of NDE cases and interpretations. Psychological researchers discuss cognitive models and Jungian theories of meaningful archetypal phenomena such as enlightenment and healing transformation. From a biological perspective, other contributors describe how brains near death may produce soothing endorphins, optical illusions and convincing hallucinations. Philosophers present empirical analyses and images in archetypal theories, and discuss the topic in the symbolic language of comparative phenomenological theories. Christian, Jewish and Mormon responses to NDEs outline the religious perspective.

This unique collection focuses on the legal and ethical issues surrounding the medico-legal management of death. Each chapter throws up new and unusual problems in this area, highlighting the tension between personal autonomy and medical responsibility. The book thus charts a way through the moral minefield.

Suicide, and how civilized people should respond to it, is an increasingly controversial topic in modern society. In Holland, suicide is the third leading cause of death of people between the ages of fifteen and forty. In the United States, it is the second leading cause of death among older teenagers. Laws prohibiting assisted suicide are being directly and boldly confronted by activists in the United States, most notably Jack Kevorkian. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has publicly declared suicide a fundamental human right that should be protected under the Constitution. The Hemlock Society has introduced referenda in California, Washington, and Oregon to legalize suicide and assisted suicide. The most vocal opposition to these initiatives has come from the Roman Catholic church.

"Breaking the Thread of Life "marshalls philosophical, moral, medical, historical, and theological arguments in support of the Roman Catholic position against suicide. In a comprehensive study of the history of suicide, Barry shows that Christian civilization was one of only a few early societies that was able to bring suicide under control. He counters claims that Catholicism and the Bible endorse rational suicide. Barry also analyzes arguments in support of the rationality of suicide and illuminates their biases, inadequacies, and dangers.

Barry presents the rationale for the Roman Catholic church's strong, extensive, and articulate opposition to efforts to gain legal and social endorsement of suicide and assisted suicide. His book represents the most complete study of the classical Roman Catholic view of rational suicide to date, and it will be of significant interest to philosophers, theologians, physicians, and lawyers.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:1560324244

The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State is a groundbreaking history of death in Montana. It offers a unique, reflective, and sensitive perspective on the evolution of customs and burial grounds. Beginning with Montana's first known burial site, Ellen Baumler considers the archaeological records of early interments in rock ledges, under cairns, in trees, and on open-air scaffolds. Contact with Europeans at trading posts and missions brought new burial practices. Later, crude "boot hills" and pioneer graveyards evolved into orderly cemeteries. Planned cemeteries became the hallmark of civilization and the measure of an educated community. Baumler explores this history, yet untold about Montana. She traces the pathway from primitive beginnings to park-like, architecturally planned burial grounds where people could recreate, educate their children, and honor the dead. The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State is not a comprehensive listing of the many hundreds of cemeteries across Montana. Rather it discusses cultural identity evidenced through burial practices, changing methods of interments and why those came about, and the evolution of cemeteries as the "last great necessity" in organized communities. Through examples and anecdotes, the book examines how we remember those who have passed on.

This book examines research on death, dying and bereavement, and how our approaches, perceptions and expectations shapes what we can know about the end of life. The contributions include personal and professional reflections, and practical suggestions for conducting research in this field. The volume stems from the resurgence of the international and interdisciplinary study of death in the last 20 years. Within this, empirical research is often viewed as sensitive, but little has been written about the experience of conducting research in this area. There has thus been little reflection on the opportunities and challenges faced in undertaking research as the field of death studies grows, including the accommodation and recognition of cultural differences. This volume seeks to in part address this gap. The chapters in this book were originally published in the Mortality journal and the Death Studies journal.

Contents:
A Theoretical Overview; The Why and Wherefore of Bereavement Support Groups; What is a Bereavement Support Group?; Why Have a Bereavement Support Group?; Getting Them to Come; Self-Generated Publicity; Outreach; Setting up a Bereavement Support Group; The Facilitator; Organisational Skills; Screening the Participants; Goals; Guidelines; Structured Bereavement Support Groups; Unstructured Bereavement Support Groups; Groups for Special Populations; Suicide Survivors; Survivors of Homicide Victims; Death by Drunken Driver; Death of a Child; Community Disaster; Children Grief Groups; Group Participants; Reference List.

Suicide has long posed problems for philosophy. Philosophers, such Albert Camus, have situated in the center of the debate about metaphysics and the meaning of life. Hegel understood death to be the raison d'etre of philosophical project. And scores of other since them have treated suicide as central to the West's understanding of itself. In "Contemplating Suicide," Gavin Fairbairn takes a fresh and philosophical look at suicide. He examines the nomenclature of suicide, and how the language of suicide affects our understanding and denigration of "suicidal bodies."
Fairbairn offers cogent reasons for abandoning the mindless use of terms such as "attempted suicide" and "parasuicide," and introduces a number of terms including "cosmic roulette," which he uses to describe a family of human acts in which people gamble with their lives.
By elaborating a richer model of suicidal self harm than most philosophers and most practitioners of caring professions currently inhabit, Fairbairn has contributed to the development of understanding in this area. Among other things a richer model and vocabulary may reduce the likelihood that those who come into contact with suicidal self harm, will believe that familiarity with the physical facts of the matter - the actions of the suicider and the presence or absence of a corpse - is always sufficient to justify a definite conclusion about the nature of the self harming act.

This work provides an up-to-date examination of the ways people face dying and bereavement. In this third edition previous chapters are throrughly revised, and new contributors expand areas that have changed significantly. Reflecting the field's complex interdisciplinary character, the chapters cover such diverse areas as psychology, nursing, medicine, AIDS, family studies, sociology, education, philosophy, law, religion, the humanities and political science, whilst highlighting thanatology's core psychological and therapeutic caregiving dimensions.; First, the text offers broad examinations of death systems from the vantage points of various cultural, historical and disciplinary perspectives. The second section represents the core of the book, offering detailed surveys of the "data" of death, dying and bereavement as they relate to different phases of our encounter with death as an abstract possibility and concrete reality. Next are chapters addressing a cluster of death-related issues and challenges that confront us at both a societal and individual level - such as AIDS - and finally the volume closes with a few reflections on the complexity of contemporary thanatology, framing some issues and recommendations that deserve greater attention by scholars, researchers, policy makers and practitioners. Also included is a comprehensive resource bibliography on the topic.; This text is intended to be of use as a resource for all those interested in reading about death studies, both professionals and students alike.

In the early 1970s bereavement support groups were almost unknown. However, the obvious benefits of the group process for recovery - the mutual support and understanding that helps mourners to a better outlook - has created a demand for people who can organise and facilitate these groups. Addressing the basis and need for support groups for the bereaved, this book presents a theoretical overview, examines benefits and variety of support groups structured and unstructural, special populations and specifics for initiating, organising and running them, such as publicity. It differs from other treatments in that theory and practice are moulded into a how-to approach, with all procedures presented equally for the widest range of choices. Also included is a comprehensive book bibliography for adults, children, children's helpers and parents. This text is intended to be of use as a resource for professionals in the field of thanatology, including psychologists, psychiatrists, gerontologists, therapists, group counsellors, hospice workers, educators, funeral home directors, home health employees, hospital staff and volunteer organisations that work with survivors.

Frequent assertions that death is taboo can be seen as evidence of a revival of interest in dying and bereavement. Traditional religious discourse lacks plausibility, yet modern medical and bureaucratic discourse fails to tally with the personal experience of many dying and bereaved individuals. The current revival, while reinstating some traditional practices and retaining professional expertise, seeks ultimate authority elsewhere: in the individual self. The new death is personal, facilitated by palliative care, the life-centred funeral, and bereavement counselling. How though are we to know how to die and to grieve? What role do professional carers and psychological theories play in shaping the experiences of dying and bereaved persons? How do such persons learn from each other? This book examines the revival and relates it to theories of modernity and postmodernity. Tony Walter edited "Pilgrimage in Popular Culture" (Macmillan, 1993) and is the author of "Funerals and How to Improve Them" (Hodder, 1990).

Talking about death is now fashionable, but how should we talk? Who should we listen to - priests, doctors, cousellors, or ourselves? Has psychology replaced religion in telling us how to die? This provocative book takes a sociological look at the revival of interest in death, focusing on the hospice movement and bereavement counselling. It will be required reading for anyone interested in the sociology of death and caring for the dying, the dead or bereaved.

'Lacan's return to Freud' has been interpreted in past examinations as a vindication of Lacan as Freudian. In Essays on the Pleasure of Death, Ellie Ragland Sullivan clarifies the differences between concepts in Freud and Lacan and discusses the interconnectedness of both men's theories, while maintaining the crucial differences continue to exist. The author argues that Lacan's `return' gave coherence to concepts which Freud could never explain: psychosis, narcissism, the body and the death drive. Grounded in clinical experience, and drawing on Lacan's as-yet-untranslated seminars through 1981, Essays on the Pleasures of Death demonstrates to the reader the transformation and translation that Freud has undergone, and places him as a psychoanalyst - not a philosopher - in both theory and practice.

This highly original work provides a thought-provoking and valuable resource for researchers and academics with an interest in genocide, criminology, international organizations, and law and society. In her book, Caroline Fournet examines the law relating to genocide and explores the apparent failure of society to provide an adequate response to incidences of mass atrocity. The work casts a legal perspective on this social phenomenon to show that genocide fails to be appropriately remembered due to inherent defects in the law of genocide itself. The book thus connects the social response to the legal theory and practice, and trials in particular. Fournet's study illustrates the shortcomings of the Genocide Convention as a means of preventing and punishing genocide as well as its consequent failure to ensure the memory of this heinous crime.

Treatment of suicidal people takes three forms: prevention - strategies to avert conditions leading to suicide; intervention - treatment and care during the crisis; and postvention - response after the event has occurred. Unlike other current literature, here the focus is on the state of the art of intervention. This type of examination is essential, because suicidal people themselves are in need of such treatments - crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and hospitalization.

Written by professionals in the field, the Treatment of Suicidal People allows readers to participate in a learning experience. First is a case presentation of an individual - Arthur Inman - and his long road toward suicide, as chronicled in his personal diary. The seond section puts forth guidelines for the evaluation of suicide risk and crisis intervention. A focus on more sustained efforts in psychotherapy is next, a theme which is continued in the fourth part by addressing psychiatric issues that are essential for treatment of highly disturbed and lethal patients.

The following section examines a number of clinical and legal issues that transcend any one population of suicidal people, and any particular treatment approach or context. And lastly, the volume returns to Arthur Inman, with case consultations providing alternative perspectives and recommendations on his treatment. Suicide and related forms of self-injurious behaviour can be circumvented, if the involved professionals are sufficiently trained in assessment and prevention.

Georges Bataille is now recognized as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century. Fascinated by the excessive movement of life, Bataille developed a complex philosophy based upon examination of the interplay between death and eroticism. For him, eroticism was the foundation of human experience, providing a sharp insight into the basis of human society and the response of the individual to it. Largely neglected during his lifetime, Bataille's influence has grown during the last thirty years, first in France and more recently in the UK and the US, where it has often been associated with the rise of post-structuralism and postmodernism. This text argues that his work is often misunderstood and conflated too readily with postmodernism; instead, the author treats Bataille as a multi-faceted thinker who does not fit in easily with any simple categorization.