Facilitated by: Tashel C. Bordere, PhD, CT

Price: $165.00

In this workshop, Dr. Bordere offers an inside look at historic and modern-day healing rituals for death and non-death loss for Black families. We will explore the multifaceted process of grief and coping, the historical  and contemporary lived experiences of trauma loss and “suffocated grief,” the present day significance of end-of-life care, culturally responsive after-death-care rituals for both the deceased and the bereaved and common patterns in Black funeral rituals and practices.

Facilitated by: Frank Ostaseski

Price: $50.00

When we are feeling hurt, disappointed, angry or betrayed, the idea of forgiving someone is difficult to consider. Yet, forgiveness can help heal what divides us. It releases the fear and resentment in the heart that keeps us separate from ourselves, from others, and from life itself. Forgiveness is a process of touching old pain with an awareness that is infused with mercy. In the end, all forgiveness is self-forgiveness. In this interactive webinar, we will honestly explore both the benefits and obstacles to forgiveness.

Facilitated by: Amy Cunningham

Price: $165.00

Planning for your own death, and getting acquainted with what is both traditional and newly possible in today’s end-of-life rituals, is a spiritual practice that enables you to face your own mortality with serenity and courage. Sadly, people who postpone funeral discussions are too frequently confronted with decisions involving thousands of dollars, a financial burden during the grieving process. Any funeral service today faces challenges posed by the novel coronavirus, not least of which is paying for the funeral service itself in hard times. So how can families find greater solace, healing and empowerment? Join funeral director Amy Cunningham in a day-long talk about changes within the American funeral service. We’ll learn how to plan an earth-friendly funeral with hands-on involvement, a more meaningful cremation green burial, or a memorial service on Zoom. We’ll also discuss new ways to honor and remember our loved ones involving altars, music, flowers, dance and meditation. A farewell to a loved one today might entail a sequence of healing experiences instead of just one event. We’ll review every conceivable option, and discuss green cemeteries near New York City, cremation pros and cons, biodegradable casket decorating, blended-faith/alternative ceremonies and more. We’ll review every conceivable option and discuss: green cemeteries near New York City; cremation pros and cons; biodegradable casket decorating; blended-faith/alternative ceremonies, and more.

Facilitated by: Anthony Bossis Ph.D. 

Price: $50.00

During this event, we will present the findings from the 2016 landmark NYU School of Medicine clinical trial on psychedelic research aimed to relieve the psychological and existential suffering associated with a life-threatening illness or the end of life. The trial demonstrated the efficacy of a single psilocybin-generated mystical experience in helping individuals with cancer cultivate meaning, enhance existential and psycho-spiritual well-being and foster a greater acceptance of the dying process with less anxiety.  The scientific findings of reduction in depression, anxiety, hopelessness and demoralization will be presented along with implications for the future of palliative and hospice care and the study of thanatology and consciousness.  Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound found in specific species of mushrooms. Features of a mystical experience include unity, sacredness, transcendence, ineffability and an enhanced awareness of positive emotions including that of love. Mystical experiences offer a novel therapeutic approach to promote an openness to the mystery of death and to a deeper understanding for the study of meaning and spirituality.

Facilitated by: Jeanne Denney

Price: $165.00

Most people experience a nonverbal, coma-like state before death, yet all too often medical workers, even hospice workers and family, withdraw attentive presence when a patient enters silence. Perhaps we wonder if they know we are there. Perhaps we are uncomfortable. In this workshop, we will discuss what work and research with the non-communicative has taught us about their needs.  How can we be both fearless and sensitive in service to the dying? Together we will practice “finding” this state within ourselves and being present with another as we explore the jewels within the silence. We will also look at caregiver burnout and the essential nature of compassion. Students will be invited to inquire directly into their own process with presence to people in trauma or altered states of consciousness, bringing questions and personal reflections forward for discussion and integration.

Facilitated by: Olivia Bareham

Price: $165.00

This workshop demonstrates the role of the death midwife from the final breath through the 3-day home vigil and funeral until final disposition. Open to professional and non-professional end-of-life caregivers and anyone wishing to care for their loved one naturally, at home, according to personal, religious and cultural traditions. The topics covered will include: legalities and logistics of a 1-to-3-day home vigil, the death midwife kit, care of the body (bathing, dressing, anointing), laying the body in-honor, dry-ice preservation and stillbirth/infant death – bringing baby home. Films, meditations, written exercises and demonstrations support the information being shared.

Facilitated by: Karen Wyatt MD

Price: $50.00

While less than 2% of all deaths in the U.S. occur by suicide, the aftermath of such a death is traumatic and overwhelming to the survivors, who need special support as they cope with shock and grief. The intent of this presentation is to raise awareness about suicide, break down the stigma that surrounds it, and prepare participants to support those impacted by suicide. In this webinar, we will cover the challenges faced by survivors of suicide death, what to do after a suicide death and tips and tools for supporting a survivor of a suicide death. 

RECORDING AVAILABLE FOR ON-DEMAND VIEWING

Facilitated by: Leslie Blackhall, MD

Price: $165.00

End of life is a developmental stage, which is experienced by all patients and requires a unique set of skills by their caregivers. However, those studying nursing, medicine and other allied professions are usually not taught how their patients die. The absence of this education leads to misunderstanding about the nature and goals of medical care, inability to communicate and increased suffering for clinicians, patients, and families. Additionally, our healthcare institutions are designed to care for patients with acute episodic illnesses and are geared toward their recovery. However, many patients have chronic progressive life-limiting illnesses and will not recover. In this workshop, we will discuss how our education and institutional systems fail in the care of patients at the end of life and explore ways we can improve and transform them.  Appropriate for all health care professionals.

RECORDING AVAILABLE FOR ON-DEMAND VIEWING

Facilitated by: Jan Booth MA, RN

Price: $165.00

What if we re-imagined the end of life as a vital and purposeful stage of being fully human? In a death-phobic culture, practices that wake us up to our mortality are countercultural and radical acts. How do we learn and practice this particular path of awakening? To imagine new possibilities, we benefit from drawing out of a different well of thinking and experience — perhaps a different kind of knowing. Contemplative and mythic traditions teach the necessity of an inner path of dying—so that we can be more fully present with our own and others’ grief, losses, and death. This session draws from experiential practices, cultural tipping points, story-telling, music and focused reflection to explore the mystery and meaning in dying – and how it transforms how we live.