Death Nesting: The Heart-Centered Practices of a Death Doula

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.Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781591434825 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company Publication Date: 08-15-2023 Pages: 192 Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)About the Author Anne-Marie Keppel is a death doula educator and founder of the nonprofit Village Deathcare. A nurse assistant, Reiki Master, and lifelong meditator, she guides individuals transitioning out of life and assists families with the end-of-life journey. Experienced in home funerals, green burials, and psychedelic-assisted therapy, her work as a death doula has been published nationally in the Washington Times, on USNews.com, and in PULP Magazine. She won an Independent Publisher “IPPY” award in 2020. Anne-Marie delights in the joy of living with her family in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.Table of Contents Table of ContentsForeword by Karen Wyatt, M.D. An Introduction to Death Nesting About This Book One Beyond Advance Directives Take NotesMore than Just Paperwork Two Preparing the Nest Establishing the Protective ShellPreparing the Inner NestCaregiving’s Inner CircleSecret NestingWeathering Our Dying Three Dying Is a Sensory ExperienceHearingSmellTasteSightTouch Four What the Physical Body Does during the Dying Process Aches and PainsTemperatureBreathing and Heart RateEating, Digestion, and EliminationHandwashingWound CareSponge BathingMoisturizingBedding and Lying in BedWhat to Pack in a Hospital Bag Five Mind, Spirit, and Emotion in the Dying Process Suggestions for Mental SoothingPsychedelics and Virtual Reality ListeningAncestor ComfortsTying Together a TimelineSleep, Rest, and SeparationTime, Space, and RhythmSpiritual SupportReiki for the DyingA Time for ShrinesSix Discomforts during Caregiving Expressing the Very DifficultWords Are Not Always What Is NeededWhen What Is Happening Is Against Your DesiresWhat to Do When There Is Nothing to DoLanguage Barriers in the Dying ProcessMedical Aid in DyingComing Upon an Accident or Sudden Death Seven Talking with Children about Death and Dying Tiny Deaths and Big DeathsA Child’s Tool KitPet and Animal Deaths Eight After the Last Breath Home Funerals and Body CareShould the DeadAttend Their Own Funerals?The Good FuneralHerbs for Remembrance and CeremonyMoving with GriefMeditation for Dissolving into the ElementsAppendix: The Ancient and Modern Death DoulaResources for Death, Dying, and Stretching Your MindAbout the AuthorIndex Show More