Ask Doctor Death

Barbara Karnes, RN is an award winning end of life educator, award winning nurse, NHPCO Hospice Innovator award winner 2018 & 2015 International Humanitarian Woman of the Year.

While at the bedside of hundreds of people during the dying process, Hospice Pioneer Barbara Karnes noticed that each death was following a near identical script. Each person was going through the stages of death in almost the same manner and most families came to her with similar questions. These realizations led Barbara to sit down and write Gone From My Sight, "The Little Blue Book" that changed the hospice industry.  

Gone From My Sight is the original, and remains the most widely used, patient/family educational booklet on the signs of approaching death. It has been in print continuously since 1985 and has sold over 35 million copies world wide. With its publication and distribution, Barbara created one of the most important tools in the end of life movement today.  

Today's interview with writer/director/producer Stephen Z. Berkley touches on a vast spectrum of topics related to interdimensional communication, mediumship and bereavement, as addressed in his award-winning documentary, Life With Ghosts. 

While Stephen has worked in multiple capacities inside the media industry for more than 30 years, Life With Ghosts is his first fully self-produced feature film. The story idea came with the death of Stephen’s father, when shortly afterwards, his mother began reporting interactions with whom she believed to be Dad's ghost — a real-life Mrs. Muir situation… which naturally begs the question: Are ghosts a real phenomenon or are they merely symptomatic of profound grief? Life With Ghosts is the culmination of a seven-year investigation into the nature of love, loss and after-death communication and features three survivors' quests for answers.

For more about the film and Stephen's work, click HERE to view his recently-published TED talk, and visit the film's website at www.LifeWithGhosts.com

Ever since his 2015 TED talk, Christopher Kerr MD had rapidly risen to become a household name in the field of death and afterlife studies.  His background in research has evolved from bench science towards the human experience of illness as witnessed from the bedside, specifically patient’s dreams and visions at the end of life. The results of his studies generated enormous response in the non-medical community, both nationally and internationally, through coverage that has included the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Atlantic, BBC, Scientific American and Psychology Today.

Dr. Kerr has overseen the integration and expansion of palliative care into local hospitals and developed one of the nation’s largest home-based palliative care programs, Home Connections, and Essential Care for Children. He has lectured and published on innovative program models that are designed to better align patient/family services to the complexity of needs inherent to advanced illness. Learn more about Dr. Kerr at DrChristopherKerr.com.

Read Dr. Kerr's extraordinary research HERE.

He will be one of our honored speakers at the upcoming
CONFERENCE ON DEATH GRIEF AND BELIEF 
online August 24, 2024. 

Dr. Joshua Black is one of the presenters at our upcoming 2024 Conference on Death, Grief and Belief (online August 24, 2024).  His reasearch on the dreams of the bereaved provides a foundation for helping grieving individuals use new tools for processing loss.  

Dr. Black holds a MA and PhD in Psychology. He is a grief and bereavement researcher, speaker, educator, and host of the Grief Dreams podcast. His work focuses on dreams and continuing bonds after loss, including prenatal and pet loss. As one of the leading academic experts in grief dreams, which can be dreams of the deceased, Joshua has directed his efforts on raising awareness about this fascinating phenomenon through media interviews, including PBS Next Avenue, Los Angeles Times, CBC News, and Toronto Sun, in addition to speaking engagements and workshops. 

Dr. Black currently works as the Bereavement Initiative Manager for the BC Centre for Palliative Care, where he is leading grief and bereavement research. He also teaches psychology courses at the University of the Fraser Valley. His long-term research goals are to continue to serve and raise awareness of those who are bereaved and those who are not being provided the necessary grief support. 

Dr. Black lives on the unceded Stó:lō Territory known to settlers as the Fraser Valley and lower Fraser Canyon of British Columbia, Canada.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

How Grief Dreams Can Help You Heal

Attend Our 2024 Conference!
Online, Saturday August 24. 

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE.

We are very honored to have Professor Richard Groves with us today, and as part of our roster for the 2024 Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, which takes place ONLINE on August 24. 

Richard is an internationally respected teacher of the sacred art of living and dying. A chaplain for more than twenty five years, Richard speaks nine languages and has earned graduate degrees in theology, ethics, world religions and law. Richard and his wife, Mary, are the founders of the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend, Oregon.

More than 20,000 students around the world, including health care professionals, faith community leaders and the larger public, have graduated from the Groves’ spiritual education programs. Richard is co-author of The American Book of Living & Dying: Lessons in Healing Spiritual Pain, and the creator of The Anamcara Project, a first-of-its-kind internship in the sacred art of living and dying.

For more about Richard's work, visit
 https://sacredartofliving.org/about-our-programs/

Our August 24 conference:
https://deathgriefandbelief.com/2024-summer-dgb-conference/

TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AND STAY INFORMED ABOUT UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE. 

We are thrilled to have Dr. Shushan with us again this year. His body of work in the field of near-death studies is unrivaled  on near-death experience is unrivaled. 

He is a historian of religions, an award-winning author, and the leading authority on near-death experiences and the afterlife across cultures and throughout history. His books include The Next World: Extraordinary Experiences of the Afterlife, Near-Death Experiences in Indigenous Religions, and Near-Death Experience in Ancient Civilizations (coming soon from Inner Traditions). His forthcoming titles include The Historical Anthology of Near-Death Experiences, and Mind Dust and White Crows: The Psychical Research of William James (both as editor). 

Dr. Shushan is a Visiting Research Fellow at University of Winchester's Centre for Death, Religion and Culture; Adjunct Professor of Thantaology at Marian University; and Research Fellow of the Parapsychology Foundation. He was formerly Perrott-Warrick Researcher at University of Oxford's Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion;  Scholar-in Residence at the Centro Incontri Umani (The Cross Cultural Centre), Ascona, Switzerland; and Honorary Research Fellow at the Religious Experience Research Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He has lectured at universities in the UK, Ireland, and Switzerland and has given numerous talks on his research in nine countries, and has appeared on the History Channel.

Here's what leading scholars are saying about his work:

“Gregory Shushan has produced the most important scholarly work on near-death experiences in the last thirty years. He describes the process by which, despite regular attempts to marginalize its power, the NDE has been perhaps the most important shaper of religious creativity in human history. This is a journey and an argument as fascinating and as engrossing as the social history of mankind itself.” -- Allan Kellehear, Clinical Professor, University of Vermont.

“Near-Death Experience in Indigenous Religions is a tour de force.  By comparing recorded cases from North America, Africa, and Oceania, Shushan presents a compelling argument for the centrality of near-death experiences to the development of religious ideas across time and culture. Any future discussions of NDEs and the origins of religion will need to take Shushan’s major contribution into account.”  --
Fiona Bowie, Research Affiliate, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Oxford University; and founder of Afterlife Research Center

“Gregory Shushan’s new book provides a uniquely insightful and provocative analysis of near-death experiences that documents their formative influence on worldwide beliefs about an afterlife. His ethnological perspective results in a more comprehensive understanding of NDEs than a purely biological or psychological model can provide, and suggests that afterlife beliefs are rooted not in culture but in the universal human experience of NDEs. This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand NDEs and their role in society.” --
Bruce Greyson, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia.

READ MORE:
https://www.gregoryshushan.com/

Dr. Shushan will be presenting at our 2024 Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, online Saturday August 24, 2024.  DETAILS HERE   


TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AND STAY INFORMED ABOUT UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE. 

In support of our upcoming Summer 2024 Death, Grief and Belief Conference, one of our esteemed speakers, Dr. Ken Doka, spoke with us about two phenomena that often occur as death approaches... terminal lucidity and nearing-death awareness.


For an overview of Dr. Doka's stellar credentials, click HERE. 

TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AND STAY INFORMED ABOUT UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE. 

Ep. 439 Medical Aid in Dying: A Chaplain’s Perspective with Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel  
 
This episode aired on 1/22/24 on Dr. Karen Wyatt's
END OF LIFE UNIVERSITY podcast.

This episode includes:
 
. The history of medical aid in dying in Oregon
. How EOLCOR (End-of-Life Choices Oregon) assists people who want to utilize medical aid in dying
. The wide variations in hospice policies around medical aid in dying
. Dilemmas around communicating with family members who don’t support MAID
. How MAID differs from suicide and why we need to understand that difference
. A beautiful end-of-life ritual Terri created for a person utilizing MAID
. Why some chaplains feel conflicted about supporting medical aid in dying
. Religious objections to MAID
. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about MAID in some hospices
. Dementia directive for advance care planning

Recent Articles:
Ep. 438 How to Choose the Best Hospice for Your Loved One with Barbara Karnes RN
Ep. 437 Holding Space for Birth and Death with Amy Wright Glenn
BONUS: Casting Call for Docuseries on Grief with Kim Clevenger
Ep. 436 Highlights of 2023: The Best of the Best with Karen Wyatt MD
Ep. 435 Home Funerals as an Option After Death with Jerrigrace Lyons

TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AND STAY INFORMED ABOUT UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE. 

Dr. Deborah Aronson is a Philadelphia veterinarian who has a unqiue background for her work in end-of-life care for animals and grief support for the people that love them.  At one point in her career, after she'd had a private veterinary practice for several years, she trained as chaplain in a human hospital to develop her spiritual care skills. Observing the suffering of dying patients on life support created a stark contrast with the compassion we show to our pets when they face life-threatening illness or injury.

Deborah Aronson VMD, cVMA, has been working in small animal primary care since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. In 2008 she launched Final Blessings, a housecall euthanasia service specific to cats. She obtained certification in veterinary medical acupuncture in 2014, and then launched Main Line Veterinary Integrative Practice LLC, offering in-home palliative and end of life care for all small animals.

Deborah  has followed her passion in providing spiritual care by volunteering as a NOMV Lifeboat peer supporter and advocate, as well as intensive interfaith chaplaincy training in clinical pastoral education (CPE). 

TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AND STAY INFORMED ABOUT UPCOMING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND PODCAST EPISODES, CLICK HERE. 

CONTENT WARNING!

This conversation addresses bodily death and disposition, and contains graphic descriptions of what happens to a body during death, mortuary care, decomposition, cremation and more. If these topics are uncomfortable for you, listen with caution (or skip this episode). 

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Dr. Wyatt and Dr. Daniel talk with Michaelene Dowers, an Indiana-based funeral director who is licensed in seven states and teaches  courses in funeral services for death care professionals who seek guidance in culturally or socially sensitive decedent care.

With nearly a decade of experience as a funeral director in Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, Oregon, and Idaho, Michaelene is experienced at navigating the many variations in funeral service law and protocol found throughout the United States. 

She holds a  B.A. in religious studies from Grand Canyon University, an M.A. in emergency/crisis management from American Military University, and an M.A. in thanatology (study of death and dying, grief, loss and bereavement) from Marian University that will have conferred in Summer of 2023. Michaelene currently serves as an adjunct professor in the funeral service degree programs at Mid-America College of Funeral Service and at Arapahoe Community College in Denver, as well being a visiting lecturer in funeral service at other colleges nationwide.

LINKS OF INTEREST... 

Tales from the Lawn Crypt podcast: https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthelawncrypt/

Tales from the Lawn Crypt Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/talesfromthelawncrypt

Funeral Service Education:
https://www.instagram.com/quietus_bee

Contact Michaelene:
[email protected]