The process of death and dying is a spiritual event where the individual is faced with “letting go and surrendering into the unknown with an open heart”(Rosa & Hope, 2017, p.11). As a practitioner I will facilitate the process of letting go by holding sacred space, believing in subtle energy realms, utilizing self-reflection in times of discomfort, and supporting a conscious death when possible.
Sacred Space
Creating a space where the individual feels cherished and honored in their last days is important in my personal practice and is part of the recognition of the sacredness of death and dying. To honor the sacredness of this time I will provide a healing presence, provide therapeutic relationships, bring beauty into the setting through nature, and ensure cleanliness. Through the practices mentioned I will acknowledge the reverent, the sacred passage of life to the next stage of being that all human beings experience (Rosa & Hope, 2017).
Believing in subtle energy realms
Honoring the subtle energy realms (Rosa & Estes, 2016) around death and dying will also be an important part of my practice. Rosa and Estes discuss when someone is dying their spirit is in the process of moving from the physical realm to the spiritual realm. Being open to this transitional process will assist me in providing support during death and dying. I have felt the spiritual presence of individuals linger after they have died, and I believe there are different levels of consciousness that human beings experience.
Self-reflection
When I witness suffering during death and dying, I will practice self-reflection in order to be present to discomfort. I will ask myself if there is a spiritual evolution occurring or is there needless suffering? Rosa and Hope (2017) mention health care practitioners often medicate patients to such an extent during death and dying, that the patient is no longer conscious. However, not all suffering is bad. There are times a human being suffers, and they learn from the experience, and / or gain a new perspective from which they can move forward from (DiNapoli, Garcia-Dia, Garcia-Ona, O'Flaherty, & Siller, 2014). Therefore, allowing someone to transcend through a difficult experience could be beneficial. There are times when pain and / or suffering can be part of the individuals process of entering into a new energetic realm or “transcending” into a new state of being.
A Conscious Death
Tibetan Medicine teaches the best way to die is through a “conscious death” (Cameron, Namdul, 2020). A conscious death allows someone to say goodbye to their loved ones, experience the spiritual awakenings that may or may not occur, and the individual is able take care of any affairs in their life that are incomplete. Supporting a conscious process of death and dying, when possible, will be important to me as a practitioner so I can assist the individual to be present to what is occurring for them and what their needs are.
Self-Care Practice for Death and Dying
In order to care for myself when I am a witness to death and dying, I will keep in mind the Tibetan Medicine tradition of the Bardo (Cameron and Namdul, 2020, p.160). The Bardo is a time period where the soul is in a transitional state after it has left the body but has not yet been reborn. During this period of transition, loved ones pray and meditate in order to guide the soul from one realm to the next. As a practice, I will pray and meditate after I have witnessed death and dying to ease my own spirit and to assist the spirt of the individual who has died.
Conclusion
I will recognize all human beings contribute to a unified consciousness and in order to honor the time they have spent contributing their energy to the collective I will hold sacred space, practice self-reflection, and honor the unknown. None of us know what happens when we die, however it is not as important to know what happens next, as it is to be present to what is happening now. As Kateres and Rosa state “the journey is not about dying-it is about living and ensuring that quality of life, as defined by the patient, is optimized (2019, p. 492).
Cameron, M., Namdul, T. (2020). Tibetan medicine and you: A path to wellbeing, better health, and joy. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/umn/detail.action?docID=6012368.
DiNapoli, J. M., Garcia-Dia, M. J., Garcia-Ona, L., O'Flaherty, D., & Siller, J. (2014). Self-transcendence theory. In J. J. Fitzpatrick & G. McCarthy (Eds.), Theories guiding nursing research and practice: Making nursing knowledge development explicit (pp. 251–267). Springer Publishing Company.
Katseres, J., Rosa, W. (2019). Integrative nursing in palliative care and end of life. Integrative nursing second edition.
Rosa, W., Estes, T. (2016). What end-of-life care needs now. An emerging praxis of the sacred and subtle. Advances in nursing science.
Rosa, W., Hope, S. (2017).Pain and suffering at end of life: Birthing the sacred passage. Beginnings: american holistic nursing association.
Rosa, W., Estes, T., Watson, J., (2017)Caring Science Conscious Dying: An Emerging Metaparadigm Nursing Science Quarterly
Vol. 30(1) 58–64 sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0894318416680538 nsq.sagepub.com
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