Making Peace With Death & Dying

Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on Death and Impermanence

While I am not a Buddhist, I find the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death a source of great wisdom and potential liberation – particularly for those still under the influence of the death taboo in the west.  Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The…

The Dying and Death Series – Part 1: How Do You Relate to Death?

This is the first in a series of posts on the topic of death that will be published over the next several weeks. We don't do death well in this country which results in a lot of unnecessary suffering. Most of us do not talk about death and…

The Dying and Death Series – Part 2: Grief in the American Workplace

Can you imagine "getting over" the death of someone you love deeply in four days? That's the average paid leave given by American businesses according to "Grief Index: The 'Hidden' Annual Costs of Grief in America's Workplace." The truth is…

The Dying and Death Series – Part 3: Transforming the Culture of Death in America

"For most of human history, people died fast. Now suddenly, we have the opportunity to grow old, to have an illness for a long period of time, and to know what's coming. We could make this an important phase of life." -- Joanne Lynn, M.D., "Americans…

The Dying and Death Series – Part 4: Keys for Making Peace With Death

There are those among us who are leading the way in demonstrating how to break free of society's taboo around death. While most of us might be likely to awkwardly say "your color looks good today" to a dying loved one, someone who has made peace…
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7 Tips for Talking About Health and Money With Elderly Parents

Not since your conversation about the birds and the bees have you and your parents faced such a difficult conversation. Sooner or later, adult children and their elderly parents need to talk about the parents' medical, financial and legal affairs.…

Understanding Grief: Mourning In A Healthier Way

It is true that there are stages to grief, though no two people grieve in exactly the same way. However, something has been missing in our understanding of grief that offers an opportunity for many of us to lessen our pain and suffering when…
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8 Guidelines for Communicating With Doctors

When going to a doctor's appointment, just showing up is not enough. There are things you can do to support yourself in getting maximum value from the visit. Many people see doctors as experts who are going to fix them and therefore give over…

The Importance of End-of-Life Preparation

We live in a society that has an enormous taboo against thinking about and talking about death. Yet there is a 100 percent probability that each of us will die. For the 80 percent who do not put their affairs in order, their loved ones will…

Why We Need to Talk About Death and Dying

Both individually and collectively, we are paying an enormous emotional and financial price for being silenced by our society's taboo against talking about death and dying. Other societies educate their members about the reality of death and…

End of Life posts:

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