I believe death literacy is a human-making experience and important for each of us to develop. Dying is one of the universally shared experiences: each one of us will do it someday. Yet we collectively seem to know so little about how to die well and how to support others who are dying.
Fortunately, there are many people doing wonderful work to help us reclaim these necessary skills for mortals. Below are some resources I have found most useful in learning how to navigate the dying process, face our feelings about death, and support ourselves and others in their grief. I do a lot of research and learning on these topics and wanted to share some with you!
Below the resource list are a few downloads, including an open letter to anyone exploring becoming a death doula. I hear from a lot of folks who are interested in this work and want to hear from someone else who is on this path so I shared my thoughts and experiences.
Books
Websites
Books
Websites
Grief is a normal, human reaction to loss, including the death of someone in your life. You may want or need the support of a therapist to support you through your grief and I encourage you to seek that. If you need a skilled person to listen in a supportive, non-judgemental space, I can be a grief partner to you. Below are additional resources that may help you learn more about how to support yourself or others through your grief.
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Websites:
Below are a few resources I recommend if you are interested in learning more about how to support people at end-of-life. You can see more in my letter to those interested in becoming a death doula.
Books:
Organizations:
See below for a download of "Death Doula FAQs" an open letter I wrote to share with people who have reached out requesting to talk about becoming a death doula. This should answer most of the questions you have for me. If you have other questions, please let me know.
