Tag: music

EOLPodcast

Ep. 388 A Song for You: Personalized Songs for Hospice Patients with Emily Cavanagh

kwyattmd

Learn about an initiative to provide hospice patients with songs written specifically for them about their lives and stories.

My guest Emily Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter based in New York City who performs in places like New York, Chicago and Dublin. She has made a career for herself as a singer at the intersection of music and service as she brings music to marginalized communities. She is the founder of the music initiative A Song for You, which features local, touring, and Grammy Award-winning songwriters who compose and perform original personalized songs for hospice patients and their families. She will discuss the inspiration behind A Song for You and how this work has benefitted both the recipients and the creators of these special songs. Learn more at her websites:

www.emilycavanaghmusic.com

www.hereisasongforyou.org

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Emily got started in social work, activism and music
  • What inspired her to create A Song for You
  • The first song Emily wrote for a patient
  • How she writes songs for total strangers
  • How A Song for You has grown over time
  • The process for applying to have a song written for someone
  • How patients, families and songwriters have benefitted from sharing this special music
  • How to support A Song for You and its mission

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Lucy Karl and Amrita Dhanji, and also to Karen Friedmann for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 219 Rituals for Letting Go with Gia George

kwyattmd

Learn why and how to create rituals to deal with the normal losses of life.

PodcastGeorge

My very special guest for this episode is my beautiful daughter Gia George, who is a singer-songwriter, yoga and meditation teacher, sound and energy healer, and spiritual teacher. As part of her work in the world she creates ceremonies for people going through life’s transitions, including channeling music for those experiencing loss. We discuss our own losses, the need for rituals, and how to a craft a ceremony capable of holding our grief. Learn more at her website:

www.DivinelyGia.com

Listen here:

 

This episode includes:

  • How rituals can help us let go and “cross the bridge” into a new life
  • “Grief-cleaning” and how it can help us open to our pain
  • A spontaneous ritual for leaving and letting go of the past using gratitude and mandala-making
  • Why we can’t rush into letting-go rituals
  • Why rituals can be valuable even many years after a loss and how to create one
  • The balance between holding on and letting go
  • The things that weigh us down can prevent our creativity
  • A ritual can be an accessible container for our grief process
  • The power of music in rituals

Mantra for letting go: There will come a time to leave, but I will never stop loving you.

-Gia George

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, your contributions mean everything to me!

End of Life, EOLPodcast, Spirituality

Ep. 210 The Dance of Life and Death – Part 3: Rhythm

kwyattmd

PodcastRhythm

In this 4-part series of solo episodes I’m sharing wisdom about the intertwining of life and death in a perfect dance that spirals throughout eternity. Today I talk about rhythm, which is an essential element of any dance. Learn how the rhythm of nature and the universe includes both stillness and motion, waiting and movement, and how we can find peace and hope by surrendering to this rhythm as it unfolds in the moment. These thoughts are derived from my book: What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying.

Get the book here.

Listen here:

 

Art of Dying Author Series_ September 6, 2019 7-8_30 pm

I hope you can join me in New York City at the Open Center for this event and my workshop on September 6th and 7th!!

Learn more here.

 

This episode includes:

  • Why it’s important that rhythm contains both stillness and movement, whether in dance, music, or the written word
  • The power of the liminal space of waiting for an uncertain outcome
  • Why spiritual growth requires learning how to return to the rhythm of nature and the universe
  • How to surrender to the natural rhythm of living and dying and why it benefits us
  • How we can discover our connection to every other being on the planet when we remain in rhythm and open to synchronicity

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.

-Bruce Barton

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patrons, Colleen Shea and Mary V. Jensen–your contributions mean  everything to me!

 

EOLPodcast, Hospice

Ep. 188 Nurturing the Heart of Hospice: Tools for the Workplace with Brenda Clarkson RN

kwyattmd

Learn how administrators and managers can better support their staff in providing heart-based care to hospice patients. 

PodcastClarkson

My guest Brenda Clarkson, with over 40 years of nursing experience in hospice, truly understands the mystery that surrounds the dying process and how best to support patients and hospice staff as they journey together through the end-of-life experience. She shares her model for returning to the roots of excellent hospice care while navigating today’s regulatory challenges as outlined in her book “The Heart of Hospice: Core Competencies for Reclaiming the Mystery.” Contact Brenda at:

bclarkson@virginiahospices.org

heartofhospicecover

Get the book here.

Listen here:

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Registration is now open for the 8-week online course Spiritual Journeys in Chronic Illness. Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel and I will be co-teaching the class, which is offered by the Applied Wisdom Institute in partnership with the University of Redlands. CEU’s will be available! Learn more here.

Mark your calendars now for the event of the year!!! Announcing the Beautiful Dying Expo, which will be held in San Diego CA on November 2-3, 2019. I’ll be there as a facilitator for the event and registration is open now for workshop presenters, vendors, sponsors, authors, filmmakers. Go to www.beautifuldyingexpo.com to learn more. Contact Michele Little at info@beautifuldyingexpo.com if you are interested in being a presenter.

This interview includes:

  • Why honoring “the mystery” of dying and death is important
  • How the modern hospice movement has strayed from from the original heart of patient care
  • A new “mystery model” of hospice care that overcomes some of the challenges faced by hospices today
  • Core competencies of the hospice staff
  • The 4 phases of growth experienced by hospice workers
  • How to decrease the turnover rate of hospice workers
  • Tools for administrators and managers to choose the best staff for hospice work and support them emotionally and spiritually

Links mentioned in this episode:

PatreonMugShot

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new Patron, Martha Turner!!

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 167 Music Thanatology and Integrative Thanatology Training with Catharine DeLong

kwyattmd

PodcastDelong

 

 

CatharineDeLongIn this episode I have a conversation with Catharine DeLong about her work as a music thanatologist. We also discuss the Integrative Thanatology Certificate Program being offered by the Art of Dying Institute of the New York Open Center. If you are interested in the training which begins on January 4, 2019, register before Dec. 1st to get the discounted early-bird rate.

Learn more and sign up here:

https://www.opencenter.org/art-of-dying-intergrative-thanatology

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Patreonbecome2xTHANK YOU to my latest supporter on Patreon.com/eolu: Licha Kelley-King! I appreciate all of you who have been making monthly donations to keep this show on the air. If you want to join the team and receive special bonuses click here to learn more: Patreon.com/eolu.

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Today Catharine DeLong joins me to talk about her field of Music Thanatology and the Integrative Thanatology Certificate Program. We discuss:

  • What is “music thanatology”
  • The benefits of music thanatology for dying patients and their loved ones
  • How to use music in end-of-life situations when a music thanatologist is not available
  • The structure of the Integrative Thanatology Certificate Program offered by the Art of Dying Institute at the New York Open Center
  • Who the certificate program is for
  • Faculty members who will be teaching in 2019
  • How to register and get the “early-bird” rate for the program

Click here to learn more about the Certificate Program.

Tune in every Monday for a new episode of this podcast. If you enjoy this content please share it with others who might be interested and consider leaving a review on iTunes.

Until next time …

Face Your Fear          BE Ready           Love Your Life

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End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 158 How to Create an End-of-Life Vision Board

kwyattmd

Learn how making a Vision Board that focuses on the end of life can help ease fear and negative thoughts about death and dying.

PodcastVBoard

 

 

visionboard2In this episode I share a tutorial on how to make a vision board for your own end of life. This is a fun project that can be done in a group.

Download the handout for this episode:

How to Create an EOL Vision Board

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

WRM@flatcover

This episode is sponsored by my book What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying. This book focuses on the spiritual lessons I learned from my dying patients and how they changed my life!

Get the book here.

Get the audiobook for free by signing up for Audible!

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Get the handout: How to Create an EOL Vision Board

This tutorial includes:

  • What vision boards are and how they are helpful
  • How visualization works to prepare us for a future activity
  • The negativity bias of the brain
  • Why positive images of the end of life are needed to overcome negativity
  • How beautiful pictures create calmness and relaxation by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system
  • Why creating an end-of-life vision board can help ease fear of death
  • Step-by-step instructions for making a vision board
  • How to write goals for your board
  • Following up your vision board with specific action steps

View my Pinterest EOL Vision Board!

Tune in next Monday for another new episode! If you enjoy this content please share with others who might find it helpful and consider leaving a review on iTunes.

Until next week:

Face Your Fear           BE Ready           Love Your Life

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End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 147 Green Burial: A Will for the Woods with Amy Browne and Brian Wilson

kwyattmd

Learn about a beautiful documentary film that you can include in a community workshop on home funerals and green burial.

PodcastBrowneWilson

WillWoodsTeamIn this episode I share a “legacy interview” with two of the directors of the documentary film “A Will for the Woods” – Amy Browne and Brian Wilson. This is one of my favorite films and I encourage you to consider bringing it to your community for a screening and discussion about home funerals and green burial.

Learn more about the film here. 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sign up for A Year of Reading Dangerously online reading group for 2018 here.

Patreonbecome2xThis episode is sponsored by my supporters on Patreon.com/eolu. Thank you today to Holly Randall for increasing your monthly pledge! I appreciate all of the donors who have been chipping in over the past year-and-a-half to keep this podcast on the air! You can join the team for as little as $1 per month at Patreon.com/eolu.

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Filmmakers Amy Browne and Brian Wilson  discuss their award-winning film, A Will for the Woods, the story of a man near the end of his life who prepares for his own green burial. This film has been named “One of the 9 documentaries you must see this year” by the TED blog and has won numerous awards at film festivals around the country. In this interview you will learn:

  • what inspired 4 young filmmakers to spend 4 years filming this end-of-life journey
  • what the movie teaches us about death and burial customs
  • how this film can change the funeral industry
  • how to plan your own green burial and create a “green will”

Co-Director/Producer, Amy Browne, grew up in Australia and moved to New York City to study theater at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and film at The New School University. Her film credits include Associate Producer for Crazy & Thief (LA Film Festival 2012) and I Used to be Darker (Sundance 2013), as well as work on The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (Berlinale & Tribeca 2011). She also recently commenced work as the Producer on upcoming documentary As Worlds Divide. When her sister Sophie introduced her to the concept of green burial, which connects the profundity and beauty of nature with the cycle of death and life, Amy was inspired to further explore the idea through film.

Co-director/Editor, Brian Wilson, graduated from Brown University with a degree in Comparative Literature and History, and works as an editor in New York. Passionate about the natural world and its protection and restoration, he is pleased to be exploring and raising awareness about green burial with A Will for the Woods. He became interested in developing deeper insight into death after his mother died in 2008, and has been grateful to find it through working on this project, which he hopes will offer similar comfort and understanding to many viewers.

Website: www.awillforthewoods.com 

Remember there’s a new episode every Monday! If you enjoy this content please consider leaving a review on iTunes. Until next week –

Face Your Fear          BE Ready          Love Your Life

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End of Life, EOLPodcast, Grief

Ep. 124 Graceful Passages: The Healing Power of Music with Gary Malkin

kwyattmd

Learn from this Emmy-award winning composer how music is a form of “energy medicine” that can transform grief and the end-of-life experience.

PodcastMalkin

ALMalkincroppedIn this episode I share an interview with Gary Malkin, composer of the music for “Graceful Passages,” a CD used in hospices around the world to comfort the dying. Gary will discuss how music has the potential to heal on a physical, emotional and spiritual level and why healthcare should include the arts in the future.

Learn more at http://www.wisdomoftheworld.com

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

A Year of Reading

You can still sign up for A Year of Reading Dangerously and join our online reading group. For the month of January 2018 we are reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Sign up below to receive email notifications each month and to join our stimulating conversation on Facebook and by live conference call.

https://mailchi.mp/karenwyattmd/yearofreading

Patreonbecome2xAs always, support for this podcast comes from my donation page at Patreon.com/eolu. Thank you to all of my current donors who are helping to keep this show and the End-of-Life University Interview Series on the air. Special thanks this week goes to Laurie Dinerstein-Kurs for increasing her pledge to the Platinum level! If you’d like to contribute (as little as $1 per month) go to Patreon.com/eolu to learn more.

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

This week I welcome Emmy winning composer Gary Malkin to talk about his CD for end-of-life transitions: Graceful Passages.

Key takeaways from this interview include:

  • How Gary composed the music for Graceful Passages and where the inspiration came from
  • How music can be used as a tool that calls people to be fully present and can be very helpful in end-of-life scenarios
  • Why music is helpful in times of grief
  • Why we should look for music that is “life-enhancing” or “positive intention” to have a soothing effect and create a response of relaxation
  • Science is documenting that music and other art forms can increase heart coherence, cause the release of oxytocin (the “love hormone”) and enhance immune function
  • Why periods of silence are important and how deep breathing and soft toning can help bridge the fear of silence

Thanks for tuning in! You’ll find a new episode every Monday so be sure to come back. Leave a review on iTunes if you enjoy this kind of content!

Until next week remember:

Face Your Fear           BE Ready             Love Your Life

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