spirituality of death – End of Life University

Learn some of the positive developments around end-of-life issues that took place in 2022.

This is the last episode of 2022 and I’m sharing some of the best “good news” stories I’ve seen this year about progress we’ve made around care at the end of life. Every month I curate end-of-life news stories for my supporters on Patreon and I’ve made note of some encouraging developments that I present to you today. Watch this on YouTube if you’d like to see slides or enjoy listening to the audio. Meanwhile, farewell to 2022 and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death calls for a global paradigm shift on death and dying
NHPCO works to improve equity in death and dying and decrease racial disparities in care
Studies document inequities in end-of-life care
Plan to train community workers to do outreach in underserved areas
Recognizing the emotional and spiritual aspects of the dying process
Federal legislation to create a national strategy on grief and to expand advance care planning
Studies on caregiver stress and model for paying family caregivers
Best and worst places to die in the US
Studies on use of psychedelics to decrease anxiety at end of life
Virtual reality similar to psilocybin in reducing anxiety
“Death Tech” and media coverage of death both on the rise
Human composting now legal in 5 states

Links mentioned in this episode:

Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

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 and to those who have made a donation through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast, mortal wisdom, Spirituality

Ep. 284 The Hero’s Journey at the End of Life

February 1, 2021January 31, 2021 kwyattmd

Learn what the Hero’s Journey can teach us about the dying process and how to support someone on that journey.

In this solo episode I share some thoughts about the archetypal Hero’s Journey, conceived by Joseph Campbell as a template for the transformative experiences of our own lives and those who are facing the end of life. Each of us has the opportunity to be a mentor for someone who is going through the ordeal of their own hero’s journey and this model can help us understand how to offer support and what is needed from us. Download a one page handout at the link below:

Heros-Journey Download

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Why the archetypal Hero’s Journey applies to people at the end of life
Why things generally have to fall apart before transformation can occur
How dissolution of life’s equilibrium can lead to either transformation or regression
The importance of a mentor for people experiencing the sacred end-of-life journey
The most important tasks of the end-of-life hero’s journey
- Reframing Suffering
- Strengthening Connections
- Finding Meaning
- Facing Fear of Death
How unaddressed shadow issues can sabotage transformation at the end of life
The benefits of stories as tools for a mentor
How to utilize stories to assist with transformation

Links mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

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! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast, mortal wisdom, Spirituality

Ep. 197 How Grief Unites Us to Stand Together in Love

June 3, 2019June 2, 2019 kwyattmd

Learn how to use grief and loss to build bridges with others.

In this solo episode I talk about one of the key Mortal Wisdom lessons I’ve learned; everyone is grieving over something and grief can be a factor that unites us. This message is essential today as we face polarization and divisiveness that threaten to tear apart our society. I’ll discuss how to use our own grief to build a bridge toward others who are different from us.

Listen here.

This episode includes:

Why we need to stand together right now
How our grief unites us with others
What wisdom traditions teach about grief
Grief opens the heart to carry more love
How to utilize grief as a bridge to others:
- Embrace your own grief and carry it lightly
- Notice signs of mourning and grief wherever you go
- Remember that everyone you meet has suffered loss and pain
- Before judging another acknowledge that person’s suffering
- Have conversations about grief and loss with those you conflict with
- Find harmony with others
- Share love rather than hatred
Beware of “dark forces” that are trying to use our differences to fragment society; find commonality in our grief to heal the wounds of the planet and our communities

Forget the nonsense of there and here, race, nation, religion, starting point and destination. You are Soul and you are love. … Love is the bridge between you and everything.

-Rumi

Links mentioned in this episode:

Mortal Wisdom Series
Beautiful Dying Expo – Nov. 2-3, 2019 – San Diego CA
Spiritual Journeys in Chronic Illness Course – starts July 9th
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it)

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: Diane Button!

EOLPodcast, mortal wisdom, Spirituality

Ep. 195 Why Death is Life’s Best-Kept Secret

May 20, 2019June 1, 2019 kwyattmd

Learn how to live your best life by embracing your mortality.

In Part 8 of the Mortal Wisdom Series I’ll summarize the 7 lessons presented in the previous episodes and discuss the mindset we need to adopt in order to live fully and peacefully as mortal beings. Find out my tips and guideposts for living a death-aware life no matter what blessings or challenges we are given to navigate. Listen to Parts 1-6 first if you haven’t heard them yet!

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Why each day should be a “good day to die”
How to carry death with you at all times as your wise advisor
How all 7 lessons from mortality fit and flow together:
- Suffering
- Love
- Forgiveness
- Presence
- Purpose
- Surrender
- Impermanence
Why life is like an episode of “Chopped” cooking show: the “ingredients” life gives you are always a surprise and your task is to make something beautiful and delicious from them
5 tips for living a death-aware life each and every day

Nake nula waun: I am ready for whatever comes.

– Lakota Sioux battle cry

Links mentioned in this episode:

Mortal Wisdom Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7
Beautiful Dying Expo – Nov. 2-3, 2019 – San Diego CA
Spirituality and Chronic Illness Course – starts July 9th
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it)!

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: Jennifer Turner, Laura Sodders and Tom Johnson-Medland!