Living Fully within the Continuum
Life, end-of-life, grief, and transition
{ Counsel • Advocacy • Education • Companionship • Planning • Legacy/Celebration }
Death Doula (Life, End-of-Life, Death, and Grief Advocate and Companion)
Addison County, Vermont
Living Well, Dying Well, Grieving Completely
Being a Death Doula is not about death—completely: it is about living and listening. It invites holistic support (family, friends, community) in witnessing the essence, quality, and totally of one’s being and “story.” Personal, social, spiritual, and legacy-based truths are understood—so that a more deeply meaningful life, end-of-life, death, ritual/celebration, continued reverence, and wellbeing unfurls.
So much is about relationship and respect.
As a Doula, I offer educational, emotional, spiritual, creative, and social support to individuals and families with the objective of living, preparing, dying, and grieving with conscious awareness. I understand laws and options. With this, we participate fully—and the grounded, creative, and personal outcome can be powerful, healing, and rewarding.
Shifting the Paradigm
Death Doula is a term that scares people: often, they think of the “grim reaper” and are repelled. My hope is to shift that paradigm from aversion to a deeper understanding of continuum in the threads, fiber, and weaving of a life lived fully and completely. When we understand death as a part of our being, we are whole.
When we are able to adapt perspective and grasp the continuity, we often shed fears and embrace, honor, and celebrate. We live well, prepare well, die well, and grieve. We transition.
Living is not a solitary experience—for most of us. Instead, it is familial, within community, and connected. Our experiences and personalities are tangible. If we recognize this, we are aware, compassionate, present, committed, respectful and potentially devout.
Death Doulas (or end-of-life Doulas) provide non-medical, holistic support to dying individuals and their families, focusing on emotional, spiritual, and logistical needs. They fill care gaps left by medicalized, fast-paced hospice systems, offering, companionship, vigil sitting, legacy planning, and community-centered care to ensure a more personalized, dignified death process.
— (Google AI)
Key ideas...
• Listening
• Patience and time
• Wishes and fears
• Education
• Preparedness
• Companioning
• Compassion
• Planning, organizing
• Celebrating, honoring
• Creative exploration
• Comfort
• Community
• Legacy building
• Transitioning
• Shifting stigma
• Honoring regret
• Intentionality, mindfulness
Living Fully, Dying Well, Grieving Completely
Wholly Beautifully Being
I do not work alone. Many doulas work with and in community, helping families manage and have relationship with life, death, and grief —as a natural part of life. If working with hospice and palliative care providers, I offer different forms of support (potentially helping to create end-of-life and celebration plans and events; or providing spiritual, psychological, and social support before and after death).
It’s all about honoring, supporting, providing, and listening: a way of life and passage that once was common, and now often seems new.
(Remote consultation available.)
