Death Nesting: The Heart-Centered Practices of a Death Doula

A practical and compassionate guide to physically, emotionally, and spiritually caring for the dying

- Shares practices for emotional soothing, breathing techniques to reduce anxiety and pain, ways to reduce stress during the active dying process, and techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals

- Explores ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level

- Presents self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for "things to do" when there is nothing to do, mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality, as well as guidance for talking with children about death and dying

- Winner of a 2020 Independent Publisher "IPPY" award

Just as we might prepare a nest for one about to give birth, so can we lovingly prepare a nest for one who is dying.

In this practical and compassionate guide, death doula educator Anne-Marie Keppel incorporates ancient and modern techniques, mindfulness practices, and herbal support to show how anyone can care for the dying, whether at home, in hospice, or even in the ICU. She demystifies the dying process by explaining what the body goes through during end of life and presents practices for emotional soothing and other ways to reduce stress and anxiety during the active dying process. The author provides techniques to physically care for the dying, including methods to assist bedridden individuals. She shares ceremony and energetic boundary guidelines, Reiki and ancestral support techniques, and herbal care for nourishing and healing on a spirit level.

Providing support for caregivers and loved ones as well, Anne-Marie explores self-care methods for moving with grief, ideas for "things to do" when there is nothing to do, and mindfulness practices for contemplating your own mortality. She also offers visualizations and techniques for talking with children about death and dying.

Sharing glimpses into the world of spirit to reveal the poignancy of the dying process, the author shows that death is a sacred rite of passage we all experience.

ISBN-13: 9781591434825

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company

Publication Date: 08-15-2023

Pages: 192

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Anne-Marie Keppel is a death doula educator and founder of the nonprofit Village Deathcare. A nurse assistant, Reiki Master, and lifelong meditator, she guides individuals transitioning out of life and assists families with the end-of-life journey. Experienced in home funerals, green burials, and psychedelic-assisted therapy, her work as a death doula has been published nationally in the Washington Times, on USNews.com, and in PULP Magazine. She won an Independent Publisher “IPPY” award in 2020. Anne-Marie delights in the joy of living with her family in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Karen Wyatt, M.D.

An Introduction to Death Nesting

About This Book




One

Beyond Advance Directives

Take Notes
More than Just Paperwork




Two

Preparing the Nest

Establishing the Protective Shell
Preparing the Inner Nest
Caregiving’s Inner Circle
Secret Nesting
Weathering Our Dying




Three

Dying Is a Sensory Experience

Hearing
Smell
Taste
Sight
Touch




Four

What the Physical Body Does during the Dying Process

Aches and Pains
Temperature
Breathing and Heart Rate
Eating, Digestion, and Elimination
Handwashing
Wound Care
Sponge Bathing
Moisturizing
Bedding and Lying in Bed
What to Pack in a Hospital Bag




Five

Mind, Spirit, and Emotion in the Dying Process

Suggestions for Mental Soothing
Psychedelics and Virtual Reality
Listening
Ancestor Comforts
Tying Together a Timeline
Sleep, Rest, and Separation
Time, Space, and Rhythm
Spiritual Support
Reiki for the Dying
A Time for Shrines


Six

Discomforts during Caregiving

Expressing the Very Difficult
Words Are Not Always What Is Needed
When What Is Happening Is Against Your Desires
What to Do When There Is Nothing to Do
Language Barriers in the Dying Process
Medical Aid in Dying
Coming Upon an Accident or Sudden Death


Seven

Talking with Children about Death and Dying

Tiny Deaths and Big Deaths
A Child’s Tool Kit
Pet and Animal Deaths




Eight

After the Last Breath

Home Funerals and Body Care
Should the Dead
Attend Their Own Funerals?
The Good Funeral
Herbs for Remembrance and Ceremony
Moving with Grief

Meditation for Dissolving into the Elements

Appendix: The Ancient and Modern Death Doula

Resources for Death, Dying, and Stretching Your Mind

About the Author

Index Show More