Ask A Death Doula

Big Ideas: The Definition of Forgiveness [1:29] – Forgiveness is not condoning or excusing someone else’s actions. We are all responsible for our actions. We have all done things we are not proud of – making mistakes is part of the human experience. The biggest thing you can do is take ownership of your mistakes and have the humility to ask for forgiveness. Chances are that you were doing the best you could with where you were and with what you had to work with at the time. It does not excuse your actions, but it does explain them. By looking at things from a higher perspective, we can then begin to heal them and let them go. Forgiveness is your key in this life’s journey for transformation and healing. Forgiveness is not condoning or excusing anyone’s behavior or actions, but rather, removing your energetic attachment to their behavior and actions.   The Energetic Cost of Anger and Resentment [5:00] – It takes a lot of energy to be angry and resentful towards other people. If someone hurt you in the pas

Big Ideas: What are Bedside Visitations [00:59] – Many times there is a space in the end of life where people who have died before “come back” to the bedside of the patient. I am told they return to help the other person cross over to the other side. In the Doulagivers Training, we have a section called, “Indications that Someone is Headed into the Transition Phase.” One of these common indications is that the patient will see loved ones that have died already or even Angelic Figures at the bedside. In my experience, having worked with over one thousand people at the end of life from all different backgrounds, cultures, and religions - people are most often visited by a loved one or family member that has died before them. Not everyone will have this experience or share with you that they had it. It was reported recently that Betty White’s last word before she passed away was, “Allen.” This is the name of her deceased husband and is a great example of what we’re talking about here.   How does it happen,

Big Ideas: Defining Dementia and Alzheimer’s [1:35] - Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with functions of daily living. Alzheimer’s disease is a mental decline that shows up first as loss of memory function and is a form of Dementia. Brain lesions, called amyloid plaques, accumulate causing a declining ability to cope as brain cells die. It is a neurodegenerative disorder. People can live an average of 7 to14 years after the initial diagnosis. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. It is the most common form of dementia among older people. Approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer from this disease, which usually begins after age 60. Alzheimer’s disease cannot be cured and is a tremendous burden on caregivers. It is 24/7 care psychologically, physically, and economically. The world population is aging rapidly and there will be more of a prevalence of chronic disease issues as a result – both cognitive and physical. The averag

Big Ideas: There are two different types of pain [1:49] – Both types of pain require different treatments to control. Somatic pain is the most common type that requires narcotic medication to treat. Nerve pain is the second type of pain. Narcotic medication does not work in the treatment of nerve pain, and it is often missed. Nerve pain requires nerve medication – gabapentin (also known as Neurontin) is the most common medication used for never pain management. Stabbing or burning pain, often localized in the feet and head is indicative of nerve pain. Quality of life for patients is directly related to pain management.   The Hospice Comfort Kit [7:30] – Hospice provides a comfort kit for family caregivers filled with the most common medications used at the end of life to manage pain, breathing difficulties, and other common causes of discomfort. Have this comfort kit within 24 hours of the patient being placed on Hospice. If you encounter a need for medication to address pain or breathing issues and you

How to Follow your Highest Guidance System Big Ideas: How I Was Guided to Hospice [3:35] - I was raised in a medical family and always liked helping others as a child, so a career in nursing felt like a great fit for me as an adult. I was working in the hospital and kept hearing this calling and having this feeling that I belonged at Hospice. I had no professional or personal background with end-of-life care at the time – I knew nothing about it. I left a job with better pay, better benefits, and better hours as a single mother to follow my calling. I just decided to trust it. My first day visiting Hospice patients I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be, and that one choice has led me on such a beautiful and profound journey in my life.   We Are Holistic Beings [6:10] – There are four bodies of energy that make up who you are as a person. Nurturing these parts of yourself will allow you to reach balance in your life. There are the physical body of energy, the mental body of energy, the emotional b

Hypnotherapist, Certified Death Doula and Author Roger Moore joins me on this episode…   Roger joins me on the podcast to teach you, how to create a future greater than your past.    In this episode, Roger beautifully explains how everyone can powerfully and simply shift how you think to heal past wounds and let go of pain, guilt, and anger.   Imagine being able to have your future be ANYTHING you want it to be. So go ahead and dive into this inspiring interview with Roger Moore. You’ll walk away from our conversation with:   Understanding how death education and awareness is our greatest teacher about how to live.   How forgiveness is the path to freedom.   Techniques to help free you from anxiety and live in the present moment.   Here’s to the greatest expression of yourself showing up every day!   Here’s a glance at this episode… Big Ideas   The Impact that Hypnosis and our Thoughts have on Illness [6:00] People don’t come to Roger at the end of life looking for a cure to their dise

in this episode of ask a death doula, I will be talking about one of my favorite subjects the spiritual body of energy and death. It has always amazed me from the time that I was a very young Hospice nurse the universal language of death, the common themes that would reoccur with my patience from all different cultural backgrounds and religious backgrounds. I would be seeing many of the same things and they would say many of the same things as they headed towards the end of life. This universal language of death brought me great comfort, healing, an inspiration. I hope that it does the same for you. We know that death is the number one fear in this world at this moment and I ask you this- does it need to be? Or can death be the greatest teacher that we have about learning how to truly live? In this podcast I will talk to you about what I have seen at the end of life what my patients have said, and I hope that you too find great comfort healing and inspiration that is there for us all in this space.

Jane Whitlock is the new Integrative Care Specialist/End of Life Doula at Providence Place Senior Living (Minneapolis, MN) Jane will be working with the folks on hospice as well as other residents in need of her services. As an end of life doula, she specializes in talking with people about their fears, and hopes as they face their deaths. In addition, she will be offering integrative therapies such as essential oils, hand and foot massage and guided imagery to all. Previously, she was a middle school teacher, hospice volunteer, CNA, and death educator. Welcome to the team, Jane! Jane Whitlock BIO: I am a trained end-of-life doula through Doulagivers out of NYC with Suzanne O’Brien. I am also a trained CNA (certified nursing assistant).I provide practical guidance and support for individuals and families during the end-of-life process. My work nicely dovetails with the work of hospice. I became an end of life doula after taking care of my husband who died after a 4 month illness with kidney cancer. I

Today on the Ask a Death Doula Podcast, I am speaking with Y4T Founder Lisa Danylchuk!! Lisa is a heart centered caring individual that has used her own personal story and journey to create a platform to help others. Get ready to me inspired by this woman and her work. Lisa Danylchuk is a LMFT, E-RYT is an author, licensed psychotherapist, and founder of the Center for Yoga and Trauma Recovery. A graduate of UCLA and Harvard University, her work has pioneered the field of trauma-informed yoga and transformed our understanding of embodiment practices in therapeutic work. More than 300 providers from 25+ countries have completed Lisa’s Yoga for Trauma (Y4T) Online Training Program, the first virtual program to train providers offering yoga for trauma recovery. She serves on the Board and as UN Committee Co-Chair for the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, was elected to the role of Secretary in 2018 and was nominated President-Elect in 2020. She’s written for publications like Go

Get your Grief Guide at www.doulagivers.com/grief Jennifer O'Brien www.hospicedrswidow.com/about In this episode of Ask A Doulagiver, I have the pleasure of speaking with Author of The Hospice Doctor’s Widow Jennifer O'Brien. Jennifer O’Brien has helped thousands live and love more fully by recognizing that: at the end of life comes death; family caregiving is both the hardest job and the greatest honor most of us will ever face; and grief is abundant love with no place to go. She is the author of The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal, an art journal filled with beauty, practical insights, humor, and heart. The book has won a Nautilus silver award in the Death & Dying/Grief & Loss category, a Next Gen Indie Book gold for Relationships, and an Independent Publishers (IPPY) bronze for Gift. For more than 30 years she has been a practice management consultant to physicians and served as CEO for two large medical practices. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree in

In this episode of "Ask a Death Doula" I will be covering What is a Death Doula and the Top 7 Questions Answered.    You Will Learn:   1) What is a Death Doula? 2) What do Death Doulas do? 3) What Holistic support do Death Doulas provide? 4) Are there National Initiatives in place for the Death Doula Practice? 5) If I have a Death Doula, do I still need Hospice? 6) What is the projection for the Death Doula Profession in the future? 7) How do I become a Death Doula?     Links Mentioned in This Episode:   1) International Doulagivers Institute   2) NHPCO End of Life Doula Council   3) NEDA   4) Free Level 1 End of Life Doula Training  

For more information go to www.doulagivers.com.

Behind the Scenes of the Death Doula Global Summit

In this episode of Ask a Death Doula, I will be having a discussion with Dr Karen Wyatt on all the beautiful things we have learned working with those at the end of life. Their wisdom is priceless. We will also share the training we are hosting together. Please click the link below for registration details. xo Suzanne "How to be Resilient in Difficult Times" with Dr Karen Wyatt and Suzanne B. O'Brien RN Dr Karen Wyatt and Suzanne B. O'Brien RN Dr. Karen Wyatt of End of Life University and Suzanne B. O'Brien RN founder of International Doulagivers Institute have joined together to offer their combined years of bedside experiences and wisdom working with those at the end of life in an empowering and progressive new webinar series! Top Lessons Learned from Those at The End of Life: How to be Resilient in Difficult Times will uncover the truth of what lifes' journey is really all about and offer ways that we can access the deeper meaning through experiential exercises. https://www.doulagiversinstitute.com/course

In this segment of Ask a Death Doula's O Mag Insiders Series, I have the fortune to interview the magnetic Amy Boyle. Amy Boyle is the Founder of the 52 Phenomenal Women Project and has been a Brand Ambassador with O, the Oprah Magazine since 2017! A photographer for more than 20 years, Amy graduated from Northwestern University where she received a dual degree in art history and marketing. Her work has been published internationally and includes portrait, theater, PR, as well as fine art photography. Enjoy this interview with this inspiring woman. xo Suzanne You can catch up with Amy Here: Project: https://www.52phenomenalwomen.com/ #52PWP Work: http://www.amyboylephotography.com/ Social: @amyboylephoto Email: amy@amyboylephoto.com  

Death Doulas and Hospice Working Together to Provide the Best Possible Care! In This episode of "Ask a Death Doula" I am speaking with Lynda Anello who is the Community Liaison for Vitas Healthcare. Today we explore the beautiful holistic work of hospice and how Death Doulas are a wonderful support to the present day hospice team. xo Suzanne B. O'Brien RN  

In this Interview of Ask a Death Doula, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Karen Wyatt! Dr. Karen Wyatt is the bestselling author of the books The Tao of Death and 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, which contains stories of patients she cared for as a hospice doctor and the spiritual lessons she learned from them at the end of their lives. Dr. Wyatt also hosts End-of-Life University Podcast, which features conversations with experts who work in all aspects of end-of-life care. She is widely regarded as a thought-leader in the effort to transform the way we care for our dying in the U.S. In addition, she is valued for her application of spiritual principles to illness and healthcare and teaches that in order to live life fully we must each overcome our fear of death and embrace the difficulties that life brings us. Website: https://www.eoluniversity.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eoluniversity/ Twitter: @spiritualmd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwyattmd/  

On this episode of "Ask a Death Doula", I have the great pleasure of interviewing Barbara Karnes RN. Enjoy this lively discussion from this expert about "Pain at End of Life" - the title of her latest educational booklet. Barbara has insights and wisdom that every person can benefit from.   Barbara Karnes, RN, is an internationally recognized author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end of life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara was recognized in 2018 as a Hospice Innovator by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and was named the 2015 International Humanitarian Woman of the Year by the World Humanitarian Awards. Barbara’s experience as a hospice care provider at the bedside of hundreds of people, and as an administrator overseeing the care of thousands, led to the 1985 publication of Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience. Affectionately referred to in the industry as the “little blue hospice book,” Gone from My Sight has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, is published in

On Today's episode of Ask a Death Doula, my guest is Justin M. Yopp, PhD,. Justin Yopp is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a member of UNC’s Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, Dr. Yopp offers psychotherapy, assessment, and consult-liaison services for both pediatric oncology and adult oncology populations at the N.C. Cancer Hospital. Dr. Yopp also co-leads the Widowed Parent Program (www.widowedparent.org), which offers support groups for parents who have lost a spouse or partner and are raising children on their own and conducts research to support grieving families. He co-authored The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life (Oxford Press), which weaves together contemporary thinking on grief, adaptation and resiliency with the true story of the men from their first support group. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC, Dr. Yopp served as a psychologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. links me

On this episode of Ask a Death Doula, My guest is Michael Hebb. Michael is the founder of Death Over Dinner and author of the book Let’s Talk About Death (Over Dinner.) He will share how the early illness and subsequent death of his father led him on a path to seek answers to life at just a tender age of 13. It is no wonder that he has accomplished so much inspiring work in this sacred space. In this episode, he will discuss the value of conversation at the dinner table and particularly for discussing difficult topics like death. We learn how Death Over Dinner now includes death dinners for healthcare providers. Michael also shares information about the upcoming event Love and Death, which will take place April, 2020 in Seattle, WA.The Love and Death Conference is bringing together the most poignant and inspired thought leaders in relationships, love, aging, death and dying to create a beautiful opportunity to explore what makes us human. Links Mentioned in this show: • Death Over Dinner Website : https://d