If you’ve watched someone die who was unprepared or unsupported, you understand that hindsight only benefits survivors. With dying there are no do-overs. You only get one chance to die well.
How you die is part of your legacy. It’s your last story.
How you die will matter a lot to you. You don’t want to die in a way that strips away your dignity or violates your values. How you die will also matter deeply to those you love. You don’t want to leave your loved ones in conflict or feeling remorse because of the care you received while you were dying. For your own peace of mind and for the protection of your family, it’s important to write your directives now, while you’re clear-headed and healthy.
During the course of your Mindful Endings workshop, you’ll take time to explore professional research, learn from others’ experiences of death and dying, and contemplate what options align with your values. You’ll decide what medical interventions would enhance your life and which would extend your dying. You’ll have coaching support to engage in the conversations necessary to ensure that your wishes will be honored. You’ll conclude this process with documents that articulate your vision of a good death and a team of people ready and willing to advocate for your plan.
It’s a relief to make a firm commitment to get this work done well.
Life on earth is a fatal condition. Facing your inevitable death and making a proactive plan to manage that experience is freeing. Your life, and your death, will be profoundly impacted by discovering what a good death means to you. Writing well-considered advance directives is an invaluable act of self-care and, for those who will survive you, a priceless gift of love.
Objectives
- Define quality of life measures for yourself and discern what a good death means to you
- Explore medical interventions: Which are life enhancing? Which interventions extend dying?
- Thoughtfully choose your medical power of attorney
- Share end-of-life wishes with your significant people
- Consider medical aid in dying and the ethics of letting go
- Plan end-of-life care and support for yourself, those who care for you, and your survivors
- Articulate after-death wishes for your loved ones
- Understand end-of-life as a rich and important stage in human development
Which option is best for you?
Group Workshop (6-12 people)
- Invite an existing group to complete directives together: friends, neighbors, book groups, colleagues, relatives, members of your faith community or … (you get the idea)
- Join others who want to form a new group. New groups begin each month.
- Enjoy the accountability of a set timeline (9-week format)
- Leverage group experiences and expand your insight
- Group coaching
- Individual accountability
Personal Coaching
- For individuals
- For couples or small groups: spouses/life partners, siblings, friends, parent/adult child(ren)
- Negotiable timeline
- Flexible schedule
- Targeted discussions based on personal preferences
- Personal coaching
- Individual accountability