Since you've looked at this review, 10 persons have died worldwide, on the average of 1.76 persons per second, to be precise. For every 1000 persons alive today, 8 will die within the next year. If you live in a midsize American town, that means an average of 3.5 deaths per day. In metropolitan areas the size of Boston, Denver, and Seattle, the daily mortality rate rises to almost 40 persons. In North America, accidental or sudden catastrophic illness accounts for only about 20 percent of all fatalities — 80 percent of Americans die in bed. The majority of us will die a natural death due to long-term disease or the aging process.
These statistics are on the opening page of this fine resource for nonprofessional caretakers who want a toolkit for serving a dying relative or friend. Richard F. Groves is an internationally respected teacher of the sacred art of dying and Henriette Anne Klauser is the author of four books on the power of the written word.
This resource is divided into four sections: Part One introduces the concept of spiritual pain and its relationship to meaning, forgiveness, relatedness and hopelessness. Part Two examines nine real-life stories illustrating spiritual pain and remedies that were used. Part Three contains a tool chest of various therapies that can help ease the pain of those who are dying. This is the best part of the book — with material on art therapy, breath work, coma therapy, dream work, energy therapies, forgiveness exercises, guided visualization, healing and assistance from ancestors, healing religious abuse and images of God, intercessory (nonlocal) prayer, journaling, life review exercises, mediation practices, music therapy, religious rites and sacred writings, rituals for the bedside, rituals of release, vigil rituals, and rituals for remembering.
