Holistic End-of-Life Support

Holistic End-of-Life Support
For people who are dying and their carers

I offer holistic support in the area of death and dying. "Holistic" means covering mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of dying. Medical or physical care is not included, even though some of our tools soothe and relax the body (such as Reiki).

I can support dying people with just a chat, or more in-depth work to help find balance and peace.
For professional carers, as well as friends and family who support their dying loved ones, I offer mentoring and training.
If a loved one has died, I can help design a personal farewell-ceremony, to supplement or replace a more traditional funeral.

Support for the Dying

Reiki & Gentle Touch

Reiki is a very gentle healing technique that balances energy flows in the body and removes blockages and tensions. It is very relaxing and makes you feel at peace. Reiki is accepted in most hospitals and hospices and can be given until the last moments of life. It can be done hands-on, or a few inches above the body. Reiki can be given for just ten minutes, and still has a good effect. Read more.
I also provide Gentle Touch - a light 'massage' that uses non-intrusive touch to calm and balance a person.

Guided Meditations

If you live with a terminal diagnosis or feel that your death is near, guided meditations (visualisation journeys) can help you gather strength and trust for your last journey. They help create a new perspective about the life-death transition. If you feel scared, these meditations can really help.
On your visualisation journey, you may be able to connect to a power animal or find a specific guide who can help you when you pass over. You might also connect with your ancestors and ask them to be at your side.

Soul Midwifery

Soul Midwifery is an approach for giving holistic and spiritual end-of-life support, created by Felicity Warner.
This work may include assisting you in making an end-of-life plan that documents your preferences regarding the practical, social, and spiritual aspects of dying. It also includes dialogue: I will listen to your thoughts, hopes and fears and spiritual reflections. In later phases I can spend time at your bedside and help soothe your body and soul as they transition into death.

Support for Friends/Family of Dying People
(and End-of-Life practitioners)

Mentoring

As an end-of-life carer you give a lot. Do you sense that perhaps it might be time to do something for yourself? Would you like to explore how to gather new strength, and learn how to relax and to take care of your own needs? Do you need to gain more trust in yourself or bring a new perspective to your work?
I can support you with a mix of methods for mind, body and spirit, using Soul Midwifery, Reiki, Tai Chi, guided meditations, mindfulness training and coaching.

Tender Loving Care

Do you support a friend or a relative who is dying? Do you work as a volunteer or professional in a hospice, hospital or nursing home? This course will give you additional skills and inspiration for your task. Tender Loving Care (TLC) for Caregivers, was created by Felicity Warner, Founder of the Soul Midwife School, to help soothe and balance people at the end of their life.
Please contact us if you like to offer a TLC course in your institution.
Read more

Reiki Training

I offer End-of-life Reiki training that is specifically targeted to your task. In half a day, you can be attuned and learn Reiki skills for the bedside. You will also learn how to use Reiki on yourself to find new strength and balance. This course won't give you a Reiki 1 certificate or the credentials to work as a Reiki Healer for the public. However, Reiki skills will come in very handy at the bedside of a dying friend or relative.
Read more

Ceremonies for Farewell and Grief

If you feel you are at the end of your life, it may be healing and empowering to plan a ceremony that can be done by your friends and family after your death. I can give you some ideas, and I can also show you how to connect with your inner wisdom to get inspiration. We then talk on how to make it a happen, and who needs to be involved. This work can include your writing farewell letters, poems, songs or anything else you would like to leave behind. This work will be done in a loving, calm setting - from the heart, not the head.
If you have lost a loved one and feel you need to ground yourself and - in spite of grieving - step back into your power and beauty, we can create a ceremony together that helps you find more closure.
Example of a Farewell Ceremony.

At Peace with Death

The Sacred Journey

I can live my life to the fullest
once I make peace
with my mortality.
I can lay down my fear
once I know that there are
peaceful ways to go.
I can celebrate my dying part,
once I see
that death is a transition
not the end.
I can appreciate, appreciate
the healing and empowerment that
I receive
when I go home.
(written by Angela, Fireside Lodge client, after a drum meditation)

Bedside Meditation

It is time to let go.
You are safe and loved and you are not alone.
Just fall into my arms and sleep.
You don’t have to make things happen; they will happen on their own. Let me hold you, just let go. Don’t resist.
You are doing well, like a feather falling from the sky. Sink back into soft-feathered wings.
You are working hard, delving deep into yourself, like a chrysalis changing to a butterfly.
Of course, you are weary, change is hard work. Your body is tired.
Don’t be frightened. Trust, love and all will be well.
(written by Tan Shen Elderton, Soul Midwife, New Zealand - RIP)

The Great Bear
in the skies
will guide me home.