Making Sense of Death: Spiritual,Pastoral and Personal Aspects of Death,Dying and Bereavement / Edition 1

by Gerry Cox, Robert Bendiksen, Robert Stevenson

Overview

The editors of "Making Sense of Death: Spiritual, Pastoral, and Personal Aspects of Death, Dying and Bereavement" provide stimulating discussions as they ponder the meaning of life and death.This anthology explores the process of meaning-making in the face of death and the roles of religion and spirituality at times of loss; the profound and devastating experience of loss in the death of a spouse or a child; a psychological model of spirituality; the dimensions of spirituality; humor in client-caregiver relationships; the worldview of modernity in contrast to postmodern assumptions; the Buddhist perspective of death, dying, and pastoral care; meaning-making in the virtual reality of cyberspace; individualism and death; and the historical context of Native Americans, the concept of disenfranchised grief, and its detailed application to the Native American experience.It also explores: a qualitative survey on the impact of the shooting deaths of students in Colorado; a team approach with physicians, nursing, social services, and pastoral care; a study of health care professionals, comparing clergy with other health professionals; marginality in spiritual and pastoral care for the dying; a qualitative research study of registered nurses in the northeast United States; and loss and growth in the seasons of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780895032492
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/15/2003
Series:	Death, Value and Meaning Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gerry R Cox (Author) , Robert A Bendiksen (Author) , Robert G Stevenson (Author)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction Herman H. van der Kloot Meijburg and Robert A. Bendiksen

SECTION I Facing the Death of a Loved One

CHAPTER 1 The Role of Spiritual Experience in Adapting to Bereavement Louis A. Gamino, Larry W. Easterling, and Kenneth W. Sewell

CHAPTER 2 The Death of a Spouse: A Spiritual and Psychological Crisis Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert C. DeVries

CHAPTER 3 For Those Who Stand and Wait Kent Koppelman

SECTION II Meaning-Making in the Face of Death

CHAPTER 4 A Taste of Heaven Here on Earth: For the Dying and for the Accompanier Rabbi Daniel A. Roberts

CHAPTER 5 Death, Humor, and Spirituality: Strange Bedfellows? Ruth Dean

CHAPTER 6 Death and the Postmodern Self: Individualism, Religion, and the Transformation of the Modern Self Raymond L. M. Lee

CHAPTER 7 The Healing Touch of Awareness: A Buddhist Perspective on Death, Dying, and Pastoral Care Arthur O. Ledoux

SECTION III Extraordinary Death and Loss

CHAPTER 8 Cyber Cemeteries and Virtual Memorials: Virtual Living Monuments as On-line Outlets for Real Life Mourning and a Celebration of Life Hermann Gruenwald and Le Gruenwald

CHAPTER 9 Violence is the Dark Side of Spirituality John D. Morgan

CHAPTER 10 Native American Grief and Loss: Conceptualizations of Disenfranchised Grief and Historical Trauma at Individual and Community Levels Steven R. Byers, Theresa T. Erdkamp, and Lisa Byers

CHAPTER 11 In the Aftermath of Columbine: Tragedy as Opportunity for Transformation Kevin Ann Oltjenbruns, Steven R. Byers, and Suzanne Tochterman

SECTION IV Professional Caregivers and Spirituality

CHAPTER 12 When a Patient Dies: Meeting Spiritual Needs of the Bereaved in a Health Care Setting Fran Rybarik and Diane Midland

CHAPTER 13 An Exploratory Study of the Spirituality of Clergy as Compared with Health Care Professionals David W. Adams and Rick Csiernik

CHAPTER 14 Living, Dying, and Grieving in the Margins Rev. Richard B. Gilbert

SECTION V Conclusion

CHAPTER 15 Spirituality in Nursing: Being in a Liminal Space Cheryl Laskowski

CHAPTER 16 Spirituality and Loss Gerry R. Cox

Contributors

Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Becky Stepp, BBA, MEd, BS, M, LMSW (Seton Medical Center)
Description: Life is a journey, and along the way, all of us face losses. Death can occur in an instant or over a period of time. In both circumstances, those who remain behind attempt to find meaning for themselves. Making sense out of death seems to mean making sense out of suffering, making sense out of the loss of life, and making sense out of life. This book explores this creative process in deriving meaning through religion and spirituality.
Purpose: The editors of this book, part of the Death, Value and Meaning series, provide a philosophical discussion of meaning-making in the face of death. As the interest in the topic of death, dying, and bereavement continues to increase, these authors offer this book in an effort to meet the needs of many professional practitioners and academics, and ultimately, through them, those who must face the issues of spirituality as it relates to dying, death, and bereavement.
Audience: The discussion of death and dying can be emotionally charged. The authors state professional practitioners and academics as the audience. At times, the vocabulary used in this book is highly philosophical as well as potentially offensive.
Features: In an attempt to provide multicultural sensitivity, the authors' discussion includes a somewhat random selection of topics ranging from the teachings of Buddha, the roles of religion and spirituality, devastating losses and national tragedy, and the historical context of Native Americans, to virtual reality of cyberspace, extraordinary death and loss and national tragedy, and interdisciplinary team approaches in the healthcare setting. Ultimately, this book lacks the cohesiveness that could help "make sense" of this topic.
Assessment: This book presents a philosophic approach with language and vocabulary that some may find offensive in regard to pastoral care and spirituality. The authors' discussion seems random, disjointed, and incongruent, lacking the cohesiveness that could better "make sense" of this endless pursuit of making sense in the face of death.

Doody's Review Service

2 Stars from Doody