Approaching Death: A Companion's Guide to the End of Life

by Renee Zeylmans, Philip Mees (Translator), Bastiaan Baan (Introduction)

Overview

A practical and sensitive book, offering enlightening contemplations on the end of life.

Just as no person is the same as another, each death is individual. This special book does not promote methodolgies or theories, but rather offers insights, information and contemplations on the end of life. It supports the companions of those on their dying journey, whether volunteers, medical professionals, pastors or loved ones.

Renee Zeylmans taught courses on accompanying the dying and bereavement for many years. She describes the journey towards death as a reciprocal process, asking not only how do we travel with those who are dying and what can we give them, but what do they give us? This book is the fruit of a lifetime's work, and her intention is for it to enrich the reader, throw a new light on difficult situations, evoke recognition, console and offer choices.

As well as a host of practical information about dying and death — including questions around the physiology of death, fear, fasting, funerals, music, language, and human senses — the book contains contemplations and meditations from different world views and cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782506034
Publisher:	Floris Books
Publication date:	11/26/2019
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x (d)

About the Author

Renee Zeylmans (1936-2018) was a psychologist and therapist working in the fields of relationship counselling, biography, and grief counselling. In 1974, her husband of only a few years died, leaving her with three young children. She then dedicated her professional life to helping those dealing with death and grieving. She taught and lectured widely on the subject.

Table of Contents

Foreword Bastiaan Baan 7

Preface 9

I Being a Companion to a Dying Person

1 Dying is Being Born in the Spiritual World 13

2 Death is as a Horizon 33

3 The 'Unknown Hour of Death 45

4 Developing Awareness of Our Future Realm 55

5 When People Close to Us Die 65

6 The Person Dying as Fellow Traveller Monique van der Zanden 75

7 When Young People Die 85

8 Experiences in a Children's Hospital Patricia de Vos 93

II Care for the Dying

9 The Senses of the One Dying 109

10 The Language of Images at the Threshold Bert Voorhoeve 125

11 Music for Terminally Ill People Hilly Bol 131

12 Artistic Therapy Marieke Udo de Haes-Mulder 141

13 External Therapy Pauli van Engelen Toke Bezuijen 147

III Death is Approaching

14 The Physiology of Dying Paul Schmitz, MD 155

15 Euthanasia 159

16 Fasting until Death 165

17 The Double: My Shadow 167

18 The Moment of Dying 177

IV After Death

19 Coincidence? 185

20 The Funeral 191

21 Accompanying the Dying and Christian Ritual Bastiaan Baan 197

22 Mourning by Friends and Relatives 205

23 Across the Threshold of Death 211

24 Staying Connected with the Dead 221

Afterword 235

Further Reading 237

Contributors 240

Editorial Reviews

'This book is an invaluable, sensitive and gracious volume of writings around death, dying and life after death. It's like a Lonely Planet guidebook, covering everything you ever wanted to know, and more besides about the subject. It is a work of reference, which I will return to again and again and could also recommend it as a book for study by any person, or group, interested in its vitally important content.'
– New View

'[An] informative and compassionate book... Full of practical information as well as human stories illustrating various scenarios. The author emphasises that the dying process is individual and that we may have to unlearn things in the process as well as learn... A very worthwhile read.'
– The Paradigm Explorer

'I am captivated by the warmth throughout the contributions of Renee's book. Flowery prose and gushing poetry do not figure here. Her experience seems well reflected, then sensitively described, so that it can become for the reader a strong prompt to inner work.'
– Camphill Correspondence

From the Publisher