End of Life was a consistent theme at the 2024 RIHHA Integrative Mental Health Conference. There were presentations on grief and loss, home funerals, and ours on the role of the end-of-life doula. The subject of death from a mental health and spiritual perspective is what we brought to our presentation. By weaving information and reflective questions, a vibrant conversation ensued. Folks in the audience were ready and willing to go deep as we posed intimate questions about their preparedness for death and how an end-of-life doula can be a supportive ally in the process.
From the mental health perspective, it is important to get comfortable with talking about death because so many people are afraid. Just the very thought of death can bring up anxiety and avoidance, thus, regulating the notion of death to the shadows and making it harder to access. When we bring the subject of death out into the open we can honestly connect with our feelings about death and find connection with one another. In doing so, we end isolation and come to realize we are not alone in our concerns and that support is available.
It is our mission and hope that these conversations become more commonplace as death, something we will all experience, is normalized and integrated into our lives in meaningful and healthy ways.
