Anne-Marie Keppel is a death doula educator and founder of the nonprofit Village Deathcare. A nurse assistant, Reiki Master, and lifelong meditator, she guides individuals transitioning out of life and assists families with the end-of-life journey. Experienced in home funerals, green burials, and psychedelic-assisted therapy, her work as a death doula has been published nationally in the Washington Times, on USNews.com, and in PULP Magazine. She won an Independent Publisher "IPPY" award in 2020. Anne-Marie delights in the joy of living with her family in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Foreword by Karen Wyatt, M.D.
An Introduction to Death Nesting
About This Book
One
Beyond Advance Directives
Take Notes
More than Just Paperwork
Two
Preparing the Nest
Establishing the Protective Shell
Preparing the Inner Nest
Caregiving’s Inner Circle
Secret Nesting
Weathering Our Dying
Three
Dying Is a Sensory Experience
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Sight
Touch
Four
What the Physical Body Does during the Dying Process
Aches and Pains
Temperature
Breathing and Heart Rate
Eating, Digestion, and Elimination
Handwashing
Wound Care
Sponge Bathing
Moisturizing
Bedding and Lying in Bed
What to Pack in a Hospital Bag
Five
Mind, Spirit, and Emotion in the Dying Process
Suggestions for Mental Soothing
Psychedelics and Virtual Reality
Listening
Ancestor Comforts
Tying Together a Timeline
Sleep, Rest, and Separation
Time, Space, and Rhythm
Spiritual Support
Reiki for the Dying
A Time for Shrines
Six
Discomforts during Caregiving
Expressing the Very Difficult
Words Are Not Always What Is Needed
When What Is Happening Is Against Your Desires
What to Do When There Is Nothing to Do
Language Barriers in the Dying Process
Medical Aid in Dying
Coming Upon an Accident or Sudden Death
Seven
Talking with Children about Death and Dying
Tiny Deaths and Big Deaths
A Child’s Tool Kit
Pet and Animal Deaths
Eight
After the Last Breath
Home Funerals and Body Care
Should the Dead
Attend Their Own Funerals?
The Good Funeral
Herbs for Remembrance and Ceremony
Moving with Grief
Meditation for Dissolving into the Elements
Appendix: The Ancient and Modern Death Doula
Resources for Death, Dying, and Stretching Your Mind
About the Author
Index
