How can death doulas pick up the “compassion pieces” often dropped by the conventional medical system when a loved one is dying, or has died?

In the first episode of Birth, Death, and Doulas, host Anne Kathryn Rice interviews Sheila Burke about how the death of her husband, Shane, from an aggressive form of lung cancer began her journey to becoming a death doula. Sheila came to understand how sacred the process of dying is, and how much dying people and their loved ones can benefit from someone who can compassionately hold space for the emotional and spiritual dimensions of death, where conventional medicine typically only addresses the physical aspects.

In this episode, Sheila and Anne Kathryn talk about the need for compassionate honesty, hopeful last hurrahs, the real value of palliative care, and the importance of honoring the supernatural experiences that are common when someone dies.

In this episode:

02:57 – Sheila and Shane’s love story

07:01 – Children’s closeness to the dead

09:17 - Shane’s diagnosis

13:25 - Navigating treatment options

23:05 - Maintaining hope when death is imminent

29:20 - The importance of honest communication in healthcare

33:08 - The role of death doulas for end-of-life support

36:56 - Creating meaningful goodbyes

To learn more about the Global Doula Project and how they support

birth and death doulas, visit:

www.globaldoulaproject.org

To learn more about Sheila Burke’s work and books:

https://endoflifedoulacle.com/

Find Sheila’s podcast, Talk Deathy to Me, at:

https://talkdeathytome.com/welcome/

Follow Global Doula Project on Instagram @globaldoulaproject

Follow Sheila on Instagram @deathdoulacle