Death's Threshold
"It is an honor to express my absolute gratitude for the work that Loren does. She has brought ease and comfort into my process of dying. Her willingness to walk shoulder to shoulder right up to the threshold of death, without hesitation, is remarkable. Her clear guidance has made such a difference for me and my family. Her experience and skill set around the dying process far outreaches most modern-day explorations. I cannot imagine going through this transition without her..." ~Marti D.
Imagine a dying process where-
Support is offered to heartfelt truth-telling and healing with loves ones...
- Deepened connection to the spiritual realities that await us is made tangible...
- We arrive at death prepared and able to surrender, trust and find true peace...
This is our birthright. It is the death we all deserve.
During my 15 years as a hospice Chaplain & Spiritual Counselor, I have born witness to the countless ways in which our medical and insurance systems undermine the continuity of support necessary to provide proper depth of care, healing and closure at end-of-life.
I was thus deeply impassioned to create Radiant Passage to address what I found lacking—a spiritually centered end-of-life care model that provides a comprehensive continuity of spiritual support, education and counsel for the dying and their loved ones.
The uniqueness of this model lies in:
• The sacred trust that evolves over the course of a relationship that spans the many thresholds of experience encountered by the dying and their loved ones during the end-of-life journey, from diagnosis until death.
The scope and diversity of support provided, includes:
I. Closely attending the many spiritual layers and needs of the dying, inclusive of: relational and personal healing; creating-of-sacred-space; ceremonial tending of the thresholds.
II. Simultaneous counseling offered to the grief, loss and healing of the family or circle of loved ones.
III. Ongoing education providing physical, emotional and spiritual contextualization to the dying process.IV. Practical assistance to living wills, advanced directives and final arrangements.
I strongly believe this unique model begins to make possible the extent of care that the profound transition of dying deserves, as well as honoring the life-changing impact death has on all who encounter it.
Scroll down to view the 5 Phase Model
The 5 Phases of Dying
A Comprehensive Spiritual Care Model
Phase I
A Time of Orientation & Preparation
Approximately 4-6 months out
Support to turn toward the physical, emotional and spiritual realities of living with a terminal illness, at a time when life-sustaining treatments may still be relevant, and quality of life vs. treatment is a central consideration.
Phase II
A Time of Paradox
Approximately 1-3 months out
Support to a time when focus on life may still be dominant, but disease progress and symptom management creates limitations. Hospice is usually involved here. Inquiry may shift toward an increasing need for the dying to feel anchored in the spiritual world to which they are headed.
Phase III
A Time of Transition
Approximately 1-3 weeks out
Support to a time in the dying process marked by slowing down and drawing inward. There is a palpable sense of the dying being “between the worlds” of inner/outer, body/spirit.
For loved ones, this can be a challenging time as they witness their beloved receding from relationship, while still being physically present.
Phase IV
A Time of Veils Thinning
Approximately 1-3 days, to hours out
Support to the period of “active labor” of the dying process where the body gradually begins shutting down and the dying become largely non-responsive as they move from identification with a body toward what lies beyond.
Phase V
Death.
A Time of Release
Support to promoting a space of deep presence, care, love and peace around the dying, facilitating any desired elements of ceremony, and providing guidance for post-death vigil period (if desired).
Grief Support
"Both my parents passed away within a year of each other. Loren’s emotional and spiritual guidance helped me live through the overwhelming grief with an ever-expanding love for my Mom and Dad. What could have been an overwhelming loss was transformed into a sacred process - beautiful and profound..." ~David R.
Grief is a mysterious yet trustworthy process that seeks expression. It is the very process by which we transform our lives from a world interconnected with our beloved, to one wherein we can rediscover joy and vitality, while still honoring their absence. It is not a sign that something is wrong with us, it is a sign that the processes of nature are working in and on us accurately. The deeper our attachment to our beloved, the deeper this unwinding necessarily must be. If offered a consistent space to be honored, felt and allowed, grief itself becomes a pathway of profound growth and healing.
Grief counseling offers:
- Support to the naming, honoring and expression of grief with an emphasis on the body as resource and ally
- Support to the client’s capacity to titrate or dose the grief process so as not to become overwhelmed by it
- Development of the client’s inner, outer and spiritual resources that form the container for grief to be expressed and experienced in a balanced and safe way
- Ongoing context and normalization for the client to be able to place their unique and personal journey within the larger map of grief’s terrain
Memorial Services
A memorial ceremony provides a sacred chalice for remembering, honoring, celebrating and grieving, both the presence and absence of the loved one who has passed. Ideally, memorials are also pivotal thresholds for the living to ritualize their grief within community, and take the first steps across the threshold of life after loss.
Memorial support includes:
- Support to the family co-create a container that can become filled by the sacred elements, words, objects and memories that appropriately honor their loved one's legacy.
- Helping the family mark this important threshold of grief and mourning.
- Creation of a sermon drawn from the legacy, history and impact of the loved one's life, and offered as the ‘story' that anchors their memorialization.
- Creating intentional space for the family to be strongly held, to grieve and to receive the story of their loved one within the circle of community witness and love.
