Caregiving and Hospice, October 23 - October 29, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Denise Brown on generating a national data base for caregiving, http://j.mp/w4Bj1D via @caregiving

• Why Choose A Hospice Care Program? http://bit.ly/txe9ih via @SanDiegoHospice and @SolariHospice

• Jesse Hinton's Testimonial for Hospice and Palliative Care Center, http://ow.ly/7cnEg via @HospiceCareCntr

• Support of the Fur Family in Caregiving, http://lnkd.in/bsyySu via @RealmQuests

• Promise and pitfalls of palliative care, http://lat.ms/mUeprR

Understanding and Managing Grief, July 17 - July 23, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Coping with Anxiety in Grief | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/qxnuN1 

• Flower essences to use when healing from #grief: http://t.co/jv6t1yj via @ChelseaHanson

• Important! Explaining daddy's suicide to children, http://bit.ly/o2guig

• Grief After Suicide: An Interview With Dr. Jack Jordan, psych.ly/oDzSW7 via @psychcentral

• Heartache To Healing's grief poetry contest; click link here for details, http://bit.ly/kOjkVl by @JoanneFunch

Tools for the "New Normal" Journey

This announcement comes to us from Jim Schwartz, CFP, President, WCESS:

Weekend Conference for Bereaved or Widowed Spouses and Partners
October 28-30, 2011
Tempe, Arizona

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Phyllis Silverman,
author of Widow to Widow,
Continuing Bonds,
A Parent's Guide to
Raising Grieving Children,
Never Too Young to Know,
and Living with Dying

A safe environment to meet others who've also lost a spouse or partner.

Friday evening Ice Cream Ice Breaker.  More than 20 speakers Saturday and Sunday presenting a wide array of practical topics, including:

• Coping Strategies

• Dating and New Relationships

• Men's Grief

• Journaling Your Way through Grief

• Long-Term Care Insurance

• Parenting Grieving Children

• Car Care 101

• Family Issues

• Operating Your Home

• Self Care

• Legal and Tax Issues

• Health Insurance

• Mortgage Basics

• Complex Grief

• Bankruptcy

• Getting through the Holidays

• Remembrance Ceremony

• Cooking for One

• Growing through Adversity

• Dealing with DGI's (people who Don't Get It)

• Financial Organization

• Financial Security

Sponsored by WCESS - Widowed Community Education & Support Services, Inc.
Learn more or register at Widowed Community.org

Second Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference

This announcement comes to us from Terri Daniel, author, hospice worker and intuitive spiritual counselor who teaches meditation, intuition development and after-death communication as tools for navigating the death, dying and grieving process:

Registration is now open for the Second Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference!

We are delighted to announce that our 2012 conference will be held from 8:00 AM on Friday, March 9 through 1:00 PM on Sunday, March 11, 2012 in Virginia Beach, VA., home of Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E). In addition to a great lineup of top-tier presenters, workshops and activities, our agenda will include tours and presentations at A.R.E.

We are honored to have some of top afterlife researchers in the world on our roster of presenters, including Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Melvin Morse and Dr. Stuart Hameroff. We'll also have a special presentation by noted psychic medium Suzane Northrop, as well as numerous other impressive speakers and inspiring activities, with more being added every day.

Afterlife Awareness Conference

You may recall that an earlier post concerning After-Death Communication included an announcement from Terri Daniel about the formation of the Afterlife Education Foundation -- a group of renowned spiritual teachers, afterlife researchers, psychics, grief counselors and educators who recognized the need for, and got together to plan, an official nation-wide conference on the Afterlife.

Terri Daniel has now confirmed that the first annual Afterlife Awareness Conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona from noon on Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 2011. 

The conference features noted researchers, counselors, authors and teachers who will address everything from grief recovery to scientific evidence of the afterlife.  It presents an opportunity for participants to learn from presenters experienced in after-death communication, out-of-body experience, near-death experience, psychic research, grief processing and related studies.  Registration is now open.   

Caregiving and Hospice, September 5 - September 11

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Welcome to @PalMedConnect! Valuable resource for palliative care physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, http://bit.ly/aDiXpz 

• True source of healing, wellness: Person-centered caregiving, http://bit.ly/bHQfGh by @MindflCaregivng 

• What Exactly Is Hospice? House Call Doctor, http://bit.ly/9dYW7p via @hospicepharmacy @hospicedave

• The High Cost of Dying, by Jason Alderman, http://huff.to/8YlTFL

• Talking with a Parent Who Is Dying | momlogic.com, http://bit.ly/cB1EbI

• September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. Help prevent suicide, http://bit.ly/9XVwHd #take5 via @afspnational

• What you can do when a friend is seriously ill, http://bit.ly/9YZB5L via @myOH_AgingWell

• Panel for Hospice Foundation of America's 2011 Hospice and Caregiving Educational Program Announced, http://bit.ly/9u2jfx 

• A therapy dog's perspective on his important role in caregiving, http://bit.ly/baigxF via @caregiving @Seniors4Living

• Free Practical Steps From Heartache to Healing by @Joannefunch,  http://bit.ly/cgOvYo

• Uniting best friends, one hero at a time, starring WWII vet http://ht.ly/2AHm3 via @PetsforPatriots 

• Quality of life care must begin right away, by Danielle Ofri, http://bit.ly/aYC86l via @NHPCO_news

• Coordinating Help for a Neighbor in Need, http://nyti.ms/btZIPt via @TabSafe

• Executive Director Susan Levine describes hospice and palliative care at Hospice of the Valley, http://bit.ly/dlZplL 

• Tips for traveling with a disabled love one, http://bit.ly/crZzRF via @SanDiegoHospice @HospiceCareCntr 

• Talking to Doctors About a Terminal Diagnosis, http://huff.to/cs2YKJ 

• Miraculous! Terminal cancer patient reunited with long lost daughter, a hospice nurse, http://bit.ly/apdvWx 

• Heartwarming story: injured player leads Michigan football team onto field, http://bit.ly/aOp158

Other News of Interest, June 27 - July 3

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Not surprising! @kevinmd @doclake: Patient satisfaction scores improve when doctors sit, http://ow.ly/23Txv

• @HelloGrief: Guest writers on grief, loss, and healing topics welcomed! Email your writing to... http://bit.ly/9RBqTm

• @DianaSebzda @aliciaault @MedicalNewsNet: Proposed DSM Changes at Psychiatrists’ Meeting, http://bit.ly/atOnjt

• @DianaSebzda: Great article @heisberger, Practical Suggestions for Finding a Good Therapist, http://bit.ly/bs28kn

• Terrific read! RT @HylaMolander: Do you play well with your spouse's ex? http://scr.bi/aOTyqJ

• Another reason to treasure them! Dog Sniffs Out Prostate Cancer in Small Study http://bit.ly/9azsbB

• Amen! Value doctors as listeners to prevent primary care burn out, http://bit.ly/cWd8dG 

• Just announced: Afterlife Awareness Conference to be held in Phoenix, April 29 - May 1, 2011, http://conta.cc/bZy8qG 

• Terrific read! RT @HylaMolander: Do you play well with your spouse's ex? http://scr.bi/aOTyqJ 

• @HylaMolander: We all yearn to be loved and accepted: Hurtful Words, http://shar.es/m8hq3 

After Death Communication

Image Source

[Reviewed and updated August 2, 2023]

Of all the various ways that grief can express itself, perhaps one of the most unsettling is to experience the presence of a lost loved one some time after the death has occurred.  When one so dear to us is gone, it can be very hard to accept that the individual is really dead.  We may think about and dream about our beloved much of the time, and it may seem as if everything around us is a reminder of the one we have lost.  Sometimes we may think we've seen, heard or been touched by the individual--or even that we've received a symbolic communication or message from the one who has died, in the form of a meaningful signal or a vivid dream that appears very real.  Some people find this to be very frightening and disorienting, while others find it to be quite helpful and even comforting. Known as an ADC, or after-death communication, such a mystical experience is by no means abnormal, nor does it forecast a complicated grief reaction.  While some may find them distressing, it is generally believed that such mystical experiences have great power and personal significance for the mourner and may be an important, if not vital, part of healing.

Nowadays grief counselors are encouraged to support, enable and empower grief-stricken individuals to maintain their loving connections with their deceased loved ones. In the official newsletter of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, for example, licensed grief counselor Jane Bissler advocates for parents needing to maintain a bond with their child who has died, and calls upon bereavement professionals to include this in our practice. "Helping these bereaved parents to know the significance of continuing bonds is our new responsibility," she writes. "Nor is it enough for them to know about it. It is imperative that they also be taught how to create a new relationship with their child rather than letting it go." ("My Child Has Died, and So Have I! Grieving the Loss of An Adolescent Child," The Forum, January 2009).

In a study reported in OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying (Volume 59, Number 2 / 2009), researchers examined subjects’ accounts of post-death encounters and their positive effects on the bereaved. Their findings: The encounters profoundly affected the participants’ beliefs in an afterlife and attitudes toward life and death, and had a significant effect on their grief. Finally, post-death encounters had a healing effect on the participants by contributing to a sense of connectedness with the deceased. We conclude that health care professionals and counselors should be educated about post-death encounters so that the bereaved can share their experiences in a supportive and understanding atmosphere.

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here. 

Related Articles:

• After-Death Communication, Continued
• After-Death Communication: A List of Resources

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT

National Bereavement Camp Conference

The Moyer Foundation will hold it first 2010 National Bereavement Camp Conference on June 26, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. The conference will provide an overall view of bereavement camp structures and best practices across the country by creating a forum of exchange, learning and collaboration through sharing of timely clinical information, programs, advances in research and successful ideas for new or existing bereavement camps.

The conference will take place in conjunction with the National Alliance on Grieving Children Symposium, so there are special CEU pricing levels for NAGC attendees. Learn more about this exciting new conference and register here. Please contact Lynette Moore at lynette@moyerfoundation.org with any questions.

Continuing Education: Forthcoming Conferences and Webinars

Conferences:

• 17th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference, Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), Living with Grief®: Cancer and End-of-Life Care, March 24, 2010, 10:30 – 1:00 p.m. AZ Time; 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. EDT
   
• 32nd Annual Conference, Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), Death, Dying and Bereavement: It’s All about the Stories, April 6-10, 2010, Kansas City, MO 

• 2010 Spring Conference, Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (AHPCO),  May 14, 2010, Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 14th Annual National Alliance for Grieving Children Symposium, June 24-26, 2010, Cleveland, Ohio 

ADEC Webinars (The Association for Death Education and Counseling):

• The Impact of Medicine on Dying in America, with Clint Moore III, MDiv, PhD, FT,Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 10 - 11:30 a.m. AZ Time; Noon - 1:30 p.m. Central Time

• Cultural Perspectives on Dying, Death and Grief,  with Paul Rosenblatt, PhD, Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 10 -11:30 a.m. AZ Time; Noon - 1:30 p.m. Central Time

• Lifting the Fog: An introduction to Complicated Grief Treatment, with Katherine Shear, MD, Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 10 - 11:30 a.m. AZ Time; Noon - 1:30 p.m. Central Time

• Ethical Practice in Grief Counseling (Part 1): Competence, Consent, Confidentiality,  with Louis Gamino, PhD, FT, Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 10 -11:30 a.m. AZ Time; Noon - 1:30 p.m. Central Time

Continuing Education: Forthcoming Conferences

• Annual Meeting, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), November 5-7, 2009, Atlanta, GA: http://www.istss.org/meetings/index.cfm

• 2009 Celebrate Your Life Conference, sponsored by Mishka Productions, November 13 - 15, 2009, Phoenix, AZ: http://www.mishkaproductions.com/celebrate-your-life-2009-phoenix/

• 26th Annual Conference, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, Pathways to Integration of Traumatic Experience: Individuals, Groups, Society, November 21-23, 2009, Washington, DC, http://www.isst-d.org/annual_conference/2009/index.htm