Voices of Experience: Becoming Starlight

Aristotle taught that stars are made of a different matter than the four earthly elements ~ a quintessence ~ that also happens to be what the human psyche is made of. Which is why man’s spirit corresponds to the stars. Perhaps that’s not a very scientific view, but I do like the idea that there’s a little starlight in each of us.  ~ Lisa Kleypas

Soon after completing her graduate studies in psychology, Dr. Sharon Prentice longed to discover “the why’s” about her own intimate experience with death in the form of a Shared Death Experience (SDE), and that of others who had experienced something “weird, unbelievable, odd” at the time of the death of a loved one.  By sharing her own story, she hopes to replace fear with hope, and take away the vulnerability that is intrinsic in sharing these experiences: "When vulnerability morphs into strength, Starlight wins!" The following excerpt comes from her book, Becoming Starlight: A Shared Death Journey from Darkness to Light, and is reprinted here with her permission.

Caregiving and Hospice, October 30 - November 5, 2016

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

A story that needs to be told, http://bit.ly/2eFuGTb « ehospice

The costly Medicare boondoggle that’s wasting tax dollars and infuriating doctors, http://bit.ly/2flPGOQ « Kevin MD

Dangers of Morphine for the Dying, http://bit.ly/2ftoS46 « Barbara Karnes, RN

Coping with Pet Loss, February 28 - March 5, 2016

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

Man turns grief over loss of his dog into healing message: 'He's a soul extension,' http://j.mp/1SlOBXE « TODAY

Pet Loss: The Pain of Relinquishment, http://j.mp/1KXUh8X « Grief Healing

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Caregiving and Hospice, March 16 - March 22, 2014

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

Learn About FREE Social Services in Your Area, http://j.mp/1p2wrKC « Caregiving Cafe Blog

Spring Cleaning the Soul: Hospice Caregivers Can Greet Spring Anew, http://j.mp/1gj2N1q « Caring with Confidence

Lessons In the Art of Dying, http://j.mp/1qU1HMU « Washingtonian

Caregiving and Hospice, March 4 - March 10, 2012

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

• An RN's perspective on end-of-life in hospitals and what needs to be changed, http://j.mp/wHYrUx
  
  
• What Do Hospice Social Workers Do? http://j.mp/xUKtgF via @HFAHospice
  
  
• Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities, http://1.usa.gov/Au2eh7 via @chooseworkSSA
  
  
• Dr. Ira Byock on Transforming the Way We Die, http://bit.ly/xIjIvS via @RedefineHospice and  @hospicepharmacy
  
  
• Who does what on the hospice care team? http://bit.ly/zV4es4  via @SolariHospice

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 4 - March 10, 2012

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

• Give Us This Day Our Daily Grief, http://j.mp/yDzx6C  « Psychology Today by @CherylEckl
  
  
• Alone with Grief, http://j.mp/AmtwdG « Grief Reflection
  
  
• "We should not, ethically or morally, medicalize grief," http://bit.ly/wNGRbM by @dr_cacciatore @MISS_Foundation
  
  
• Steps: Coping with Loss of a Limb, http://j.mp/yYnYth in Grief Digest
  
  
• The Mystery of Letting Go, http://j.mp/z20wNV by @CherylEckl

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 10 - April 16

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

• What Grief Is Really Like, http://nyti.ms/fTEgFR via @nytimeshealth

• National Students of AMF: grief support for college kids, http://bit.ly/fMbILL via@KitMcConnell

• Suffering: The Irritant That Produces the Pearl, http://bit.ly/hxE2hG

• "Thankful for......" The gift of grief, http://bit.ly/f8pjOZ by @DoyleDiana

• Prayer Registry Builds Hope and Community, http://fb.me/UVrMfNCO via @opentohope