Certified End-of-Life Care Practitioner Loretta Downs will coordinate a four-session Making Friends with Death workshop sponsored by the Heart of Awareness Buddhist Community. Downs has been a companion to the dying for 30 years, and is founder of Chrysalis End-of-Life Inspirations. She holds a masters degree in Gerontology, is also a certified senior advisor and past-president of the Chicago End-of-Life Care Coalition.
The workshops are designed to help to normalize death in a death-denying society by understanding the nature of dying and the contemporary end-of-life experience. Each of the Saturday sessions will meet from 2 to 4 p.m. in the local Buddhist Community’s new location at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic’s Plaza San Juan. The meetings will confront and explore different key issues around dying and death.
“Meeting Death” on Saturday, February 7 examines the value of accepting impermanence, the practical preparations, coping with dependence, receiving and giving care, understanding the physical dying process, and facing fears about dying and death.
“Spirituality and Death” on Saturday February 14 examines different approaches to spirituality, hope and healing that are possible through life review, forgiveness and gratitude. Rev. Gwen London of Duke University says, “Dying is a spiritual process with medical implications.”
“Embracing Transformation” on Saturday, February 21 addresses learning to let go of what is familiar, of what makes us who we are, and includes a practice that will benefit us when the time comes to let go of our bodies and embrace our death.
“Options at the End of Life” looks at how the modern era of living with chronic illness, living to very old age and institutionalized death over home death has expanded the field for options at the end of life well beyond natural death.
More information about Downs is available at endoflifeinspirations.com. Tickets for the workshop series are 400 pesos or individual sessions are 150 pesos. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Heart of Awareness meetings, at Diane Pearl. For additional information contact Janet Reichert at (376)766-6069.