Posts Tagged ‘death doula’
GriefSPEAK: Irish Eyes – Mari Nardolillo Dias
by Mari Nardolillo Dias, EdD, contributing writer on grief and grieving The literature states that the most common time of death is between 2am and 5am. Not so for Margaret. It seems she had a plan. As the matriarch of a large Irish family of thirty-nine children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren: the most recent 3…
Read MoreGriefSPEAK: Human composting, another option for burial – Mari Nardolillo Dias
by Mari Nardolillo Dias, EdD, contributing writer Yay or Nay? Natural organic reduction (NOR), better known as human composting, passed with more than a two to one vote in the RI House of Representatives this week. If the Senate does the same, Rhode Island will be the 7th state to allow voluntary human composting: joining…
Read MoreGriefSPEAK: “To sleep, perchance to dream” – Mari Nardolillo Dias
death and induced coma
Read MoreGriefSPEAK: The seasons of our passing – Mari Nardolillo Dias
By: Mari Nardolillo Dias, EdD, contributing writer Updated in 2023 as fall is upon us and the seasons pull at our emotions, sadness, and, inevitably renewal… It was a cold January that year. Julie’s husband Sam, her life-long love and soul mate was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and passed shortly after at the…
Read MoreGriefSPEAK: Spring, high season for suicides – Mari Nardolillo Dias
by Mari Nardolillo Dias, contributing writer “He made up his mind, He wasn’t telling anyone Did he always feel this way, or had it just begun? There’s so much life that he never tasted He has so much love to give – so sad to see it wasted…. We missed the signs of suffering He…
Read MoreGriefSPEAK: Death be not proud – Mari Nardolillo Dias
By: Mari Nardolillo Dias Loretta came to me for both death doula and obituary writing services. She was diagnosed with ALS and was well aware of the fatal outcome. She spoke to me about celebrating the 40th birthday of her twin boys. “How did 40 years go by so quickly? I feel like I blinked…
Read MoreGriefSpeak: Looking in the rear-view mirror – Mari Nardolillo Dias
By: Mari Nardolillo Dias Looking in the rear-view mirror- Caution objects may be closer than they appear “I must go down to the seas again, For the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that May not be denied; “(John Masefield, 1902, from ‘Sea Fever’) A dear friend coined…
Read MoreGriefSpeak: Don’t Hold Your Breath – Mari Nardolillo-Dias
By: Mari Nardolillo-Dias “The Art of Life is the most distinguished and rarest of all the arts”. (C.G.Jung) When we are in dire pain, we tend to hold our breath. We may clench our teeth and grimace. We don’t realize that the lack of oxygen, which we think we are holding in reserve actually depletes…
Read MoreGriefSpeak: What do you say to someone who is dying? – Mari Dias
GriefSpeak: What do you say to someone who is dying? By: Dr. Mari Dias “Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down” (The Carpenters, 1971) Terminal Illness is often easier on the dying than the living. As a death doula, many express this – stating that the “living” are fraught with anxiety and anticipatory grief…
Read MoreGriefSpeak: Call the Death Doula
By: Dr. Mari Dias “I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello” (Beatles, Hello, Goodbye, 1967) Many of you have watched “Call the Midwife” either on BBC or more recently on Netflix. Many are familiar with the term “midwife”, or ‘doula” as someone who is trained to assist women in childbirth. A death…
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