What are your intentions for your end of life journey?  Are you curious about how to plan a "conscious death?" Are you a caretaker for a loved one facing their last days?  

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Rhyena's work is inspired by the conscious dying movement, which aims to enrich the dying experience, diminishing the fear and stress many feel around contemplating their mortality. Offering a chance for a deep embrace with the life force for the person who is preparing for death, and profound connection with their loved ones, Rhyena holds and guides the space. The acceptance of death allows for loved ones to find their way after profound loss.

 

Everyone is different and everyone has a different death. Rhyena helps the dying person identify their unique needs and desires, personalizing their end of life plan, and provides support for their loved ones.

 

With compassionate care, gentle inquiry and openness, I work closely with clients to develop a customized plan that could involve a range of elements, such as:

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• emotional support according to the client's needs

• life review, ethical wills and legacy projects 

• advance care directives

• completion of final documents 

• identifying final wishes 

• developing a sense of completion

• organizing and letting go of stuff

• facilitating conversations with loved ones

• third-party neutral support for family members

• helping to navigate family dynamics

• facilitation and mediation problem solving

• compassionate, deep listening

• coordination with care and healthcare teams

• rituals as death nears 

• support for cognitive decline

• support for VSED and MAID* 

• sitting vigil

• body washing and home tahara

• home funerals & green alternatives to traditional burials

• support for loved ones during the early stages of loss

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Rhyena serves as part of a care team that compliments medical personnel, hospice, family members and other caregivers. As a doula, she is not a licensed medical practitioner.​

 

Beginning in 2020, Rhyena has been facilitating virtual Death Cafes, safe and supportive conversations about death and dying, and teaches classes for the Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation and Mission Hospice.

 

We can begin planning at any time, in a conscious and intentional way, for our own death. We don't have to be terminal or even ill to benefit from this work. Here are some testimonials from clients:

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        "As I watch a couple of my friends embark on their cancer battles I realize how immensely valuable your                  consult and guidance is for me. The BIG takeaway for me now is the relative peace that I will be able to                  bring to the end of life process without having to carry the  anxiety of cleaning up my relationships and                    responsibilities while I am suffering with ravages of the Chemo or other such treatments."

               - J. Lee

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"Thank you so much for your great Doula work with my dad. You held the space for my Dad's                            spirit and intention. I am forever grateful!"

​                - Lauren, Portland, OR, End of Life Client

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"After my father’s death, Rhyena went above and beyond the call of duty by participating in the                        Jewish Tahara ritual at the mortuary with my father's body. She created a “sacred space” for the                  Tahara ritual to take place in. This dedication to cultural and religious sensitivities added a profound

and comforting element to our farewell process and we will be forever grateful for her

compassionate assistance." 

       - AK, Walnut Creek

 

*Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking and Medical Aid in Dying

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Rhyena offers flexible ways of working together, including by the hour, 6-session packages, or longer term customized packages.

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Two recent interviews about end of life, what a death doula does, and Rhyena's own death story:

 

* Rhyena Interviewed by Cathy Carpin, a grief coach, writer and poet from Victoria, BC.  We discussed what an end of life doula does, different motivations that draw one to engage a doula and about the Death Cafes I offer. Watch it here.

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*  Rhyena interviewed as part of the Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation's Community Conversations about     death doula work and her own story of loss and grief.  Watch it here. 

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For more recommended reading, podcasts and other resources on End of Life, visit my Resources Page

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