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Rock Maze

Additional Resources

Please find some of my favorite sites and podcasts related to the focus of my practice and a listings of my current educational offerings. 

End of Life

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Articles

 

Hiring an End Of Life Doula

 

NPR report on an increase in in doulas engagements to facilitate end of life

 

Information and Orgs

 

Dying Consciously

Interesting information defining conscious dying

 

Death Café

A safe place to talk about death

                  

Stanford Letter Project

Considering your life review and legacy 

 

Five Wishes

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Compassionate Choices

My end of life decisions and advance planning guide & toolkit

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National Hospice Foundation Palliative Care

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The Conversation Project: Starting the Conversation

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​Alternatives to a Traditional Burial or Cremation:

 

Bay Area Consumers Funeral Association

Extensive list of links for death and funeral related services

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Green Death Tech

Overview of technology-enhanced burial options now & in the future

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Green Burial Council

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Body Composting

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Water Cremation

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Videos

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It’s My Right: The Handmade Death (Video)

A film by Herta Sturmann about her mother’s conscious death

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When Breath Becomes Air (Video)

A presentation by Lucy Kalanithi, MD, for the Mission Hospice Author Services

Third Act

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​Discover your passion and re-invent your life

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Senior Co-Housing

Living in a green, vital and engaged community

 

Could Your 60s & 70s be the best decades of life?

An article in The Guardian

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My Offerings

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My Educational and Outreach Offerings 

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Course: 

End of Life Intentions for Dummies, Pragmatists and Seekers

 -a six week course, a friendly, comprehensive, and accessible primer on planning and setting intentions for the end of our lives. Topics include meeting our wise elder, legacy, ethical wills and life review, defining our end of life wishes, environmentally friendly disposition of the body and memorials, caregiving, solo aging, beginning again after profound loss.

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Here are testimonials from the class:

"This series offers you a beautiful journey into living and dying."

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​"Rhyena is a gifted teacher. I loved learning from her! I'm so inspired by the work she does."

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"This series of classes was so informative, thought provoking and well formulated. I'd actually take it all over again."

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"As a pastor, I found this class helpful for my ministry. As someone who has watched loved ones die, and also did not get to say good bye to some loved ones-this class was healing."

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"Perfection! Rhyena is a natural for this sacred wisdom sharing! A truly Divinely Aligned Angel of Love, Compassion and inclusive welcome!"

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'I loved your calm and inviting voice and holding space at tender times. I liked the mixing of video, lecture, breakouts and reflection time to write."

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"Rhyena has a relaxing voice, lots of knowledge, able to connect with people, great listener. She cares about what she is sharing and the people receiving."

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"Such a soulful exploration of death and dying. Lots of practical information AND lots of sharing with other people who want to live consciously through their last days."

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"A very enlightening class that delves into the somewhat taboo topic of death, and makes it personal from a healthy perspective. It's consideration of grief is especially helpful."

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I highly recommend this class. I learned so much about the end-of-life process and how to make decisions for myself on what I would like for the end of my own life. And to have conversation with others about wishes and concerns about dying was truly a blessing!
 

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Facilitated Group: Death Cafes 

 

I have been leading these cafes for two amazing nonprofits since April 2020. I warmly welcome you to attend these Tuesday morning, safe and supportive conversations about anything death & dying. They have ben a wonderful space for me and so many lovely people.

 

Please sign up on Eventbrite. They are free and open to all.

 

Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation Death Cafes

2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, 10am-11:30am PST.

 

For more information and to register: EKRF Cafes

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Please note:   

*There is one zoom link for all of the 2nd Tuesday Death Cafes and another for the 4thTuesday Cafes. If you have the link, registration is not necessary:

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Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation Death Cafe

Zoom links for 2nd Tuesday of the month, 10am-11:30am PT:

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84010309969?pwd=S2FzYlI5R0tDTDNoRUV3dzNWQW9QQT09

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Elisabeth Kubler Ross Foundation Death Cafe

Zoom for 4th Tuesdays, 10am-11:30am PT:

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89418260444?pwd=QituWUo1R0FJc2VmVm95WjVBNUJJUT09

 

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Mission Hospice (MH) Death Cafes

3rd Tuesday of the month, 10am-11:30am PST. Free.

 

For more information and to register: MH Cafes

 

Please note: Here is the Zoom link to join the MH Death Cafes if you prefer not to register: 

Mission Hospice Death Cafe, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 10am-11:30am PT

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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85727593877?pwd=a084S1VkMWo4czZ1WnhzZlZyWTU0Zz09

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Course:  Spiritual Dimensions of Nearing Death

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This five-class series provides an opportunity to explore near-death experiences, death as a presence/teacher, and the special communication that can happen as one nears death. tion and to register:  Eventbrite Registration

 

A couple of participant comments from the last session: 

 

Dear Respected Rhyena Halpern,

   

I was much pleased to attend your class on the spiritual dimensions of nearing death. I would like to express my gratitude at this juncture for the selfless effort that you put into it. I would like to continue this journey. Hence I will be very happy, if you could keep me informed regarding your similar sessions and seminars. Since I am a Catholic priest working at present in Germany, I will try to join the sessions as my timings and appointments here permit. I consider it to be a great blessing to have attended your class. Once again thank you so much!

 

Gratefully yours – Fr. Rockson

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Many thanks to the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, Rhyena & other staff for providing this wonderful course with great resources: books, videos, meditations.  Would also like to thank all the participants for sharing their time, stories, experiences & for holding space w/ supportive listening. 

 

Aloha, Debbie Dang 

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Facilitated Group:​

Family Caregiving Support Group

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Sharing facilitation hats with Zoe Francesca, we meet every Tuesday from 12-1pm Pacific Time, on Zoom. People from all time zones and geographic are welcome, whether the family member you are caring for lives with you or remotely, at a facility or their own home.

 

Please continue to spread the word to other family caregivers you may meet in the course of doing this sacred and difficult job of family caregiving.

 

Support Group Zoom Link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87538622806?pwd=eUtEN1ZtOC9Lek1Wb21iWmd2MU5rQT09

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Please let me know if you are interested in more information on any of these offerings. 

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​Here are a few examples of articles, press, presentations:

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Compassion & Choices article about doulas where Rhyena is featured along with esteemed colleagues; available by link or word doc:

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https://www.compassionandchoices.org/docs/default-source/magazine/2022-summer-mag-online-final-6-7-22.pdf?_ga=2.221003992.1142695791.1657125281-84547311.1649268284&_gac=1.114893557.1654627368.CjwKCAjw7vuUBhBUEiwAEdu2pLWau70Exv5PGLnZ1AAgBSIbyi21WBC65lorOdRdp1FP3aMWFt-5QRoCuzcQAvD_BwE

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​What is an End of Life Doula anyway? Compassion and Choices Workshop at the annual American Society on Aging Conference, San Francisco, CA, March 2024, plus workshop organizer Meagan Williams' story about it:​

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Presentation at local Bay Area library, Spring 2023:

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