1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910818912703321

Autore

Kellehear Allan

Titolo

The inner life of the dying person / / Allan Kellehear

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, NY : , : Columbia University Press, , 2014

ISBN

0-231-53693-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (283 pages)

Collana

End-of-Life Care: A Series

Disciplina

155.9/37

Soggetti

Death - Psychological aspects

Terminally ill - Psychology

Attitude

Delivery of Health Care

Persons

Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Health Care

Attitude to Death

Terminally Ill

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. In the Beginning . . . -- 2. Suffering - Enduring the New Reality -- 3. Fear - A Threat observed -- 4. Courage - Facing the overwhelming -- 5. Resistance - Facing the Choices -- 6. Sadness and Anger - Facing loss -- 7. Hope and love - Connection -- 8. Waiting - In-between-ness -- 9. Review and Reminiscence - Remembering -- 10. Aloneness - Disconnection -- 11. Transformation - Change, Change, Change -- 12. Some Final Reflections -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

This unique book recounts the experience of facing one's death solely from the dying person's point of view rather than from the perspective of caregivers, survivors, or rescuers. Such unmediated access challenges assumptions about the emotional and spiritual dimensions of dying, showing readers that-along with suffering, loss, anger, sadness, and fear-we can also feel courage, love, hope, reminiscence,



transcendence, transformation, and even happiness as we die. A work that is at once psychological, sociological, and philosophical, this book brings together testimonies of those dying from terminal illness, old age, sudden injury or trauma, acts of war, and the consequences of natural disasters and terrorism. It also includes statements from individuals who are on death row, in death camps, or planning suicide. Each form of dying addressed highlights an important set of emotions and narratives that often eclipses stereotypical renderings of dying and reflects the numerous contexts in which this journey can occur outside of hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices. Chapters focus on common emotional themes linked to dying, expanding and challenging them through first-person accounts and analyses of relevant academic and clinical literature in psycho-oncology, palliative care, gerontology, military history, anthropology, sociology, cultural and religious studies, poetry, and fiction. The result is an all-encompassing investigation into an experience that will eventually include us all and is more surprising and profound than anyone can imagine.