Death is But a Dream: Hope and meaning at life's end
Feb 2020 · Hachette UK
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About this ebook
The first book to explore the meaningful dreams and visions that bring comfort as death nears.
Experiences at the end of life testify to our greatest needs: to love and be loved, to be nurtured and feel connected, to be remembered and forgiven. Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has tended to thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love, meaning and grace. They reveal that there is hope beyond cure as they transition to focus on personal meaning. In this extraordinary and beautiful book, Dr. Kerr shares his patients' stories and his own research pointing to death as not purely the end of life, but as a final passage of humanity and transcendence.
Drawing on interviews with over 1,200 patients and more than a decade of quantified data , Dr. Kerr reveals why pre-death dreams and visions are remarkable events that bring comfort and exemplify human resilience. These are not regular dreams. Described as "more real than real," they frequently include loved ones long gone and mark the transition from distress to acceptance. These end-of-life experiences help patients restore meaning, make sense of the dying process and assist in reclaiming it as an experience in which they have a say. They also benefit the bereaved who get relief from seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure.
Beautifully written with astonishing stories, this book, at its heart, celebrates the power to reclaim how we die, while soothing the bereaved who witness their loved ones go with unqualified grace.
Experiences at the end of life testify to our greatest needs: to love and be loved, to be nurtured and feel connected, to be remembered and forgiven. Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has tended to thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love, meaning and grace. They reveal that there is hope beyond cure as they transition to focus on personal meaning. In this extraordinary and beautiful book, Dr. Kerr shares his patients' stories and his own research pointing to death as not purely the end of life, but as a final passage of humanity and transcendence.
Drawing on interviews with over 1,200 patients and more than a decade of quantified data , Dr. Kerr reveals why pre-death dreams and visions are remarkable events that bring comfort and exemplify human resilience. These are not regular dreams. Described as "more real than real," they frequently include loved ones long gone and mark the transition from distress to acceptance. These end-of-life experiences help patients restore meaning, make sense of the dying process and assist in reclaiming it as an experience in which they have a say. They also benefit the bereaved who get relief from seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure.
Beautifully written with astonishing stories, this book, at its heart, celebrates the power to reclaim how we die, while soothing the bereaved who witness their loved ones go with unqualified grace.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Ama Kalma
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July 16, 2024
Soothing, relaxing and encouraging
About the author
Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer at The Center for Hospice & Palliative Medicine in Buffalo, New York. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Chris earned his MD as well as a PhD in eurobiology and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and Psychology Today.
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