Healing Through the End of Life
            Leslie Bryan, End of Life Doula, Shamanic Healing Practitioner
  • Introduction
  • Healing Tools
  • Bio
  • Media
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Me
  • Websites
  • Bibliography

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

5/27/2018

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Sometimes a place touches  you on levels you can’t imagine, and you don’t know why but you just feel better.  Do you have places where you go to seek solace, or to center, or to de stress?

Recently I had gallbladder surgery.  Afterward I was not able to eat very much and I was feeling really off, like I wasn’t quite all here.  When I described the feeling to a friend, she said “You are not back in your body.”   My reaction, “Well duh!”  I had done all my pre-surgery healing preparations, but had forgotten about doing post-op protocols.

Happily when I came to this realization, Charles and I were getting ready for a trip to Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon.  I knew this was the place I needed to go to shake off the lingering effects of anesthesia and pain killers.

Always when I am standing atop Mt. Bachelor overlooking the rest of the Cascade range, including the Sisters and Broken Top, I feel like the mountains embrace me.  In a place so high up, I feel very much part of the earth.
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The Sisters mountains and Broken Top from Mt. Bachelor

​Many years ago after a close friend of mine died I had a hard time processing my grief (I had been her doula, her close companion through cancer treatment and death.) So I went to one of my favorite places in the Shawanugunk Mountains in upper New York state.  In this place the massive boulders there were my consolation. The ancient energy of these rocks were the big shoulders I needed to cry on. 


To this day, I often go to those ancient sentinels just to touch base.
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The rocky cliffs of the Shawangunks

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​The beach is another special place for me.  In days past I had a job that was horrendously stressful all summer.  Every year at the end of this period, Charles and I would go to the beach.  For three days I sat on the beach, pretty much in a state of “don’t talk to me!”  After those three days, I was calm and relaxed once more.  Then it was safe to talk to me :)
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Chincoteague, VA

​I hope that you have your special places or that you can find places that serve as your quiet healing place.
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Floating Pillow for Burial at Sea

5/6/2018

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A family that I was working with told me about a really interesting item that can be used to send remains (cremations) out to sea.  It is a floating pillow.  Who knew!?
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These urns are sturdy, easy to use and 100% biodegradable. They are water friendly for ocean, lake or wide river. They can be placed directly into water and will slip under the water within minutes.  There are lots of options, check them out here. 
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Before and After My Father:  Newsletter to Blog

5/4/2018

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Greetings!

A few years ago I took a break from writing my newsletter in order to care for my Father through his final illness and death.  It was one of the most amazingly wonderful and painful experiences.  A gift I will always treasure.
 
I am certain the stories of my final adventure with my Father will come out in these pages, a bit at a time.  But for now I am happy to reconnect with you and with my love for writing these pages.

I am exploring a new format, this blog instead of my newsletter.  And I will skip the tight deadlines that I maintained for the newsletter and write in my own time.

My life is definitely marked by before and after my Father's death.  After his death I needed a long time to rest. I actually had to go away to learn how to sleep again. (I highly recommend Aruba.)  Then there was the grieving process which was complicated by the mountains of paper work to settle his estate (thank goodness for wonderful lawyers and bankers); my Mother's need to clear out his closet (which broke my heart); and adjusting to a new world that did not include my Father (which felt very tilted).  
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The Spa in Aruba where I learned to relax and connect to my body again. It was a life saver.
I also had to figure out how to take care of me,  what to do to feed my soul.  What do I love to do?  What makes my heart sing?  It didn't take me long to find those things -- ice dancing with Charles and playing the piano.   The joy of both of these now fill my life.  
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Charles and I in Sun Valley, Idaho August 2017

Before I go, I want to share an old photo of my Father and me that makes me smile.


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Thanks Pop!
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    Author

    ​Healing Through the End of Life grew out of my belief that the end-of-life is a sacred time that one should pass through with grace and dignity. ​ I bring comfort, care, and compassion to people who are in transition, especially at the end-of-life, so they may be in peace.

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