Arguably, the ability to feel comfortable around the subject of death is one of the great gifts of life. As a human, you will face your own death and likely the deaths of loved ones. As a therapist, you will often hear about death in relation to your clients too. This brief talk will include a look at some of the findings from the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death (Jan 2022), a description of “normal dying,” a reminder that our own “wisdom within” is always available to us.  I will include considerations and suggestions when supporting people who are dying, and general planning ideas around our own deaths.  There will also be a 5 minute film about “normal dying”.

Wendy is a former Registered Nurse who trained as a Soul Midwife in 2013. She facilitates educational workshops in death literacy for professionals and individuals, encouraging participants to become ambassadors in their own circles for conversations around death and dying. In 2023 she was part of the organising committee for Kicking the Bucket, a festival of living and dying, which took place in and around Oxford.