I'm so excited about this upcoming workshop that I'm repeating this announcement to make sure everybody knows about it. Even though it's a live event in Portland, I plan to bring it to other U.S. locations in the future. If you're affiliated with a group that might like to offer this training, please let me know. There are four CE credit hours available for nurses, social workers, counselors, psychologists and more.

This immersive learning experience is based on the traditions of the Quero shamans of Peru, as taught to me by Linda Fitch in her Dying Consciously workshop back in 2009. I've used it for years to train hospice professionals and death studies students, and now offer it publicly for the first time.

Please visit the workshop web page HERE for information, and see below for a full story.

Dr. Terri Daniel, CT, FFGT

Clinical Chaplaincy, EOL Educator

Bereavement and Trauma Support

office@deathgriefandbelief.com

END-OF-LIFE, AFTERLIFE AND BEREAVEMENT

Would You Use AI for Grief Support?

"Patients and their families have increasingly turned to technology to learn more about end-of-life care, as well as the different types of bereavement resources available. Hospices and grief professionals alike have raised questions about the potential risks and benefits of AI-powered bereavement tools. Among the concerns is that AI tools are in the early stages of rapid development that is outpacing regulatory oversight. Patient privacy, data protection and consent are among the areas of significant consideration and risk." READ MORE...

AI as a Substitute for End-of-Life Conversations
with Physicians?

"...Just 37% of seriously ill older adults report having had a serious illness conversation with a physician, and when they do occur, they're often too late: on average, about a month before death. That can leave patients receiving care that doesn't reflect their wishes or undergoing treatments they otherwise might have declined, which in some instances can prolong pain and suffering.

In research published in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, the team of researchers found that large language models, or LLMs, can potentially act as a surrogate in facilitating serious illness conversations." READ MORE..

Why Death-Aware Spirituality

Matters Now More than Ever

Hospice physician Dr. Karen Wyatt reflects on these important end-of-life topics:

Why we all need to look inward at this time
We are facing crises of grief, meaning, and moral guidance
We need spirituality that is death-aware, ego-wise, and rooted in love
Three simple practices for each of those goals

LISTEN HERE

RELIGION REPORT

Black Buddhists Overlooked

in Academia

"Long overlooked and newly energized, “Black Buddhism” is emerging as a movement and academic field to rewrite the history of Buddhism in the U.S. — a history that has overlooked the role of Black practitioners and intellectuals for more than a century, scholars argue.

In early August, Princeton University will host a four-day Black Buddhism Faculty Training workshop to teach about Black Buddhism." READ MORE...

Ten Commandments

Challenged in Schools

"Three Houston mothers are suing to stop displaying the Ten Commandments in Texas public school classrooms, arguing it violates the state’s religious freedom law and a voter-approved parental rights amendment.

Their lawsuit is the latest challenge to Senate Bill 10 — this time under Texas law. Other attempts to prohibit the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools under federal law have been unsuccessful so far." READ MORE...

Buddhist Summer Camps for Kids

"American summer camps have long carried religious identities, beginning with the 19th century’s “muscular Christianity,” which motivated the earliest summer programs, and continuing into the 20th century’s robust network of Jewish camps, according to Leslie Paris, a University of British Columbia professor and author of Children’s Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp.

But Buddhist ones remain rare: Despite an American Buddhist population more than half the size of the Jewish one, there’s no national camp network and just a handful of camps sprinkled across the country figuring out what a Buddhist summer camp looks like. "READ MORE...

SACRED ACTIVISM

LGBTQ-Affirming Churches

Confront Religious Trauma

"Jacob May remembers sitting across from his pastor at 22-years-old in 2014 at a Chipotle in rural Virginia defending his gay identity over a carnitas burrito.

They went over the usual talking points, with his pastor pointing to the clobber passages — the Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality — and May pointing out mistranslations and historical context in response.

“We should continue meeting weekly,” his pastor said. He wanted to continue teaching May the Southern Baptist way: that homosexuality is a sin that would be punished by eternity in hell." READ MORE...

WORKSHOPS, CLASSES
AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Portland, OR. - September 20, 2026

In this immersive, interactive half-day workshop, you'll witness -- and participate in -- a guided role-play process that explores the perspectives of a dying person and the people gathered at the bedside.

You'll explore compassionate communication, family dynamics, grief, spiritual diversity, death anxiety, and not only the process of dying, but the emotional issues and family dynamics that can accompany it.

Four CE credit hours available for

nurses, social workers, psychologists and more!

Who Should Attend?

End-of-life professionals

Death doulas

Funeral directors

Counselors and therapists

Chaplains and clergy

Physicians, nurses, healthcare providers

Spiritual seekers and teachers

You will explore:

Your end-of-life hopes, fears and intentions

Expressing your wishes to loved ones

Planning your ideal deathbed scenario

Working with ancestors

You will practice:

Cultivating a non-anxious presence for helping others

Supporting the bereaved

Navigating difficult family dynamics

Offering spiritually-inclusive care

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

OTHER STUFF

Navigating the Social, Emotional and Spiritual Journey

Through Aging, Illness and End-of-Life

Endwell Advisors offer hands-on, compassionate assistance to help you address the concerns you may not feel comfortable discussing with friends, family or even your health care providers. We can literally walk beside you, meeting with your family to facilitate a difficult end-of-life discussion, helping you fill out an advance directive, or planning every detail (and even officiating) a memorial service. Visit us at www.EndWellAdvisors.com

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Why Death-Aware Spirituality

﻿Matters Now More than Ever

LGBTQ-Affirming Churches

Confront Religious Trauma

Matters Now More than Ever