#135- DGB Newsletter - April 2026 | | |
April 10 – May 1 ONLINE
Therapeutic Mindful Photography
with Dr. Jessica Thomas
------------------------------------
April 18 and 25 - ONLINE
Making Peace with End-of-Life
with Dr. Terri Daniel
-----------------------------------
April 29 - ONLINE
Messages from Spirit
with mediums Suzane Northrop
and Thomas John
------------------------------------------
June 6 and 13 - ONLINE
Re-Imagining Loss and Grief
with Dr. Terri Daniel
------------------------------------------
COMING SOON...SAVE THE DATES!
July 25 -ONLINE
Spiritual Bypassing:
Counseling and Support Perspectives
See full story below
Earlybird discount
ends April 25!
-----------------------------------
Aug. 21 - 25 - Seattle, WA
Annual Grief Therapy
Learning Retreat
with Dr. Robert Neimeyer
See full story below
-----------------------------------
Sept. 4-17 - Bali, Indonesia
Sacred Stillness Retreat
with Austyn Wells
| |  | |
Easter Origins
How do Bunnies, Flowers and Eggs Relate to the
Resurrection of Jesus?
I publish some variation of this article every year at Easter because it's worth repeating for those interested in a historical approach to the study of religion.
Spring is about the “resurrection” of life in the natural world. Plants come alive, animals give birth, and everything awakens to the light after the darkness of winter. This month the Christian world celebrates Easter, so I thought I’d share a few fun Easter facts:
. The word “Easter” is believed to be derived from the name of a Norse goddess called Eastre or Ostara.
. Eggs, rabbits and pastel colors (the colors of spring flowers) are symbols of birth and fertility.
. The Easter "bunny" does not actually have Pagan origins (see related video below).
If you’re looking for biblical confirmation of what you’ve always been taught about Easter, take some time to read the gospels horizontally, comparing the resurrection story from one account to another. Here’s what you’ll find: READ MORE...
Dr. Terri Daniel, CT, FFGT
Clinical Chaplaincy, End-of-Life Educator
Bereavement and Trauma Support
office@deathgriefandbelief.com
| | | |
END-OF-LIFE, AFTERLIFE AND BEREAVEMENT
| | |
You would hope for your dying days to be full of calm and care. But our research with people who are dying shows this is far from the reality for many people. Instead, financial stress plays a huge and increasing role in who can afford a “good death.”
In our recent study, we interviewed 18 people nearing the end of life in a palliative care unit, as well as six family members and careers, and 20 palliative care professionals. We asked what it was like to be dying, to care for someone at the end of life, and to work in palliative care. READ MORE...
| | The Words People Hear After Death | |
Image: Dan Callister The Telegraph, August 2024
Dr. Sam Parnia, an intensive care physician and the director of critical care and resuscitation research at NYU Langone, has spent years collecting accounts from people revived after cardiac arrest. In NYU Langone’s reporting on this work, survivors described “a perception of separation from the body,” and “a meaningful evaluation of life,” along with an ability to observe what was happening around them while they were presumed unconscious. READ MORE...
| | Chopra and Epstein: Spirituality in Crisis? | "The apparent close bond between Epstein and Chopra has sent shockwaves through the spirituality and wellness industry. The friendship between the two seems to have begun in 2016, eight years after Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. Chopra and Epstein were in regular contact, joking about picking up girls, attending retreats, brokering lucrative deals and relaxing at Epstein’s residences. Part guru, part wingman, Chopra’s advice to Epstein includes the now widely circulated comments: “God is a Construct. Cute Girls are Real.” “Come to Israel with us. Relax and have fun with interesting people. If you want use a fake name. Bring your girls.” “Anything we share is between us. I share nothing with anyone but trust you.” READ MORE... | | |
No Evidence of Religious Revival
in America
| "Some media reports have suggested there may be a religious revival taking place among young adults in the U.S. But our recent polls, along with other high-quality surveys we have analyzed, show no clear evidence that this kind of nationwide religious resurgence is underway... The recent stability is striking because it comes after a prolonged period of religious decline." READ MORE... | | | Religion is declining worldwide | "When it comes to going to church, a generational pattern is playing out in many households around the world: Grandparents never miss Sunday service; parents attend only on holidays; children, who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” rarely attend at all as adults. The authors looked at religious change across more than 100 countries and religious traditions.." READ MORE... | | | The Easter Bunny is not a Pagan Symbol | | |
WORKSHOPS, CLASSES
AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
| |
Our 2026 Summer Symposium
Online Saturday, July 25
SPIRITUAL BYPASSING:
Counseling and Support Perspectives
Earlybird Discount Ends April 25
CE Credits for Psychologists, Nurses, Social Workers and More!
| |
Spiritual bypassing describes a form of negative religious coping in which religion or spirituality is used as a psychological defense mechanism to avoid facing painful situations, particularly how this mechanism might be used to cope with loss and grief. The term was coined in the mid-1980s by John Welwood, a Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist who described it as a coping device through which people use spirituality as a defense mechanism.
In this unique online seminar, you'll work interactively with some of today's most respected leaders at the intersection of psychology and spirituality. Join us for a day of unique content addressing critical issues in these fields.
| 25% Earlybird discount available until April 25 | Grief Therapy Learning Retreat - August 21-25
Bainbridge Island, WA.
Earlybird Discount Ends June 15 | |
Registration is now open for the Portland Institute’s annual Grief Therapy Learning Retreat. The 5-day, 4-night event will feature a rich program of professional continuing education, yielding up to 21 hours of APA and ABSW approved CE credits and ample opportunities for self-renewal in the lush Pacific Northwest forest of IslandWood, an ecological retreat on Bainbridge Island, just off the coast of Seattle.
Sessions will cover these topics and much more:
- Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy
- The 5 Laws of Transition
- Specialized group therapy formats
- Creative writing approaches
- Broken heart syndrome
- Ground-breaking research on grief
- Narrative interventions for young children
- Trauma-informed techniques for self-regulation and self-care
- Creative and arts-assisted methods for individual and groups
- In-depth case studies
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION
Earlybird discount ends June 15!
| |
Navigating the Social, Emotional,
Spiritual and Political 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 | | |
Comments, complaints or kudos about our content?
Let us know us about what you think!
We now have a feedback form where you can share your opinions about what you've read here, and we would love to hear from you! You can find the form HERE. We may even publish your comment in an upcoming newsletter (anonymously, unless you choose to include your name)
| | Become a Newsletter Sponsor | | Our newsletter is now available on a limited basis to one advertiser per month who'd like to promote a product or service to our email list of 15,000 subscribers and 25,000 Facebook followers. Our audience is deeply interested in the topics we address here, so if it seems like a good audience for you, submit your information by filling out THIS FORM (we will be selective about the products and services we promote). Your ad or article will appear in this spot for $150 per issue. | | |
You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for our email list
either via one of our websites, a workshop, or one of our online groups.
We don't share email addresses, nor do we acquire them from other sources.
| | | | |
