We've got a lot of metaphysical content this month, and in keeping with that, this column is dedicated to my friend Carol, whose dog Cassie crossed the rainbow bridge a few weeks ago (that's an AI-generated image of Carol's husband Joe greeting Cassie on the other side). It's also dedicated to my beloved dog Spootie, who died on July 17 last year. And to all the animals we have known and loved.

Writing this column inspired me to revisit an excerpt from my 2007 book, A Swan in Heaven, which will be of great interest to the metaphysically-minded among you. It was a channeled message from my son -- who had died the previous year -- about the sacred relationship humans have with animals. I updated it with the picture of Joe and Cassie, and put it on a web page that you can view HERE.

Dr. Terri Daniel, CT, FFGT

Clinical Chaplaincy, End-of-Life Educator

Bereavement and Trauma Support

office@deathgriefandbelief.com

END-OF-LIFE, AFTERLIFE AND BEREAVEMENT

Edgar Cayce's Near-Death Experiences
by
Kevin Williams

" Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) had more out-of-body journeys than anyone ever documented. Cayce made over 14,000 journeys into the afterlife realms and was able to access virtually unlimited knowledge by visiting the so-called “Akashic Records' — a heavenly 'Hall of Records' according to Cayce. Cayce described his subconscious mind (which he identified as his “soul“) would leave his physical body and explore the dimension where all subconscious minds are connected – a dimension similar in description to Carl Jung‘s collective unconscious.” READ MORE...

There and Back: NDE Research

"Dr. Bruce Greyson can’t say for certain what happens when you die, but he’s talked to many people with unique perspectives: They were technically dead before being revived.

'Most who have near-death experiences say, ‘I can’t tell you what happened. There are no words for it,’ and I believe that,” Greyson said. “So, I think that whatever happens after death – and I think something does – it’s so far beyond our imagination that there’s no point in trying to speculate about it.'

Near-death experiences may be hard to explain, but many have done their best to describe them to Greyson, the Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia and former director of the UVA School of Medicine’s Division of Perceptual Studies.'" READ MORE...

Breaking the Silence on Death in Medicine

“''We are trained to cure, to save, and death ends up being seen as failure. Talking about it means admitting vulnerability, something our culture tends to avoid.'

That silence appears at different levels. Often the patient senses that the disease is advancing, but the subject is never addressed directly. Professionals, for their part, may hesitate to start conversations about prognosis or limits of treatment for fear of destroying patients’ or families’ hopes or causing suffering.

...'When the prognosis is not discussed openly, the patient loses the ability to choose how they want to live at the end of life,' she said. According to Oliveira-Cardoso, patients often sense that something is wrong even when the team avoids the subject. 'People feel the disease is getting worse. When they realize important information is being withheld, trust in the healthcare team can break down.'” READ MORE...

RELIGION REPORT

Bible Verse Reading List

for Texas Schools

"The Texas Board of Education is preparing to vote next week on requiring schoolchildren to read about a dozen Bible passages and religious stories, stepping into the long-running debate over religion’s — and specifically Christianity’s — place in the public school classroom." READ MORE...

List of "Approved" Religions

for the Military

"The Defense Department under Secretary Pete Hegseth last month pared down the list of recognized religious labels in the military from 211 to a mere 31 — the vast majority of which are various Christian denominations. On Monday, June 8, the list included 30 faiths. READ MORE...

Dr. Karen Wyatt Interviews Terri Daniel

About Spiritual Bypassing

Karen Wyatt MD has been an powerful voice in death, grief and afterlife studies for many years, and is also a colleague and friend of The Afterlife Conference and The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief. Her podcast, End-of-Life University features the world's top thought leaders in the field, and in this episode we discuss the theme of our upcoming symposium on spiritual bypassing.

Religion is Not a Substitute

for Mental Health Care

by Jim Palmer

"One of the most damaging ideas many people inherited from certain religious environments is the belief that sincere prayer, obedience, or greater faith should be enough to resolve psychological suffering. When people continue struggling despite these efforts, they are often taught to interpret their suffering as spiritual failure, weakness of character, hidden sin, or deficient relationship with God. The psychological consequences of this framework can be severe." READ MORE...

SACRED ACTIVISM

What Jefferson and Madison Would Have thought About ‘Rededicating’ the U.S. to God

"According to the Pew Research Center, 73% of adults agree that religion should be kept separate from government policies, and only 19% of Americans say the United States should stop enforcing that principle...

"Jefferson wrote the Virginia Bill for Religious Freedom in 1777, the most comprehensive declaration of religious freedom at the time. The bill guaranteed freedom of conscience, protected religious assemblies from government oversight, prohibited government funding of religious institutions and boldly declared that religious opinions were outside the authority of civil officials." READ MORE...

WORKSHOPS, CLASSES

AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Online Saturday, July 25!

SPIRITUAL BYPASSING:

Counseling and Support Perspectives

Six 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.

Our Esteemed Presenters

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION

Grief Therapy Learning Retreat
August 21-25
Bainbridge Island, WA.

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

OTHER STUFF

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

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