Hypnosis in the Hospice Setting
By Debi Livingston, BCH, CI

Visiting my mother for a week at Connecticut Hospice was my first introduction to a hospice environment. I had been a minister for nineteen years. I was a teacher in metaphysics at a school where people learned about themselves as spirit. I had facilitated several funerals, yet this was my first time surrounded by individuals who were actually in the process of making their final transition from the physical to spiritual. I have never experienced anything so positive and uplifting around "death" in my life.

Connecticut Hospice, as with most other hospices, is dedicated to ensure a person has "death with dignity". The patients are allowed to have whatever they want, whenever they want it; be it ice cream sundaes in the middle of the night, a glass of good Scotch Whiskey, or simply drawing the curtain closed around their section of the room so they can lie in private with their husband or wife.

From midnight till about 3:00 a.m. is when Mom would be most clear. It was during these times that I asked her what she was thinking and feeling, now that she was at the end of her walk on earth. She told me she was no longer afraid because she was beginning to believe she'd never really be "dead." The most curious aspect for her was "what will it feel like, at the exact moment?" She said wondering about that was like waiting in line for a new ride at a carnival; it was both exciting and a little scary, but you knew you'd soon find out because you bought your ticket, there was no turning back.

At times she'd look around the empty room and comment on how crowded it was, what were all these people doing here? I knew at these moments she was peeping in between worlds; the physical and spiritual. I asked if she saw anyone she knew. One night she smiled and said the name "Tink", her best friend who had died during childbirth some thirty odd years before.

I was able to speak with her about leaving her body and what may occur when she stepped over. Hugging her for the last time before I returned home to California is something I'll never forget.

I consider our family experience a lucky one. We had time to get used to the idea. We were able to say words that needed to be spoken so everyone, including Ma, could let go and be at peace. Some families are not so privileged. This is where hypnosis in the hospice environment can be so beneficial.

Often times, the "dying" individual is filled with guilt about leaving their family, especially if theirs is an untimely transition due to illness. They may find themselves in a state of denial and the word 'death' is never allowed to be spoken. While this guilt is misplaced, for the impending death is not anything they could stop, it still exists. With hypnosis we are able to address the issue so that the individual may find peace and comfort, rather than be distressed, worried about how their loved ones will cope once they are gone.

Hypnotherapy is also useful for the loved ones; they can release deep emotional pain and allow forgiveness to flow for the one who is leaving. Hypnosis can also help them address issues of worry and fear, and help them have a new perspective about how life will be once their loved one is gone.

As a hypnotherapist, I was honored to be able to work with my friends dad, Chuck, during the last few days of his life. Applying information as to who he was as spirit, we were able to create a special place where he went to each time we worked together. I remember his smile when he described his mountain top, the fresh air and how easily he could finally breathe. Through hypnosis, he was able to see how his kids were all in a good place in their lives, how loved he was by them, and how everything he viewed as mistakes in his past were simply stepping stones to help him awaken spiritually as he was now doing.

I believe death is a transition into a life we will live forever. Hypnosis is a beautiful tool to help individuals adjust to their situation. Not only can they experience "death with dignity", release fears or manage pain, but can also awaken spiritually to know they are simply stepping out of one set of physical clothing and into a realm called eternity.

Debi Livingston is a Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Instructor at the International Spiritual Hypnotherapy Institute, located in Berkeley, CA. She is also Bishop of the Spiritual Rights Foundation, Inc. of Berkeley, CA.