Assisting with dying: A phenomenological analysis of six case studies

As a Reiki practitioner using meditation and shamanic practices, I have kept journals about my transpersonal experiences from 1988 to 2012, observing six persons approaching death. My hermeneutic phenomenological study used six of my journal accounts from my practice working within hospitals and home care.;These themes for dying people emerged: (a) dying is a journey of ever-increasing levels of information; (b) the dying person's intention brokers the interaction, fear retards its progress, and (c) surrender facilitates a smooth transition; (d) the presence of healing/assistance from another person can alter the process significantly; (e) imaginal signifiers assist in and are signposts of personal integration; (f) ritual can trigger forward advancement; (g) compassion/love must be also be present; (h) neurognostic function in the practitioner and similar physiospiritual process in the dying person can occur for maximal effect, but is not required; (i) physiospiritual processes in the dying person progress, which can be halted or aborted; j) assistance can be given by any person sustaining thoughts of positive outcome.;Ten propositions were offered, based on the information from the stories examined: a)dying is a journey of ever-increasing levels of information leading to transformation; b)positive and negative intentions govern process and endpoint; c) surrender and acceptance facilitate process; d) physiological processes occur in stages of dying in conjunction with spiritual and emotional processes; e) process can be aborted by the dying person and excessive medical intervention; f) transitioned individuals appear to continue elsewhere; g) assistance and direction can be given to those passing by outsiders in the form of neurognostic activity, sometimes after transitioning, but is not required for a successful transition; h) signs and symbols signify the driving attempt of the person to integrate spiritually, emotionally, and cognitively; i) compassion/love is present in effective transitions, the presence of community is essential; j) outside observers can assist the dying process by sustaining positive intention.;By examining each of these case studies from within the transpersonal model, the shamanic process and the Tibetan Bardos, I hope to bring forward a more evolved understanding of the physical, spiritual, and emotional characteristics of death and dying.