WHAT DOES A SOUL MIDWIFE DO?
Soul Midwives are non medical holistic companions who guide and support the dying in order to facilitate a gentle and tranquil death.
They listen, provide gentle therapeutic techniques, and ensure compassionate care at all times.
They work holistically with both the spirit and the soul of the patient
They keep a loving vigil.
They create and hold a sacred and healing space for the dying person
They recognise and support the individual needs of the departing soul to enable a tranquil death.
They use sound, touch, colour and smell and other gentle techniques to help alleviate pain and anxiety.
They support families and loved ones.
The soul midwife’s most important role is to provide nurturing, continuous support and reassurance in helping the patients to experience the death he or she wants.
A New Way of Dying
" It should be a sacred day for you when one of your people dies- a sacred day, when a soul is released and returns to its home" -Black Elk
We all die. But there are good deaths, and not such good deaths
Most of us hope to die, pain free, at home, with our loved ones around us given the choice
But not many of us actually achieve this. Most modern deaths are at best efficient, but clinical, institutionalised , functional and soul-less
Soul midwives ensure that death is a dignified and peaceful experience
In traditional cultures around the world, death has always been regarded as an important rite of passage, an initiation, a journey across a spiritual threshold
Modern soul midwives are able to draw on the ancient skills and traditions now long forgotten , applying them to our modern world and using them to ease the passage of those who are dying
They lovingly assist and accompany, and can provide their services within a person's home, hospital or hospice .
" A good death is an extraordinary , moving and sacred experience. It can also have a healing quality, not only for the person who is involved but their families, friends and the wider community " Felicity Warner- Gentle Dying |