ABSTRACT
The editors of "Making Sense of Death: Spiritual, Pastoral, and Personal Aspects of Death, Dying and Bereavement" provide stimulating discussions as they ponder the meaning of life and death.This anthology explores the process of meaning-making in the face of death and the roles of religion and spirituality at times of loss; the profound and devastating experience of loss in the death of a spouse or a child; a psychological model of spirituality; the dimensions of spirituality; humor in client-caregiver relationships; the worldview of modernity in contrast to postmodern assumptions; the Buddhist perspective of death, dying, and pastoral care; meaning-making in the virtual reality of cyberspace; individualism and death; and the historical context of Native Americans, the concept of disenfranchised grief, and its detailed application to the Native American experience.It also explores: a qualitative survey on the impact of the shooting deaths of students in Colorado; a team approach with physicians, nursing, social services, and pastoral care; a study of health care professionals, comparing clergy with other health professionals; marginality in spiritual and pastoral care for the dying; a qualitative research study of registered nurses in the northeast United States; and loss and growth in the seasons of life.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
section Section I|42 pages
Facing the Death of a Loved One
section Section II|57 pages
Meaning-Making in the Face of Death
chapter Chapter 6|15 pages
Death and the Postmodern Self: Individualism, Religion, and the Transformation of the Modern Self
chapter Chapter 7|9 pages
The Healing Touch of Awareness: A Buddhist Perspective on Death, Dying, and Pastoral Care
section Section III|50 pages
Extraordinary Death and Loss
section Section IV|43 pages
Professional Caregivers and Spirituality
chapter Chapter 12|10 pages
When a Patient Dies: Meeting Spiritual Needs of the Bereaved in a Health Care Setting
chapter Chapter 13|17 pages
An Exploratory Study of the Spirituality of Clergy as Compared with Health Care Professionals
section Section V|26 pages
Conclusion