ABSTRACT
In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross published a book titled On Death and Dying,1 which simultaneously is a book “on life and living.” Elisabeth described œve stages that a terminally ill person goes through when told of their impending death: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Before relating these stages to our thought processes and how we change, let us examine each stage:
1. Denial, refusing to admit reality or trying to invalidate logic, is the œrst stage a terminally ill person goes through. Denial leads to a feeling of isolation, of being helpless and alone in the universe. At some level, however, the person knows the truth but is not yet ready or able to accept it emotionally.
