A

Abwehr, 206-8, 211-12

After Auschwitz (Rubenstein), 53

angels

Gabriel, 228-29

Moses and, 39

visitations, 227-28, 239, 241, 242, 257

archetypes, 128-32, 178-80

Auschwitz, 48, 53, 55

authenticity

brick wall experiences and, 56, 183

conflict with differentiation, 217

difficulties experiencing, 226

of the dying, 70, 193, 199, 224-25, 264

identity and, 200

repentance, 133

 

B

baptism, 179, 244, 246

Berkowitz, Eliezer, 52

bereavement, 61, 239

Bethge, Eberhard, 208

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich

Abwehr, agent of 206-8, 211-12

Confessing Church alliance, 202-5

formative years, 200-201

poetry of, 209-10, 213

Bowen, Murray, 216-17

brick wall experiences, See also hospice

authenticity and, 56, 183

blocking the future, 71-72, 94, 98-99, 100, 265

existential shifts, prompting, 41-44, 95, 259-60, 265-66

Holocaust, inspiring, 46-47, 56

individuation and, 130, 131-32

as metaphor, 22-25

repentance, leading to, 149-150

Buddhism

Christianity and, 65-69

death, expertise in facing, 62, 70

hospice, influence upon, 61-65, 69

Judaism and, 66-69, 161-62, 164-65, 250-51

on love, 176-77

Butler, Robert, 96

 

C

Callanan, Maggie, 227-28

caregivers, 79-80, 84, 94

case studies

Betty (grief), 86-90

Julie (symbolic language), 230-34

George (life review), 108-9

Hans ("Why me?” reactions), 29-31

Paul (repentance, life review)

aloofness, 115-19

archetypal journey, 128-29, 132, 143

behavior, new, 143-44, 148-150, 160

patterns, habitual, 126

help, request for 120-25, 127-28, 142

regrets, 145-47, 266

Ron (visits from deceased relatives), 234-38, 253

Susan (questioning identity), 213-15

chazakah (established way of being), 114-15

Christianity

Buddhism and, 65-69

docetism, 255

Holocaust and, 51-52, 54. 134-35, 202-5, 207

on Prodigal Son parable, 132-36, 140-41

teaching of contempt, 46-47, 48-51

threshold rituals, 244

Confessing Church, 202-5

contempt, teaching of, 46-47, 48-51

covenant, 50, 54-55

 

D

delirium, 242-43

denial

secrets and, 157, 216

terminal prognoses and, 17, 59-61, 68-70, 199

desert experience, 178-80, 187-88

detachment, 63, 177-78, 193, 263

Diana (Princess), 224

differentiation, 216-17

docetism, 255

 

E

Edwards, John, 182

Elijah, 248, 253-54

Erikson, Erik, 81, 194

existential questions, 43-44, 102-3, 189-190, 195

existential shifts

brick wall experiences and, 41-45, 95, 259-60, 265-66

separating before from after, 57

September 11 Terror Attacks, prompting, 10-12, 44-45

existential suffering, 22, 145, 177, 189, 217

Exodus, 179-180

 

F

Fackenheim, Emil, 54

Faith After the Holocaust (Berkowitz), 52

fear, 14-15, 160, 222, 224, 257

Final Gifts (Callanan/Kelley), 13, 227-28

forgetfulness of being, 41-43, 167-68, 218-19, 260

frameworks, 15-16, 129, 267

Frankl, Viktor, 188, 195-200, 203, 213

Freud, Sigmund, 15-16

future

brick wall experience and, 71-72, 94, 98-99, 100, 265

grieving, 83-84, 87, 265

life review, 96, 103-4, 110, 256, 260-61

living for the, 73-77

loss of, 78-79, 90-92, 177, 185, 263

 

G

Gabriel (angel), 228-29

Gerstein, Mordicai, 38

Gillman, Neil, 53, 245-46

God

Buddhism and, 66-67

deicide, 49-50

dying thoughts, 259-260, 262-63, 265

Holocaust and, 53, 55-56, 202, 212-13

in Midrash, 38-39

repentance, 133, 136-41, 160

theodicy, 51-52

trust in, 180, 250, 252

Greenberg, Irving, 54, 180-81

grief

case study: Betty, 86-90

from loss, 12, 80-83, 189, 256, 265

of the dying, 79-80, 84, 90-92, 94, 261

H

happiness, 63, 72-74, 80-81, 225

Harvey, Jerry, 220-22

Heidegger, Martin, 41

Hitler, 54, 182, 203, 208-9

Holocaust

as brick wall experience, 46-47, 56

Christianity and, 51-52, 54. 134-35, 202-5, 207

commandment, inspiring, 54

God and, 53, 55-56, 202, 212-13

identity, stripping away of, 186-7, 195

Isaac, Jules, research of, 48-51

theodicy and, 51-52

hospice, See also brick wall experiences

avoidance, 28-29, 59-61, 68-69

Buddhist influence, 61-65, 69

hypochondria, 36

Jesus likened to hospice patient, 248

NDA, 13-14, 228, 239, 257

Princess Diana’s attraction to, 224

spiritual lessons of patients, 70, 112-13

visitations from deceased relatives, 240-243

 

I

identity

authenticity, 200

case study: Susan, 213-15

chazakah, 114-15

desert revealing, 179

of Jesus, 49, 134, 249, 253-55

identity crisis, 194

questioning, 209-10, 213-15

rituals and, 180-81, 245-46

societal expectations, 173

stripping away of, 174, 186-87, 195-97, 199-200, 264

individuation, 130-32, 142, 178, 217

Israel, 46, 50, 53-54, See also under Rusnak, Kathleen

Isaac, Jules, 46-51

 

J

Jesus

covenant and, 50

desert experience of, 179

Jewish identity, 49, 134, 249, 253-55

premonition of death, 248, 250, 252, 255-56

rabbinic sources, 137-38, 141-42

Jesus and Israel (Isaac), 48-49

John (disciple), 248, 256

Judaism

Buddhism and, 66-69, 161-62, 164-65, 250-51

chazakah, 114-15

on repentance, 139-4, 149, 160

Holocaust affecting, 53-54

teaching of contempt, 46-47, 48-51

theodicy, 51-52

threshold rituals, 243-45, 251-52

Jung, Carl, 129, 130-31

 

K

Kelley, Patricia, 13, 228

kittel (white robe), 252

Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth, 112-13, 129, 165

 

L

life review

case study: George, 108-9

case study: Paul, 123-26, 132, 142-43, 149-50

characteristics of, 99-100, 103-5

of the dying, 102, 106-7, 110-11, 256, 265

for the living, 96-98

as part of NDA, 13

loss. See grief

 

M

Man's Search for Meaning (Frankl), 198

marriage, 82-83, 244

Midrash (rabbinic teaching), 38-39

mindfulness, 41, 43, 63

Moses, 38-39, 248, 253-54

 

N

Nelson, Portia, poetry of, 162-65

NDA (nearing death awareness), 13-14, 227-28, 239, 257

NDE (near-death experiences), 13-14, 238-39, 247

Necessary Losses (Viorst), 218-19

9/11 Terror Attacks, 10-12, 44-45, 97

Nostra Aetate (Vatican II document), 50-51

Nuremberg laws, 186, 205

 

O

Oprah Winfrey Show, 182

 

P

pain

acknowledging, 18, 60, 64-65, 125

alleviating, 123, 145-46

emotional, 23-24, 83, 92, 95

spiritual, 185

suppressing, 161

past, the, See life review

palliative care, 19, 28, 59

pastoral care, 29-31, 76-77, 121, 176, 190-92

patterns

archetypes, 129

of behavior, 111-14, 123-27

of living, 163-64, 262

of negativity, 142 -43, 161-66

responses toward hospice, 28- 29

of spiritual unfolding, 24-25, 267

Peck, Scott, 225

Peter (disciple), 248-50, 254

Philadelphia (film), 222-23

Pianist, The (film), 186

Pope John XXIII, 49-50

Princess Diana, 224

Prodigal Son parable, 132-38, 140-43

Promised Land, 38, 179, 187, 249

psyche, 15-16, 78, 129

 

R

regrets, 76, 103, 145-47 , 266

relatives, deceased, 13, 242-43

repentance, See also under case studies

Judaism and, 135-41, 149-50, 164

Prodigal Son parable, 132-38, 140-43

steps of, 156-60

as teshuvah, 115, 136, 140-41

retirement, 74, 76-77

rituals, 82-83, 180-81 244-46

Rubenstein, Richard, 53

Rusnak, Kathleen

Buddhism and, 62, 65-68

as chaplain, 68-69, 123-25

identity, sense of, 190-92, 194-95

in Israel, 134-36, 152, 174-76, 249

parents of, 34-35, 101-2

as pastor, 29-31, 76-77, 121

pens, fondness for, 150-160

on Prodigal Son parable, 132-33, 134-38

on specialness, 35-37

 

S

Sanford, John, 217-18

Schindler's List (film), 186

separation

before from after, 45-46, 57

brick wall experiences, 23, 25, 41

threshold rituals and, 244-45

September 11 Terror Attacks, 10-12, 44-45, 97

Shadow of a Flying Bird, The (Gerstein), 38-39

sin, 115, 139-42, 159

specialness, 31, 35-38, 57-58, 63, 70

Speer, Albert, 182-83

suffering

Buddhism and, 63

existential, 22, 145, 177, 189, 217

during the Holocaust, 46, 52

Sukkot (Festival of Booths), 180-82, 248-50

symbolic language, 22, 230-34

 

T

taboos, 57, 59

teaching of contempt, 46-47, 48-51

terminal prognoses, 11-14, 16-19, 22, 30-31, 100

teshuvah (repentance), 115, 136, 140-41

theodicy, 51-52

theology 46-47, 48-51, 52, 134, 138

threshold experiences, 15, 243-47, 251, 254

tikkun olam (repairing the world), 67

Transfiguration, the, 247-50, 254

transitions, 82, 164, 178, 244-46

Turner, Viktor, 244

 

V

Vatican II, 50-51

Viorst, Judith, 218-19

visitations, otherworldly

case study: Ron, 234-38, 253

hospice workers attest to, 240-43

NDA, as part of, 13, 227-28, 239, 257

vulnerability

difficulty with, 226

of the dying, 251

September 11 Terror Attacks and, 45

during Sukkot, 181, 250

in threshold experiences, 245

 

Y

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), 251-52

Young, Andrew, 182

Young Man Luther (Erickson), 81

 

W

“Why me?” reactions, 29-31

Wieder, Alan, 171

Wiesel, Elie, 55-56

World War II, 34, 46-47, 134, 201, 205-6