Faith in God and hope for an afterlife are the dominant thoughts in the minds of the terminally ill.
And while this may come as no surprise to people of faith, it is the central point of focus in the newly published book, Dying
In God’s Hands, by Camille Pavy Claibourne, RN, PhD, a veteran nurse and former hospice board president.
Claibourne’s book is a contribution to the somewhat mysterious field of thanatology, the study of death and dying. This field has been illuminated in recent decades by the renowned Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, author of the groundbreaking book, On Death and Dying (1969); and Dr. Ira Byock, a spokesman for the hospice movement and author of Dying Well (1997).
Claibourne’s book, which builds on Dr. Byock’s work, is a byproduct of her doctoral dissertation in thanatology. The dissertation is based on her interviews with 15 hospice patients in southern Louisiana, people dying of HIV, ALS, cancer and other terminal illnesses.
Though none of Claibourne’s interview questions asked about the patient’s religious beliefs or views on life after death, virtually all of those interviewed volunteered their thoughts on the subjects of faith and eternal life.
Claibourne’s research and field work confirmed much of what is already known about the fears, aspirations and behavior of people who are dying.
But her observations went well beyond that, entering the realm of the supernatural, a place where scientists in general have been reluctant to go.
She discovered and wrote about what she terms “additional landmarks…that could reshape models of care for people living with a life-threatening illness.” The additional landmark she writes about most extensively in this book is the hospice patients’ “sense of knowing life after death.”
“The participants, as a whole, spoke of their belief in afterlife. This belief elevated spiritual development as a priority and also brought solace to them as they experienced the pain and suffering associated with a life-threatening illness,” she wrote in her dissertation.
In her book, Dying In God’s Hands, this point is made over and over again – in the words of the patients who were interviewed and by the author as she summarizes her findings.
“The patients who were facing imminent death all talked comfortably about the Divine in their lives – almost as if they knew something I did not. Our discussions made me feel they were living and dying in the hands of God – which is what led to the title of this book,” Claibourne writes.
Published by Acadian House Publishing, Dying In God’s Hands is a 152-page hardcover book and is available through bookstores nationwide. It can be obtained via the internet (www.acadianhouse.com) or by mail order from Acadian House, P.O. Box 52247, Lafayette, LA 70505, (800) 850-8851. It retails for $16.95 plus $4 shipping.
“Dying can be a beautiful experience of faith, hope and love. This book is designed to give the reader solace and comfort when the time comes to deal with his or her own impending death or the imminent loss of a loved one,” Claibourne writes.