Death is But a Dream: Hope and meaning at life's end

(Paperback)

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Description

Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has tended thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love, meaning and grace. They reveal that there is hope beyond cure as they transition to focus on personal meaning. In this extraordinary and beautiful book, Dr. Kerr shares his patients' stories and his own research pointing to death as not purely the end of life, but as a final passage of humanity and transcendence.

Drawing on interviews with over 1,200 patients and more than a decade of quantified data , Dr. Kerr reveals why pre-death dreams and visions are remarkable events that bring comfort and exemplify human resilience. These are not regular dreams. Described as "more real than real," they frequently include loved ones long gone and mark the transition from distress to acceptance. These end-of-life experiences help patients restore meaning, make sense of the dying process and assist in reclaiming it as an experience in which they have a say. They also benefit the bereaved who get relief from seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure.

Beautifully written with astonishing stories, this book, at its heart, celebrates the power to reclaim how we die, while soothing the bereaved who witness their loved ones go with unqualified grace.

Reviews

This comforting guide will reassure the dying and their loved ones while providing instructive portraits of end-of-life patients for those who work in medical and healing professions * Publisher's Weekly *
Whether you have a loved one nearing the end, or are contemplating what may lie beyond this life, you'll find that Dr Kerr's book brings meaning and even beauty to our final stage. I recommend it highly for anyone with a finite lifespan * Dale Bredesen, MD *
Based on deep experience, this loving, emotionally wise book will help many people find the path to love, acceptance and meaning as they face life's end * Katy Butler *
This reality is shared with us by a hospice physician who, himself, learned so much from the dying. And what did he learn That by being truly present with those who are dying, one learns how to live * James Doty, MD *
A beautiful portrait of the human capacity for transcendence at the end of life. This book will inspire you reflect on the love and meaning you have experienced in your own life, and help you listen to, and be with, those nearing the end of their lives * Kelly McGonigal, PhD *
[A] sympathetic and intriguing book. [Death is But a Dream is] an uplifting and reassuring work testifying to the deep restorative and spiritual - though not necessarily religious - nature of pre-death visions * Kirkus Reviews *

Author Bio

Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer at The Center for Hospice & Palliative Medicine in Buffalo, New York. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Chris earned his MD as well as a PhD in eurobiology and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and Psychology Today.