Facing Our Greatest Fear, Together (Hybrid)

One of the most profound gifts a caregiver can provide is companionship for the dying. We live in a death-denying society; the technological successes of the last two hundred years have medicalized the process and driven a persistent pursuit of immortality. We no longer have the kind of intimate relationship with the experience of physical death that has been part of human life for almost all of our evolutionary history. Taking care of someone can be an act of love; it can also be a difficult and isolating burden. It can be overwhelming and fraught with complex emotions of frustration, guilt and sorrow.

In this workshop with Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and author Koshin Paley Ellison, we will explore how to care for another with compassion and empathy at the end of life while tending to our own well being. How might our attachments and fears reveal themselves to us when we are mindful and open to the reality of the dying process? How might facing what we fear most liberate us to live our lives more fully from moment to moment? What practices, rituals, and shared ceremonies can support a professional’s need to process and grieve after the death of a client?

This program is being offered both IN-PERSON and ONLINE. Please select how you will attend when registering. Recordings will be distributed to registered participants only, and will not be available for individual purchase.

All times are CT. Please contact onlinelearning@junghouston.org with any questions.

Please register early. Programs with four or fewer participants are subject to cancellation, 48 hours prior to their start.

Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, New York Zen Center Co-Founder, President, & Guiding Teacher

Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, leader in contemplative care, and co-founder of an educational non-profit called the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. His books, grounded in Buddhist wisdom and practice, have gained national attention. Through its numerous educational programs, contemplative retreats, and Soto Zen Buddhist practices, the New York Zen Center touches thousands of lives every year. Koshin has appeared on dozens of podcasts and his work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets. 

Website: https://zencare.org