Holding Space

On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go

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Pub Date 21 Nov 2017 | Archive Date 14 Nov 2017

Description

A hospital chaplain reflects on grief and loss, mindfulness and healing, in this “beautifully written” meditation on the spiritual, emotional, and philosophical implications of end-of-life care (Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindfulness on the Go)

As a hospital chaplain, Amy Wright Glenn has been present with those suffering from suicide, trauma, disease, and unforeseen accidents and has been witness to the intense grief and powerful insights that so often accompany loss. She weaves together memoir, philosophical inquiry, and cutting-edge research on death/dying to chronicle how we, as individuals and as a culture, handle everything from grief to mortality.

Glenn is also a professional birth doula with a deep and committed mindfulness practice who has thought deeply about the significance of human love and loss. She asks us to embrace the task of being present with what is—through courageous and mindful expressions of compassionate presence—and helps us to accept the fact of our own mortality on a visceral and emotional level, not simply as an intellectual abstraction.

Holding Space concludes by integrating key insights drawn from working directly with the dying into a moving and compelling meditation on the healing power of “holding space” for all involved in caring for the dying, a healing sorely needed in our culture at this time.
A hospital chaplain reflects on grief and loss, mindfulness and healing, in this “beautifully written” meditation on the spiritual, emotional, and philosophical implications of end-of-life care (Jan...

Advance Praise

“Holding Space does just that for each of us. In a clear, intimate voice, Amy Wright Glenn shares her own experience and wisdom and by doing so makes a space for her reader to develop the same. For anyone going through loss, this book will feel like a treasure.”

—SHARON SALZBERG, Lovingkindness and Real Love

“This is a beautifully written book about the challenging practice of remaining present—holding non-reactive space—around emotions of grief, sorrow and loss. This practice is brought alive through many touching vignettes from the author’s life and work as a hospital chaplain and as a doula for the poignant transitions of birth and death. I recommend Holding Space highly for hospice workers, religious and medical professionals, and for anyone facing personal loss.”

—JAN CHOZEN BAYS, Mindfulness on the Go and Mindful Eating

“To be human is to be born, to live, and then to pass on. I have long believed that we do ourselves a great disservice by remaining insulated from the realities of birth and death. In this exceptional book, Amy Wright Glenn offers profound wisdom and support to help us navigate that most tender journey of death and dying. Holding Space is a beautiful contribution to finding peace in one of life’s most important passages.”

—SUSAN STIFFELMAN, Parenting with Presence

“This is a beautiful, gracious book of earned wisdom from a writer who is gifted with the capacity to be present with a loving heart to life’s most essential moments, from birth to death. Highly recommended!”

—MIRIAM GREENSPAN, Healing Through the Dark Emotions

“Amy Wright Glenn knows what it means to hold space in both sorrow

and joy. This is essential reading for those choosing to follow their vocation to be with the dying and the dead with compassion, mindfulness, and presence.”

—LEE WEBSTER, President, National Home Funeral Alliance

“Holding Space does just that for each of us. In a clear, intimate voice, Amy Wright Glenn shares her own experience and wisdom and by doing so makes a space for her reader to develop the same. For...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781941529782
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 256

Average rating from 15 members


Featured Reviews

Holding Space reads like the author’s flowing meditation. There are areas of pain, unflinching and raw, and there are areas of healing, supported by philosophers, doctors, and hard-earned experience.

I began this book with the impression (from early reviewers) that it was a firm instruction manual, a self-help book prescribed for those looking to improve their emotional fortitude.

Be aware, this is very much a memoir. Instructional, but still a memoir.

The author is highly self-centered – out of necessity. The way she shares her story requires an honesty that cannot exist alongside objectivity.

In her professional capacity, as doula and hospital chaplain, she is present while setting aside her personal wounds, biases, and shadows. In her role as author and instructor, she shares both sides, providing an example for readers who hope to benefit from the book. She can be herself while holding sacred space for all parts of herself and of those she encounters.

She’s a powerful example, and unapologetically flawed. That’s part of being human. Accepting our own flaws and integrating them is one of the lessons she shares.

Feelings about death and how people handle powerful, stressful emotions are tied tightly with religious/spiritual belief systems. The first few chapters deal almost exclusively with the author’s upbringing with the LDS church, her departure from her family’s faith, and her journey toward her current spiritual practice.

This nearly turned me off the book, as it wasn’t at all what I’d expected when I picked it up, but I’m very glad I continued through.

Recommended Audience:

I feel like I, my family, and those in a situation similar to mine with my dad (who has stage 4 cancer), are an excellent audience for this book.

Traumatic, fierce, and frightening spaces in life often come without warning. They come to our friends and family just as fast as they can come to us. This book can help readers cultivate active compassion. If you’ve ever wondered what to say when loss strikes, when pain is coming whether you’re ready or not, when an inexplicable tragedy strikes – this book can help if you let it.

http://www.arbeckert.com/20170907/holding-space-on-loving-dying-and-letting-go-by-amy-wright-glenn

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