Performance & Purpose in Dying & Death

Performance and Purpose in Death and Dying addresses the dying process and the nature of death itself with the intention that it might help us to accept and embrace both these things as a part of life. Intended to provide a shift in perception, this book aims to alleviate some of the fear, resistance and denial surrounding death.

Much has been written about death by spiritual teachers, psychologists, philosophers and palliative specialists, but this book is an entry into the conversation from a viewpoint that is not medical, religious, nor postulating any form of belief system. It is partly a survey of our attitude and resistance to dying and death, and partly an examination of the options available that could serve as a non-denominational enquiry into this unavoidable eventuality. The principle belief is that the tools required for this shift in perception are to be found within us – we already possess what we need that would allow us to drop the heavy weight of fear and anxiety. This book will help the reader to find these tools, guiding the reader towards their own, most direct route, and focuses on the validity of individual experience.

There is no complex theory in this book, and no belief system required before reading. Everything is based on the author’s experience – of delivering and facilitating death cafes in the UK and of a lifetime’s interest in psychology. Clare Hogan devised and has run the Master’s course Psychology of Performance at Salford University for over 20 years.
• Having had her mind changed about the concept and purpose of death, Clare finds that it has also changed about everything else; she now sees the world differently.
• The trajectory of this book starts with basic bodily functions, moves through the senses and onto the mind, then to the spirit and the realisation that what we are afraid of losing never really existed.
• The extraordinary truth emanating from this book is that we can actually practice dying, and thereby find real liberation long before it occurs. And when it does, we don’t mind at all!