The landscape at the end-of-life is changing and will require new thought, new ideas, and new tools for understanding the process of caregiving, dying and grieving.
SECRETS OF LIFE AND DEATH is that tool.
An award-winning film series successfully used in universities, hospitals and hospice in the US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Secrets of Life and Death provides a genuine and heartfelt look at the landscape we all must face at life’s end. Each film comes with its own study guide that invites viewers to go deeper — to face their own fears and examine their own beliefs in order to better understand the experiences of the dying and their families.
Order Films:
All Three Films
Facing Death . . . with open eyes
Caring for Dying: the art of being present
The Heart of Grieving
Created in response to the loss of the filmmaker’s parents and refined in work with the cancer community, this series invites curiosity, stimulates reflection and encourages dialogue while greatly reducing fears around dying. By emphasizing the personal side of death and its unexpected gifts, it eases the student into the subject with moving stories that promote a less fearful, more uplifting approach to life’s end.
Death is examined from three different perspective: facing one’s own death, caring for the dying, and grieving the dead.
This Set Includes:
1. Secrets of Life and Death DVD Series (Closed-Captioning)
- Facing Death . . . with open eyes (See trailer)
- Caring for Dying: the art of being present (See trailer)
- The Heart of Grieving (See trailer)
2. Exploration Guides for Each Film
These films so beautifully convey what can’t be described. They are wonderful films!
~ Betsy Wotton
RN CHPN Program Director, Lake Sunapee Regional VNA & Hospice
Evocative, Moving, Inspirational! A comprehensive perspective on a natural and inevitable process is brought to life thoughtfully and gracefully in this “coping with death and dying’ series.”
~ Michael Stephens, MFT
Professor, JFK University
Order DVDs with PayPal
$450
Anniversary Special
Now $225.00
+Shipping
Streaming Licensing/Services
through Kanopy
1. Facing Death . . . with open eyes
Four people reveal the mystery, awe and beauty that often surrounds those who have the courage to confront death face-to-face, with eyes and minds open.
This film and study guide will help students to:
- Visualize the experience of those facing death
- Appraise personal beliefs, expectations and needs around death
- Identify key end-of-life issues and strategies for addressing them
- Review the larger picture of social organizations and social structures and evaluate how they support or undermine the individual experience
- Formulate new approaches to meeting end-of-life challenges.
Death is not an easy subject to talk about in a way that does not strike fear and dread, but this film does it . . . This is a transformational, aesthetic and wise work for every one of us who is now alive, and who will one day make the journey through and beyond death.
~ Carolyn North
Author of The Experience of A Lifetime: Living Fully, Dying Consciously
Death is an essential topic that needs to be discussed openly and what this film gives is the opportunity and guidance to hold these discussions.
~ Julie Durand
Program Manager, John Muir Health Cancer Clinic
This DVD Package Includes:
Facing Death . . . with open eyes DVD (Closed-Captioning)
Exploration Guide
Order with PayPal or Credit Card
$180
Anniversary Special
Now $90
+Shipping
Contact Us for purchase orders and other questions.
2. Caring for Dying: the art of being present
The challenges and rewards of caregiving are revealed as three people struggle to find a balance between their own needs and the needs of the dying.
This film and study guide will help students to:
- Empathize with the personal aspects of caregiving
- Assess the social relationships and expectations that underlie the caregiver role
- Differential factors that enable home care vs. institutional care
- Formulate ways the community can support the family caregiver
- Review the medical choices families might face at the end of life
- Analyze variables that affect quality of life
Evocative, Moving, Inspirational…As a side benefit, the film serves as a powerful reminder of what truly is most important in life…nurturing relationships. ~ Michael Stephens, MFT Professor, JFK University
It was great listening to patient/family stories, seeing a common theme, the closeness shared, personal growth, allowing someone to die on their own terms, in their own environment.
~ Carolyn Berson, RN
John Muir Health Cancer Institute
This DVD Package Includes:
Caring for Dying: the art of being present DVD (Closed-Captioning)
Exploration Guide
Order with PayPal or Credit Card
$180
Anniversary Special
Now $90
+Shipping
3. The Heart of Grieving
Four people recall the transformational process of grieving as they share what they went through and what they have learned.
This film and study guide will help students to:
- Examine the intimate process of grieving
- Review personal responses to loss
- Investigate cultural differences in handling death
- Design strategies for coping with grief
- Analyze the benefits of various approaches to honoring the dead
- Identify the mystery that surrounds death and dying
Engaging. Provocative. Expansive. Uplifting. Beautifully produced. The many facets of grief so wonderfully presented and expressed! Opens ones own heart to grief unexplored and remembered!
~ Daniel Potapshyn, M.A.
Case Manager, ALS Association Golden West Chapter
Gave me a different perspective of my job and the impact death has on both myself and my patient’s family.
~ Oncology Nurse.
John Muir Cancer Center
This DVD Package Includes:
The Heart of Grieving DVD (Closed-Captioning)Exploration Guide
Order with PayPal or Credit Card
$180
Anniversary Special
Now $90
+Shipping
Contact Us for purchase orders and other questions.
About Michelle Peticolas, Ph.D
Dr. Michelle Peticolas is a national speaker and expert on the topics of loss, emotional wounding and unresolved grief. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology and over 18 years experience coaching people through major life challenges. In response to the loss of her own parents, she produced the award-winning three-part documentary film set, Secrets of Life and Death, to encourage dialogue and exploration of end-of-life issues. Her award-winning series is being screened in educational institutions, hospitals, hospices, and community organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. She is a featured author in the Amazon best selling anthology: Breaking Barriers.