The landscape at the end-of-life is changing andwill 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.
All Three Films
Facing Death . . . with open eyes
Caring for Dying: the art of being present
The Heart of Grieving
SECRETS OF LIFE AND DEATH – THREE DVD SET
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
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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 viewers 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
- 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
I thought of my own death my attachments, what I would miss. What is it that I would like to start or complete? What comfort can I offer to those I leave behind. When I ask myself how I will face the inevitable, I answer, ‘from all directions, given the time.
~ Chris Gray,
Bay Area Musician
This DVD Package Includes:
Facing Death . . . with open eyes DVD (Closed-Captioning)
Exploration Guide
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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 viewers to:
- Comprehend the personal aspects of caregiving
- Evaluate individual and family expectations of the caregiver role
- Recognize factors that enable home care vs. facility care last to are the same
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
This film makes an effective case for more openness, intimacy, and presence throughout the experience of death for both the dying and the living. The frankness and eloquence of the three caregivers and Dr. Peticolas communicate the importance of seeking a more satisfying approach to death than the fear and avoidance too prevalent in our culture.
~Liz Ruhland, RN
Library Manager, Kensington Library
This DVD Package Includes:
Caring for Dying: the art of being present DVD (Closed-Captioning)
Exploration Guide
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$30.00+ 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 viewers to:
- Explore the intimate process of grieving
- Investigate personal beliefs and responses to death and loss
- Discover new strategies for coping with loss
- Create a healing ritual for honoring the dead
- Develop a pathway to closure and peace
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
The film explores the vast and pathless landscape of grief even giving us glimpses of the scenery, the topography, of emotion… it touches on an amazing variety of experiences, truths, and aspects of grief in a very short time. The information flow is quite dense and yet easy and clear. No false notes or odd gaps.
~ Roy Gesley
Chaplin, Kaiser Hospice
This DVD Package Includes:
The Heart of Grieving DVD (Closed-Captioning)
Exploration Guide
Order with PayPal or Credit Card
$30.00+ Shipping
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.
