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  • “Wind Phone” Provides Grievers a Chance To Call Their Loved OnesA man set up a special phone to call his recently deceased cousin – and the idea has caught on.

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    Maria Mocerino

    “Wind Phone” Provides Grievers a Chance To Call Their Loved Ones
    A man set up a special phone to call his recently deceased cousin – and the idea has caught on.

  • “Vincent”Tribute to Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh mourns his suicide and celebrates his gifts

    “Vincent”
    Tribute to Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh mourns his suicide and celebrates his gifts

    On an autumn morning in 1970, singer-songwriter Don McLean was sitting on the porch and reading a biography of Vincent van Gogh when he was suddenly struck by an idea: A song that drew on the artist’s life and work. “I knew I had to write a song arguing that he wasn’t crazy,” McLean told…

    Rachel Jones

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  • “Certified”A poet and photographer explores the intimate minutiae of loss

    “Certified”
    A poet and photographer explores the intimate minutiae of loss

    In her book “Seeing the Body,” Rachel Eliza Griffiths navigates her grief over the death of her mother through a series of black-and-white photographs and searingly intimate poems. The book’s title evokes the gut-wrenching shock of confronting death in its physical form — but while Griffiths’ poems don’t shy from the visceral presence of “the…

    Betsy Arant

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  • Canada Approves Psychedelic Mushrooms for End-of-Life TherapyThe decision is the latest example of how psilocybin is being increasingly approached as a therapeutic tool

    Canada Approves Psychedelic Mushrooms for End-of-Life Therapy
    The decision is the latest example of how psilocybin is being increasingly approached as a therapeutic tool

    Psilocybin, the main component of psychedelic mushrooms, is gaining recognition all around the world for its medicinal and therapeutic properties. Once considered a recreational drug or used as part of shamanic rituals (dating back as far as 3500 BC), the compound is being explored to treat conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, end-of-life stress and other…

    Colleen Ferguson

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  • When Funerals Move Online, How Can We Create Mourning Rituals That Truly Validate Loss? (Interview)An interview with funeral director, end of life specialist and death doula Michelle Acciavatti

    When Funerals Move Online, How Can We Create Mourning Rituals That Truly Validate Loss? (Interview)
    An interview with funeral director, end of life specialist and death doula Michelle Acciavatti

    Michelle Acciavatti’s father would always say of her that she “is an expert at fitting square pegs into round holes.” As a licensed funeral director, death worker, educator and activist in Vermont, Acciavatti has done just that, dedicating much of her career to breaking down traditionally accepted ideas and finding ways to approach them anew. …

    Colleen Ferguson

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  • Living Funerals, or Seizenso, Are Gaining PopularityIndividuals in Japan, South Korea and beyond are holding funerals while still alive

    Living Funerals, or Seizenso, Are Gaining Popularity
    Individuals in Japan, South Korea and beyond are holding funerals while still alive

    Some celebrities in Japan have been holding a “seizenso,” which translates to a “funeral while alive” — motivating everyday citizens to do the same. More recently, the practice of living funerals has spread to South Korea, the U.S., Europe and beyond. The first seizenso was held by Japanese singer and actress Takiko Mizunoe in 1992…

    Rachel Jones

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  • “Wave”A stunning book that chronicles a young woman’s journey through unimaginable loss

    “Wave”
    A stunning book that chronicles a young woman’s journey through unimaginable loss

    On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, set in motion a series of deadly tsunamis that took nearly a quarter of a million lives. The first 100-foot wave struck the Sumatran city of Banda Aceh shortly after 9 a.m, killing an estimated 100,000 people. About 90 minutes later,…

    Kathleen Clohessy

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  • “Kern River”An old man looks back at the river of his youth

    “Kern River”
    An old man looks back at the river of his youth

    Locals call it the Killer Kern. The Kern River, nestled in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield, California, takes lives every year. A warning sign at the mouth of Kern Canyon reads: “Danger. Stay Out. Stay Alive” and tallies the number of lives the river has taken since 1968. As of May 2020,…

    Ellary Allis

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  • Research Lags on Medical Aid in Dying DrugsResearchers face controversy and limited resources when it comes to developing life-ending medications

    Research Lags on Medical Aid in Dying Drugs
    Researchers face controversy and limited resources when it comes to developing life-ending medications

    Drug development is a very expensive operation. For a pharmaceutical company, bringing a new drug to market can cost around $1 billion — a worthwhile investment if that medication is then sold to millions of consumers. But what if the market for that drug is much smaller — say, 290 people per year? That’s the…

    Betsy Arant

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  • My Parents’ Recent Divorce Fractured All of Our LivesA young woman tells how the end of her parents' marriage tore their family apart

    My Parents’ Recent Divorce Fractured All of Our Lives
    A young woman tells how the end of her parents’ marriage tore their family apart

    This is Grace’s story as told to Jeanette Summers. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief and, ultimately, to aid them in their healing process. In this story, Grace talks about her grief following…

    Jeanette Summers

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