Death and dying

Articles, Films and practical Guides on death and dying, part of Psyche’s coverage of self-knowledge and personal growth.
A child’s hand resting on an elderly person’s hands.
LIFE STAGES

Learning to inhale

I brought my newborn to visit a hospice patient. It took me far from what I’d thought medicine was

by Lynn Hallarman

Black and white photo of a hand touching a rain-specked window with four blurred windows in the background.
GRIEF
4

How to talk to someone who’s grieving

It’s normal to worry you’ll say the wrong thing. Here’s how to ensure your words and gestures are as supportive as possible

by Lauren Breen & Maarten Eisma

Black and white photo of a crow perched on a post against a snowy background.
DEATH AND DYING
17

The existential balm of seeing yourself as a verb, not a noun

In the therapy room, I’ve seen how rethinking what we are – and what it means to ‘be dead’ – can lighten our fears

by Eric Jannazzo

A cremation ceremony at night on a riverbank, surrounded by fires, people and historical buildings.
RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

They keep the Hindu funeral pyres burning, but at what cost?

For the men and boys of the Dom community in Varanasi, sacred cremations demand a lifetime of exhausting, dangerous labour

by Radhika Iyengar

A man wearing a robe sitting amidst rubble between two damaged red cars. He holds his head and has boxes and bags beside him.
GRIEF
5

Fieldnotes from my father’s funeral

I’d reported on earthquakes, murders and suicide attacks. I was still unprepared to watch my dad die

by Salman Masood

A man lying with a serene expression surrounded by white lilies against a dark background.
AGEING
1

At 84, Jun lives to shock. His next act? A living funeral no one asked for

A film by Mari Young and Anika Kan Grevstad

Ancient mosaic depicting a lounging skeleton with Greek text, an amphora, a loaf of bread and a platter on a dark background.
DEATH AND DYING
8

Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how

For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started

by Joanna Ebenstein

Close-up of an elderly woman’s face with eyes closed, light grey hair, and a blurred brown background. Her expression is calm.
DEATH AND DYING
4

Why one death doula sees an examined death as vital to a good life

A film by Annie Marr

Photo of an elderly man sitting on a chair surrounded by various ornate coffins in a room with a chequered floor.
DEATH AND DYING

As a society, we’re not death phobic, we’re death complacent

Our culture is routinely diagnosed with an excessive fear of mortality. A calm look at the evidence tells a different story

by Ingemar Patrick Linden

Photo of a woman in a pink top sitting indoors with eyes closed. Sunlight and shadows on the wall, plant on the right.
DEATH AND DYING

It’s not foolish to foster hope in the face of illness and death

As a great loss loomed, I feared straying too far from the hard truth. But I learned to distinguish denial from hope

by Christiana Boules

Photo of a man relaxing on a garden lounger with hands behind head smiling, surrounded by chairs and a bottle on the grass.
GRIEF

Why do so many of us blame ourselves after a loved one’s death?

After losing my father, I felt the guilt and regret that burden many other bereaved people – and found a way to carry them

by Delaney Rebernik

Photo of a glass shattering on a grey surface with shards scattered mid-air and on the ground.
GRIEF
17

Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass

The five stages describe a grief that’s knowable and controlled. An accident in my kitchen helped me find a truer metaphor

by Joshua Thomas

Photo of people crossing a street in a city. Sunlight casts long shadows. Skyscrapers and flags are in the background.
DEATH AND DYING
2

Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died

These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process

by Shayla Love

A child’s drawing of a person in front of a red door, playing a pink electric guitar with lightning bolts around them.
PARENTING AND FAMILIES
1

Ethan ponders his daughter’s future without him in this celebrated short

Directed by Ethan Barrett

Photo of a rural landscape with two traditional Asian pavilions, green fields and a cloudy sky in the background.
RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam

What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?

by Gina Elia

Photo of an elderly person’s hands clasped together, wearing an orange jumper, with focus on the wrinkles and texture.
AGEING
30

Efforts to expand the lifespan ignore what it’s like to get old

As modern medicine extends the human lifespan, quality of life is not keeping up, raising thorny ethical dilemmas

by Robert S Gable