Summarised extracts from a book by Richard W. Boerstler and Hulen S. Kornfield, entitled Life to Death, Harmonizing the Transition (published by Healing Arts Press, One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont, USA, tel 001 800 246 8648; distributed to the book trade in the UK by Deep Books, London; 1995, ISBN 0 89281 329 6, 240 pages, $10-95 plus $3 p&p).
For a related article in the Global Ideas Bank, see Comeditation
Comeditation is a technique which can relieve the pain and anxiety felt by any individual, even one who is seriously ill. Most especially, it can ease the transition experienced by one who is dying. Though an ancient practice originally developed in Tibet, the technique is suitable for use in our time and society.
The word comeditation signifies meditation with another. In actual practice, the primary person is the one who receives the method. The primary meditator - the recipient - assumes a position as nearly straight and flat on the back as is comfortable. The second person - the assistant - serves as a guide to prompt a progressive muscle relaxation process and to make sound cues when the recipient exhales. Following progressive relaxation, the recipient and the assistant make the sound 'ahhh' together.
The exhalation of old air clears the lungs of both participants, while the echoing effect of the doubled sound provides reinforcement. The assistant watches the recipient's chest, making the chosen sounds exactly as the recipient exhales. As the session proceeds, the recipient only listens, but by hearing the expected words or sounds is able to sustain a focus that would otherwise be disturbed by a stream of thoughts.
When a patient is approaching death, comeditation is the ideal vehicle for nurturing the person's body, emotions, and spirit. As meditation serves as an aid in dealing with physical symptoms and myriad anxieties during day-to-day living, the meditative state is even more valuable during the dying process, when variations in body chemistry bring about additional and challenging physical and mental changes.
Because comeditation involves two people, the assistant may also experience calm and comforting, if he or she is in a relaxed position.
Richard Boerstler, Associates in Thanatology, 115 Blue Rock Road, South Yarmouth, MA 02664, USA (tel 001 508 394 6520).
See also his articles "Comeditation: a Thanatological Aid" - in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy (issue 10 - 2000) and "A holistic and meditative approach to the dying process" - in the Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss (issue 4 - 1999).
This webpage forms part of the Global Ideas Bank (www.globalideasbank.org).
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