Posted by carmeldunmall
Hosted by Carmel
Date: | Jan. 19, 2019 |
Start time: | 2:00 p.m. (British mean time) |
End time: | 4:00 p.m. (British mean time) |
To be held at a private location
This Death Cafe has taken place
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About this Death Cafe
The death café in Tunbridge Wells meets bi-monthly at Trinity Arts Centre …its very low key but basically we make space for people to come together and have a conversation about death,-it’s not therapy or philosophy or religion, but just about being with other people and sharing an awareness of our own inevitable deaths and the death/dying of others. Far from making us miserable, research on mental health has shown that being able, and willing, to face up to death increases our happiness and engagement in life, as if acknowledging the “finitude” of life reminds us of its value.
At each event we get coffee and cakes and talk. No-one has to say anything but anyone can. There is no ritual or leader, experts or interpretation, just ordinary people talking as equals about something they will all have to face at some indeterminate time in the future. It is as if in our society people become isolated in relation to the one thing we have in common and the death cafe makes a small space in which we can reach out and have permission to be open about this reality.
About Carmel
About carmel dunmall
A spiritual teacher once said that our time here on earth is a time to learn about ourselves. What can death teach the living? A death cafe is a place to begin to unravel the mystery, to relax into the process, learn to trust the natural law.I remember as a small child suddenly realising that myself, my mum, my dad, my brother, my grandparents, everyone will die one day. That realisation really upset and scared me. As an adult I’ve been present when family members and also a friend has died. I found the experiences very intimate and very moving, but also a privilege in some way. A reminder that this will happen to me one day. To me, talking about death, bringing it out into the open, makes it less scary, more of a mystery.
Suryaketu Bull
My training as a psychotherapist is in Psychosynthesis: a holistic, integrative model. I have had a personal mindfulness practice for over 30 years. Chronic feelings of unhappiness, despair and depression frequently persist without obvious reasons or causes. Some people simply feel that they are drifting and would like a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. Open discussion about death can help with this.
Shelia Webb.
Hilary Brown is a psychotherapist who is committed to talking openly about difficult things.
Contact the organiser of this Death Cafe