Building the Ship of Death: Part II

This is the second in a series of two articles by clinicians in Spokane, Washington, both articles presenting the results of original research from a team of music-thanatologists. The first article (EXPLORE, Volume 3, No 6) presented an overview, through clinical narratives, of the interconnected physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of 11 dying persons and their families in a hospital setting. This second article continues with narrative, yet focuses on the clinical practice of music-thanatology and includes the documentation of the palliation it offers to meet these physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. These two articles demonstrate a way of implementing effective, supportive care of the dying that models a greatly poised balance between the active and contemplative dimensions of life, no small miracle inside the teeming corridors of biomedicine.—Therese Schroeder-ShekerThe Chalice of Repose Projectwww.chaliceofrepose.org