Coach helps us face life's end

GUIDANCE: CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR THOSE WHO ARE FACING DEATH HEAD-ON

- Hein Kaiser

Many of us are born with a doula, or non-medical companion, by mom's side or a birthing coach helping expecting parents breathe it all in in Lamaze classes. But, at life's end, death coaches or doulas are also standing by, holding our hands as we rehearse to join the choir invisible.

Talking about death is not exactly watercooler stuff, nor a great accompaniment for a beer and a braai, but for death doula or coach Sean O'Connor it's become a way of life. For the past six years, he's been a bedside comfort to many people at the point of shedding their mortal coil, also often working with them to prepare for the very moment that the grim reaper arrives. He also produces a podcast called How To Die.

Death, head-on, is not everyone's cup of tea, but the empathy and care with which he speaks of the process and of the deep emotive aspects of death, our fear and readiness to depart at times makes O'Connor a hero to many.

O'Connor's work, he said, is all about creating a safe space for those facing death head-on. The tools of his trade are empathic listening and a non-judgmental approach.

This, he said, helps clients unburden themselves, process their emotions and find peace in their final days or moments.