Os que vão morrer ensinam-nos a viver - é esta a mensagem de Marie de Hennezel, ou antes, a razão que a levou a escrever este livro, fruto da sua experiência como psicóloga junto de doentes terminais
Marie Gaultier de la Ferrière dite Marie de Hennezel, est née le 5 août 1946 à Lyon, est une psychologue, psychothérapeute et auteur française. [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de...]
Marie de Hennezel may not be a household name in America, but in France she's a trailblazer. The therapist who helped the late French President Jacques Mitterand through the final stages of his cancer, she's been leading the crusade to help people grow old gracefully, with dignity, and with joy. De Hennezel, who believes that we become truly old when we refuse to age, is the author of many books, including the international bestseller Intimate Death. [Huffington Post]
Livre sur la fin de vie trouvé dans une boîte à lire. Surpris par la note de 4,6 sur goodreads, je me suis mis à le lire. Il décrit l'expérience d'une psychologue dans un centre de soins palliatifs durant l'épidémie de sida. Ce sont donc des récits de fin de vie de nombreuses personnes : cancéreux, sidéens... Ce livre est de la guimauve pleine de bon sentiments. Comme si dans ce bas monde, tout le monde il est beau et tout le monde il est gentil. A la fin de sa vie, on n'a plus rien à se reprocher, on pardonne tout... On dirait du Marc Lévy à l'hôpital ou bien Martine va mourir. Elle utilise également sa proximité avec François Mittérand pour se faire mousser un peu. (wouah comment mon service il est bien, le président vient faire coucou, le président me demande des conseils parce qu'il a le cancer et le président a écrit ma préface...) Beurk !
Qu'est ce que je retiens de ce livre ? Que je vais mourir et que je vais devoir faire avec. Une fois arrivé la fin, il n'y a pas de solution autre que l'accepter car, ben, on n'a pas vraiment le choix. C'est le genre de choses que j'ai appris quand ma femme s'est barrée ou quand je n'ai pas réussi à faire le métier que je voulais et que bim, il faut faire un métier alimentaire et l'accepter. La mort, c'est comme la vie, quand ça ne se passe pas comme on veut, il faut serrer les dents et l'accepter. Les stoïques et Marc Aurèle m'ont déjà appris ça et je n'ai pas vraiment au besoin de ce bouquin plein de bons sentiments au point d'en être gênant.
La seule chose que j'ai appris sur la fin de vie, je l'ai appris à l'ehpad de ma grand-mère. Tant que vous avez la santé, profitez du sens du goût pour vous faire de bons petits plats et savourez les, les menus à l'ehpad sont pires que la cantine de l'établissement où je bosse. Tant que vous avez un corps en bon état, allez courir, nager, marcher, baiser...parce que les sorties n'y vendent pas du rêve. Tant que vous pouvez vous déplacer, allez au hammam, respirer l'air de l'océan, marcher dans la forêt, jouer avec un chien, choisir vos légumes au marché, boire un thé au soleil et cueillir des champignons...parce que passés 88 ans et avec Alzheimer, la vie se passe devant la télé avec des couches, des vieux qui hurlent et qui sentent la pisse et il n'y a rien d'autre à faire que l'accepter.
Bref, c'est mercredi. J'ai piscine, goûter et pot-au-feu. Et arrêtez de traîner sur goodreads quand il fait beau.
This book was truly inspiring. It made me look at death in a way I never really had before. Sure, I was aware of the acceptance and peace people can leave life in, but this gave me a better understanding. The way Marie treats the people in her care, with such limitless patience and love, is a thing of beauty. She listens to each of them as if they are her family, her friends. She doesn't keep that sterile distance many doctors and nurses have to do to preserve their sanity. Marie isn't afraid for her heart to break over these people and their loved ones. I am in awe of the way she bravely eases them all into death as if it's not something horrible. As if it's just another step in life. Not something to be afraid of, to dread, and hide from.
This book is so inspiring and touching, It taught me how to just be there. How someone's presence can be all what you need sometimes without needing any words or physical connection. Reading this was a spiritual experience to me rather than just a book , it also led me to understand so many things and see things in another way. It's important to recognize how you should be present.
Il mio pensiero a caldo e forse scombussolato, subito dopo aver chiuso "La morte amica":
Sento questa lettura come un privilegio, un regalo. Rifletto sull'incontro delicato e umano tra il Dolore e la Dolcezza, e l'effetto che ha su di me. Mi sono ritrovata a leggere queste pagine grazie alla coincidenza di diversi fattori che hanno segnato la mia vita, tra cui anche i miei studi di psicologia. Mi è difficile scrivere qualcosa su questo libro perché so che non riuscirei a esprimere tutto quello che vorrei dire... impulsivamente vorrei farlo leggere a tutti. Ma so che questa lettura può essere accolta al meglio solo da chi sente di voler guardare i momenti di vita, e quindi anche di morte, in modo diverso
تمكّنت الطبيبة النفسية الفرنسية ماري دو هانزيل في كتابها (الموت الحميم) من كشف النقاب عن الجانب الأكثر غموضًا للموت. هذه المرأة التي عمِلت كمُرافقة لأشخاصٍ على فراش الموت لسنواتٍ طويلةٍ تُحدّثنا في كتابها عن الأيام الأخيرة للمرضى وكيف يُمضون وقتهم في مواجهة الخوف من الموت. في خلاصة تجربتها، تؤكّد هذه الطبيبة على أنّ الإنسان يموت عندما يستسلم، وأنّ معظم الناس يموتون برفقٍ كما لو أنّهم شمعة تنطفئ. أما العذاب، فيظلّ لمن هم ما زالوا على قيد الحياة. من خلال تجربتها، تؤكّد الطبيبة ماري على أنّ تقبّل فكرة زوالنا عن هذه الدنيا يحتاجُ تأمّل النهاية، التخلّص ممّا يُقيّدنا، احترام الوحدة التي تُصالحنا مع ذواتنا، الاعتناء بأنفسنا جسديًا وروحيًّا، وأخيرًا تخصيص وقتنا ليكون مصدر سعادتنا وسعادة الآخرين. تُؤكّد ماري على أنه في اليوم الذي نتمكّن فيه من النظر إلى الناس على فراش الموت بعاطفةٍ وبمحبةٍ تخلو من الخوف، والقول إنّنا نودّ أن نصبحَ مثلهم، مُتقبّلين أنفسنا كما هي؛ في ذلك اليوم نكون قد حقّقنا خطوةً حقيقيّةً نحو طريق تقبّل الموت برضا ودون خوف.
The passage that touched Lady Di and should be how we view death of a loved one. Reminded me of the poem “Death Is Nothing At All” by Henry Scott-Holland.
The story goes of a woman who was still young, but who knew she was about to die, and who had told me that she so wanted to hold her twelve year old son in her arms and assure him that she would not abandon him, even after her death. She would always be there to guide and protect him. This woman firmly believed that death does not mean the end of such a relationship, and that those who love each other remain close.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The book covers really interesting stories and examples of dying, but it bugged me that the stories came and went, and I couldn't remember who was who, who had parents, or partners. It got very confusing, and I lost a bit of enthusiasm.
Another thing I didn't like was the fact they kept referring to some homossexual partners as friends only when they very likely had been something deeper. I wasn't sure if this just wasn't discussed or if it wasn't something the author was comfortable with? When the relationships were heterosexual they were mentioned
(3.5/5.0) Psicóloga que relata y expone sus argumentos o ideas sobre qué piensa de la muerte, no como digresiones si no por los relatos de quien acompañó en su muerte. Habla de una época antigua, con un SIDA terminal y cánceres que empeoraban rápidamente. Actualmente quizás seguimos igual, pero hemos provocado que ya no se dé tiempo a la reflexión, porque pensamos que la Medicina nos salvará de la muerte...
C'est si beau...si émouvant...une lecture qui caresse les cœurs et les âmes...qui m'a tant bouleversé...un livre lumineux et essentiel qui est un vibrant hommage à ces hommes et à ces femmes qui accompagnent les exilés de notre société : les patients en phase terminale, les mourants, les personnes âgées et qui leur offrent dans leurs derniers instants dignité et amour 💘...une sublime leçon de vie ...magnifique et inoubliable !!!!
As a nurse student that already was in the palliative care, this book helped me a lot understand death and how people may feel. I've learned a lot while reading it and makes me love even more palliative care. I think everyone should read it... Death is not always ugly.
I work closely with terminally ill patients, helping them compile biographies of their lives to leave their families. And yet this process is as much about the patient as it is about the legacy being left. Is there anything more cathartic and indulgent than telling a complete stranger stories about your life, and then seeing it in writing and adorned with photos? For the patient it gives dignity and honour at a difficult time. For me, and I imagine other biographers, it is perhaps one of the most humbling and humane things that can be done for another person. And brings home to me, so much younger than most of the patients I deal with, the title of this book - how the dying teach us to live.
Death is a subject that in our Western civilisation bubble, we choose not to think about until we are suddenly confronted with it. In the flood of emotions that corkscrew through us, we find death is something we are really quite ill equipped to deal with. This beautifully written, and at times achingly sad book lifts the lid on, quite simply, what it is like to die. The author is a psychologist/psychotherapist who specialises in caring for palliative care patients. She works mainly in hospice settings in France. This book has been translated from French. This woman has compassion in buckets, and it seems to me walks a very fine line between her professional role in caring for the patient, and her instincts as a human being to nurture and love those she is caring for. She takes a number of patients of various ages suffering from various illnesses - cancer, aids, motor neurone - and shows us that one's last journey need not be as sad, awful, and heartbreaking as we think it is. By giving these patients dignity, talking to them, letting them talk, not wallowing in sadness when with them, the whole business takes on new and uplifting meaning.
The most important things I got out of this book? The importance of a smile, the importance of the touch of hand on hand, and what it really means to be human.
Sono arrivato a questo volume per vie strane: un appunto scribacchiato su un postit in un volume ricevuto in regalo rimandava a "La morte amica". La ricerca infruttuosa per i canali di acquisto ufficiali, ed il reperimento attraverso aNobii (grazie, Lunadinverno), e finalmente la lettura. Un libro che parla di morte. Una morte dura, difficile. Quella dei malati terminali. L'autrice racconta la propria esperienza in uno dei primi reparti di cure palliative della Francia (siamo nei primi anni '90), dove si assitono pazienti che non hanno più prospettiva di guarigione, ma solo della fine. E colpisce l'umanità, l'amore, l'arrichimento che queste persone riescono a comunicare. Quando il senso di sconfitta lascia il posto alla consapevolezza della morte, un mondo di profonda umanità si dischiude agli occhi di chi sa coglierlo, offrendo una reciprocità di sentimenti difficile persino da spiegare. Eppure traspare, netta, a dispetto del comune pensare, la gioia di chi è riuscito a vivere con pienezza i suoi ultimi giorni. Offrendoci una lezione (ma senza cattedra) che vale la pena di essere ascoltata.
I couldn't put this book down. It was written in an almost simplistic way, detailing her work in a palliative care hospital and it was nice. I felt almost as if I was having a conversation with her. I loved how even though death was the main focus it was also about life, love, kindness, and learning to be one with yourself. This book inspired me to try to be a little nicer to everyone and to open up in different little ways.
Una testimonianza, un tratto della sua biografia, della sua vita professionale all’interno dell’Hospice, scritta con enorme energia e passionalità. C’è l’introduzione di monsieur Mitterrand, anche la testimonianza di una sua visita informale ed esperienza in codesta struttura, tanti casi end-life, lezioni di vita da chi sta per morire…
"It is a mark of his curiosity about this place where death is neither played down nor played up, simply accompanied, and which is not a house of death but of life."
"No, we do not clamp a lid on people's pain, as if we refuse to see or hear it, and if we envelop it, it's in a mantle of warmth and tenderness, to make it just that little bit easier to bear."
~ Marie de Hennezel
This book, originally written in French by Marie de Hennezel and translated to English by Carol Brown Janeway addresses the sensitive topic of death and dying. The original author, Marie de Hennezel, a psychologist and psychotherapist shares her own experience of working with terminally ill patients in palliative care centres in France. She addresses fears and doubts in the minds of patients and their families admitted to the centre. She writes about the kind of utmost attention and care given to them to minimise their suffering. The book also reflects upon how professional caregivers help and support each other in grieving and healing after the death of patients they deeply cared for.
I don't think my words can bring justice to Marie De Hennezel's professional work. She was an esteemed psychologist entrusted with the job of creating awareness about palliative care by health ministry of France. In his foreword to the book, the late president of France, François Mitterrand writes, 'This book is a lesson in living'. The foreword along with the title of the book makes me think that I didn't absorb the essence of the book completely.
What put me off: On one hand, Marie de Hennezel comes across as an epitome of kindness and on the other as a judgemental person. There were several instances where the author interprets the actions of patients into something that fits her understanding to produce philosophical meanings out of it. I found it to be problematic.
The writing is simple. It's a small book with 190 odd pages. I want to read this book again in the future to understand the parts I wasn't able to understand this time.
Engem érdekel a tanatológia, ami a halál illetve a haldoklás tudományával foglalkozik. Polcz Alaine minden könyvét, cikkét stb. elolvastam, mert valaha volt késztetésem arra , hogy hospice alapítványnál, vagy intézményben dolgozzak. A családom nem engedte és ezt tiszteletben tartva, elvetettem a tervemet. Tudomásul vettem, hogy ami engem érdekel, foglalkoztat, esetleg ebben is dolgozzak, az nem csak rám lenne hatással, hanem a környezetemre is. Ez rendben is van, nem erről akarok beszélni. Hanem arról, hogy mi ez a könyv, és milyen az összes többi ilyen könyv, ami az elmúlásról, az elengedésről szól. Minden kultúrában más megközelítése van ennek a témának. Van, ahol őszintén, nyíltan beszélnek róla, az élet velejárójának tekintik és van, ahol, tabutéma, ahol kerülik, nemcsak a halálon való gondolkodást, hanem magát a haldokló embernek az ezzel járó kérdéseit, vágyait, a még elrendezni való teendőit sem veszik figyelembe. Nem fogom most egyértelműen kimondani, hogy ez a félelemből, az ezzel kapcsolatos tudatlanságból és sok minden egyébből ered, mert bár így igaz, de ki ne félne, ha már benne van az elmúlás folyamatában és tudja, hogy kevés az ideje. Ez a könyv azt mutatja be, arról beszél, hogy mit lehet egy olyan helyzetben tenni, mit lehet mondani, mire kell figyelni, amikor egy már nagyon beteg emberrel találkozunk? Mire van szüksége, milyen gondolatai vannak, emlékei, mit szeretne még az élettől és mit a haláltól? De ez csak az egyik oldal, hogy erről beszélni tudjon a szenvedő. Arról is beszél, és nagyon bölcsen teszi ezt, hogy mi a dolga annak, aki ott ül az ágy szélén, figyel és meghallgat. Csendet őriz és békességet ad. Nem olyan könyv ez, tudom, amit mindenki el akarna olvasni, hanem olyan könyv, amit mindenkinek érdemes lenne.
Questa è stata una lettura insolita perché parla di un tema, la morte, che molto spesso releghiamo in un angolino remoto della nostra mente e lo lasciamo lì, considerandolo un tabù, qualcosa di cui è meglio non parlare. Il libro è scritto da una psicologa che lavora in un hospice, un reparto dedicato ai malati terminali. Malati che non possono più essere sanati dalla medicina, ma che hanno bisogno di un altro tipo di cura, una cura affettiva, che li aiuti ad affrontare il più serenamente possibile gli ultimi giorni della loro vita. Marie sottolinea più volte la necessità di non celare al malato il suo destino, di non fingere che possa guarire. Infatti molto spesso i malati sono consapevoli di ciò che li attende e hanno bisogno di essere accompagnati, di avere accanto persone che riconoscono il loro stato di moribondi e li sostengono in questi ultimi passi. Essere circondati da parenti che negano la possibilità della morte, infatti, non permette di fare i conti con ciò che sta accadendo e, paradossalmente, non fa altro che generare ansia e paura. È stata una lettura molto interessante, che mi ha fatto riflettere su molte cose. Purtroppo mi rimane il sospetto che le esperienze raccontate siano state un po' edulcorate perché vengono sempre narrate storie di pazienti "a lieto fine", che sono riusciti a chiudere gli occhi serenamente e in pace col mondo. Avrei preferito che ci fosse stata anche la narrazione di storie meno rassicuranti, magari di persone morte in solitudine, senza la vicinanza dei loro parenti, oppure di persone che non sono riuscite a fare i conti con l'epilogo della loro vita. Insomma ok parliamo di morte e non consideriamola un tabù, ma se poi ne possiamo parlare soltanto in modo "positivo" non è un po' come celare comunque qualcosa?
This book was gifted to me by a college A&P professor when I asked her what book changed her life (or her perspective on life). She pulled this off of her shelf and told me to keep it. That was in 2008, and I just now got around to reading it. Poignant and like having a conversation with a beloved friend, this book very lovingly offers a solace to the topic of death while also showing the compassion, humility, and love that can be shown and given during the last stages of a person's life. It offers lessons on how to show the dying that you care, even if that's as simple as sitting in the same room silently with them, offering a hand to hold, or asking them simply to talk about what they're afraid of.
Listening, and truly caring, seem to be the main themes of Hennezel's methods for providing an open, accepting space for those who are in their last chapters of this life. Her stories were heart-warming, touching, moving. They made me rethink the concept of death while also offering peace and solace in my own personal view of it. They also gave me new perspectives on how to be with someone who is dying - whether it's a terminal illness, or otherwise.
I highly recommend this book. Its lessons on compassion and tenderness are worth it alone, but the stories are well-written, and lovingly penned.
Si la maladie est une ennemie à combattre, la mort, elle, n'en est pas une".
" La vie m'a appris 3 choses: la première est que je j'éviterai ni ma mort ni celle de mes proches. La deuxième est que l'être humain ne se réduit pas à ce que nous voyons ou croyons voir. Il est toujours infiniment plus grand, plus profond que nos jugements étroits ne peuvent le dire. Il n'a, enfin, jamais dit son dernier mot, toujours en devenir, en puissance de s'accomplir, capable de se transformer à travers les crises et les épreuves de sa vie"p.37
"C'est le regard de l'autre qui me.constitue" disait Lacan. Cela n'a jamais été aussi vrai qu'avec ceux qui souffrent d'une atteinte de l'image de soi. Je sais pour l'avoir constaté qu'on peut finir par oublier que l'on a un corps dégradé, parce que l'on est soi, parce que les autres posent encore sur vous un regard plein de tendresse et ne soulignent pas votre déficience corporelle" p.77
"Toujours est-il que Dimitri non seulement n'est pas décédé mais s'est à son réveil souvenu de cette parole et s'en est trouvé profondément blessé. En écoutant cet épisode de la vie de Dimitri, je me dis que lui-même, sa vie durant, a dû traiter les femmes qu'il séduisait les unes après les autres avec la même désinvolture, sans tenir compte de leurs sentiments" p.152
"N'est-ce pas cela la compassion ? Se mettre à la place de l'autre-tout en sachant qu'on n'y est pas- n'est pas s'identifier à l'autre, c'est prendre le recul nécessaire pour évaluer les choses : si nous étions à cette place-là, comment aurions-nous être aidés ?" p.155
This book came highly recommended to me by my co-workers. After finishing it, I'm surprised by their praise and the 4.26 average rating. I don't know....nothing about this book felt revolutionary or new, despite the author clearly thinking it was. I was also constantly frustrated by how the author seemed to always know the exact right thing to say to her patients. There was never a vignette or interaction that didn't go well. In this way, I don't believe it captured to messy, humanistic part of this work. Speaking of vignettes, I wasn't a fan of how this book was written in short scenes with no chapters - sometimes the scenes literally being a paragraph long. It felt unstructured and I never felt a strong connection to the 'characters' (patients). The author's prose, however, was quite nice, which is why I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of 1.
Prefácio de François Mitterrand (Presidente da França de 1981 até 1995)
"...após ter eu própria recebido uma formação adequada de haptonomia (aproximação táctil afectiva), que abre incontestavelmente caminhos para uma maneira de ser mais humana. Sob a direcção do seu fundador, Frans Veldman, desenvolvemos e amadurecemos as nossas faculdades humanas de contacto, aprendemos, se assim posso dizer, a «ousar» encontrar outro ser humano ao tocar-lhe." Marie de Hannezel - "Diálogo com a Morte"
Mentioned in Ana Sale's "Let's talk about hard things", this was a lovely look into the world of palliative care. Makes me want to ask my father about his time volunteering in such a unit in the hospital. Also gives a glimpse into the moments right before death, that people want to be treated as they were before before disease/ailment and the courage of the nurses to both keep their composure and treat others with respect at their most vulnerable moments. If only all of us could treat death this way. A true gem of a book.
शारीरिक व्याधी किंवा असाध्य विकारांनी मरण जवळ आहे हे नक्की असलेले लोक एका सुश्रुषा केंद्रामध्ये, मरणागोदरचे दिवस सुलभ व्हावेत म्हणून भरती होतात. अशातील काही जणांचा तो अखेरचा प्रवास शब्दांमध्ये चित्तरला आहे मनोचिकित्सक डॉ मारी यांनी आणि अनुवाद केला आहे वीणा गवाणकर यांनी. वाचताना म्हटलं तर नैराश्य येऊ शकते आणि म्हटलं तर नैराश्य झटकून जाऊ शकते. वाचणाऱ्याच्या वृत्तीवर अवलंबून आहे. Euthanasia किंवा स्वेछामरण या विषयावर इतर पुस्तके वाचत असताना हे सहाय्यक पुस्तक म्हणून वाचलं. खूप वेगळं काही मिळालं असं तर नाही. पण एकवार वाचायला हरकत नाही. पण अनुवाद मस्तच झालाय.
Nursed a dull headache as I read this. Too intimate, and sometimes too close to home. Brought me back too vividly to places I’m not sure I’m ready to return to yet. I think I should’ve read this early in season two. But then again. Perhaps it came to me only when it had to.
Tam recommended this, ordered from Thriftbooks and it took more than a month to arrive in Manila.
Un libro per condividere la scoperta “che lo spazio-tempo della morte è, per chi accetta di entrarci e di guardarla al di là dell’orrore, un’occasione indimenticabile di intimità”.
Un diario di parole dall’eternità, di ore passate vicino alla fine della vita. Una testimonianza toccante e profonda dell’esperienza umana.
“Un messaggio struggente: non ignorate la vita, non ignorate l’amore.”
In seguito a un lutto che mi ha colpito particolarmente, ho deciso di approfondire il tema della morte. Nella bibliografia di un libro ho trovato questo testo e ho deciso di leggerlo. Ho iniziato a capire un po' di più la amore e soprattutto rispettarla. Consigliatissimo a tutti.