John
Preston, Psy.D., ABPP, is a
clinical psychologist, board certified neuropsychologist, and ABPP in
counseling psychology.
He is the author or co-auther of
twenty books, translated into 14 foreign languages. He has been
in clinical practice for 28 years and a workshop presenter for the past
25 years.
Tom Nickel, Ph.D.
is a cognitive psychologist and instructional designer.
He has been extensively involved in the administration of
mental health services and the development of training programs for
mental health professionals.
He has served as a volunteer caregiver for the Kaiser Permanente
Hospice program and currently serves with the Zen Hospice
Project. He has also
developed an online curriculum, "An Instructional Design for Dying."
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What's
the Story on this Workshop?
Drawn
by the central position of the topic and the power it has to influence
all aspects of life, we
have been working together to develop this workshop for over two years.
We have enjoyed our collaboration immensely and have created
a new perspective that neither of us could have come to on our own.
Now
we are ready to share what we have learned and produced -- a
live, in-person training that focuses on both the neural basis and the
socio-cultural conditioning behind present attitudes toward mortality
and end-of-life in modern western society. It describes
therapeutic operating principles for reducing anxiety related to death
across the
lifespan, as well as a skill learning curriculum for
living with dying.
The
workshop is designed to meet Continuing Education requirements for a
wide range of healthcare and mental health professionals, based on
emotional impact, the economic significance and the spiritual power of
the issues involved.
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Points
We Will Ponder
The
behavioral effects of manipulating mortality salience
Is
total terror of no longer existing innate and axiomatic?
What is the impact on people in cultures that are more open
than ours about death?
Is death anxiety fundamentally different from other anxieties?
If living with dying is a skill, how can we learn it, how can we
develop expertise?
How does denial work and what are the alternatives?
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What
are the Benefits?
1)
We're
not kidding when we say we have Good News. Terror of our own
death may produce denial and anxiety, but the neural circuits driving
these reactions can be changed. And we have very concrete things
to say to professionals about changing these models and tendencies in
yourselves and then helping others do the same.
2)
There are now 10,000 people turning 65 every day in
the
United States. This demographic anomaly is making mortality
more salient in a way that affects not just baby boomers, but
everyone they touch. Help is needed, and it will be increasingly
rewarded within he framework of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act.
3)
Cultural attitudes toward mortality and end-of-life are shifting.
With the right knowledge and skills, you can be on the
appreciative, life-affirming side of this shift.
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