Beryl Palmer describes her experience of making a positive difference with sophrology in End of Life Care.
My father had a horrible death. He was 82 years old and had a massive stroke whilst on holiday. He was given 2 days to 2 weeks to live but lingered on, slowly dying for 6 weeks in an acute hospital. He was unable to communicate but seemed extremely fearful and unable to let go.
This experience led to my interest in providing sophrology to people who were receiving end of life care and to my interest in the hospice movement. I obtained a voluntary position as a Complimentary Therapist in a local hospice which ran a weekly “drop in” Wellbeing Clinic. I was a member of a multi-disciplinary team comprising a Social Worker, Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Benefits Adviser, and supported by a small band of amazing, dedicated volunteers.
Most of the people who attended the clinic were older people, many had cancer. Some were accompanied by carers – family and friends. Some attended the clinic only once and some regularly every week for several months.
I worked with both terminally ill people and carers, with all ages, from 20s to 80s and with people with a variety of conditions and needs. Some people only had one Sophrology session, whilst others had several sessions and we worked on their specific issues such as anxiety or sleep. Interestingly I saw more men than women and some of the biggest sceptics at the beginning became the biggest converts. One such sceptic described feeling “chilled and pleasantly surprised” at the end of a guided session. He reflected that:
“You think you’ve got to put up with all of this but there can be positivity and a way of changing things.”
All the people I worked with benefited from and had a positive experience with sophrology (with one exception: a man in severe pain and on a high dose of morphine who came to see me from the ward.) For most it was an opportunity at a minimum to deeply relax. Some remarked that they found it more helpful than counselling. As a Social Worker by profession, I was struck by how the sessions became very deep, very quickly for some people. Reaching the heart of certain issues for them.
I never knew what to expect each day and the sophrology principle of adaptability was really put to the test! I gained a huge amount of experience working at the hospice and it boosted my confidence significantly as a newly qualified Sophrologist. Seeking out voluntary opportunities in your chosen field is an option I would highly recommend to others.
Find out more about Beryl or get in touch here.