Psychopomp Training

What is a Psychopomp?

A psychopomp is a guider of souls. Their primary role is to help the individual die with dignity and support those who care for them.

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Sometimes called a soul midwife (although this term more correctly is used for a 'hands-on' approach), sometimes called a Shadow Walker, their role is to guide and accompany the spirit from the realm of the living to their new home. It is an ancient role, but one which, because it has been often neglected by organised religion, has been left to those intuitive and empathic enough to work with those about to make the transition.

These skills can be used for the dying or those who have died some time ago. It creates rituals for the living to understand and let go of loved ones so they can carry on living. Psychopomps work with the elderly, the terminally ill, those whose children have been stillborn, those who work themselves with the dying. This process is for anyone who grieves and finds it hard to let go, as well as providing support and guidance for the carers of, and the dying themselves.

You do not need a specific religious or spiritual framework to become a psychopomp, but compassion and understanding of the human psyche and our fear of the unknown. It utilises trancework to create a safe haven and passage.

To be a psychopomp is a truly rewarding role, and one which changes you and your understanding of the connection between us all and the deep significance of caring for others at times of darkness and transition.

Who would benefit from this training?

If you are faced with the knowledge that a loved one is dying, and do not know how to help them or to be around them, then the Personal Level is for you.

If you work in a hospice or as a therapist, counsellor, medium or healer and are interested in working with the dying then the Practitioner Level training is for you. You will work through your own issues around death, and learn the skills and techniques to help the dying to live as well as they can and have as peaceful a death as possible.

To work with the dying is an extraordinary and transformational experience, but it takes stamina and skill. The Practitioner Level training will help you live your own life to the full, celebrate life and appreciate the significance of death. Your own life will be enriched by this work as you embrace the significance of living your own life to the full.

Personal level

Duration: One day
Date: March 17th, 2012 CLASS FULL
New Date: July 28th, 2012
Venue: Central London
Cost: £75

This is a one-day course in which you will confront your own issues around death as a precursor to working with the dying and understanding their fears and concerns. It is a cleansing process, and suitable for all. You will experience the primary trance with which the pyschopomp works. The day takes the form of an experiential workshop.

If someone you care about is dying and you want to be with them and support them - this course is for you.

If you have had your own experiences of grief, and have not been able to fully make the transition to acceptance, this is a profound and deeply moving weekend. You will experience four sessions of trancework, each one with a specific purpose; recognition, learning, acceptance, and celebration. You will also be introduced to the importance of rituals in healing wounds and learning, and explore the different ways of using trancework as a way of creating strong spiritual and emotional boundaries.

Practitioner level

Duration: Two weekends
Dates: April 21st - 22nd and May 26th - 27th, 2012 CLASS FULL
New Dates: August 4th - 5th and September 1st - 2nd
Venue: Central London
Cost: £300

This course involves learning the trancework skills which you can then employ in a healthcare setting. Continuing the process of the personal level training, you will use trancework to create a psychopomp avatar which will itself become a guide and protector for those who are dying. Once this is in place, you will learn how to create trances for each individual to help them move through negative emotions to ones which are more positive and helpful.

Specific techniques for working with parents of stillborn/miscarried babies; children with life-limiting illnesses; the elderly and also with families of those who are dying are covered comprehensively on this course.

If you work in a hospice

...and you would like us to bring our training courses to you, please call Ursula on 0845 055 8245 or email Ursula James.

For further information

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