“I have come to believe that the merits of a death custom are not based on mathematics (e.g., 36.7 percent a "barbarous… — Caitlin Doughty Death Copy Share Image
“No matter how many heavy-metal album covers you’ve seen, how many Hieronymus Bosch prints of the tortures of Hell, or even the… — Caitlin Doughty Copy Share Image
“Holding the space is crucial, and exactly what we are missing. To hold the space is to create a ring of safety… — Caitlin Doughty Family and friends Copy Share Image
“To market the effectiveness of their services, the embalmers would display real preserved bodies they had plucked from the unknown dead, propping… — Caitlin Doughty Copy Share Image
“Accepting death doesn't mean you won't be devastated when someone you love dies. It means you will be able to focus on… — Caitlin Doughty Death Copy Share Image
“The irony behind the Church's disdain for the practice is that European Catholics have used saintly relics and bones as intermediaries for… — Caitlin Doughty Thousand years Copy Share Image
“The Greek historian Herodotus, writing over two thousand years ago, produced one of the first descriptions of one culture getting worked up… — Caitlin Doughty Copy Share Image
“We need to reform our funeral industry, introducing new practices that aren't so profit-oriented, and that do more to include the family.… — Caitlin Doughty Family Copy Share Image
“But the decubitus ulcer presents a unique psychological horror. The word “decubitus” comes from the Latin decumbere, to lie down. As a… — Caitlin Doughty Blood flow Copy Share Image
“It is worth noting that the main players in the recomposition project are women—scientists, anthropologists, lawyers, architects. Educated women, who have the… — Caitlin Doughty Death Copy Share Image
“I had written my thesis on medieval witches accused of roasting dead infants and grinding their bones. A year later I found… — Caitlin Doughty Care and concern Copy Share Image
“Holding the space doesn’t mean swaddling the family immobile in their grief. It also means giving them meaningful tasks. Using chopsticks to… — Caitlin Doughty Family Copy Share Image
“Rather than let author and environmentalist Edward Abbey be buried in a traditional cemetery, his friends stole his body, wrapped it in… — Caitlin Doughty Books Copy Share Image
“With Q-tips and cotton I cleaned out Elena’s nose, ears, and mouth—a deeply unpleasant task. In the last throes of life, basic… — Caitlin Doughty Copy Share Image
“Katrina noted that “humans are so focused on preventing aging and decay—it’s become an obsession. And for those who have been socialized… — Caitlin Doughty Copy Share Image
“Buddhists say that thoughts are like drops of water on the brain; when you reinforce the same thought, it will etch a… — Caitlin Doughty Buddhism Copy Share Image
