Hospice Nurse Julie on How to Embrace the Sacredness of Death
From fear to sacred: Redefining our relationship with death and dying
In Episode 5 of Hold the Light, I’m talking with the one and only Julie McFadden, aka Hospice Nurse Julie.
“The process of dying is not painful and the body knows how to die. And, the more we can understand that, the better we usually live and the more peaceful we die.” — Hospice Nurse Julie
Okay everyone, this conversation with Hospice Nurse Julie is a mix of hope, help, and delight!
Julie, who has millions of followers across her social channels (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram to name a few), is a certified hospice nurse and says that her mission is to help dying people and their loved ones understand the process of dying. Her passion is to educate people in order to alleviate the fear and stigma around death.
As she says, the more we talk about it, the less we’ll fear it – and the less we fear it, the better we'll live and the more peaceful we'll die. In our chat, Julie shares her own personal stories of the miracle she witnessed with one of her dying patients, her experience in feeling/seeing the presence of an angel, and a story that made her believe in the afterlife.
“And it looked like it was like bending over her bed. And it was, it happened very quickly, but it felt very powerful, very strong. Nothing to do with me. It wasn't connected to me at all. It felt like her thing, and it just sort of felt like I got her kind of like, it didn't matter if I was there or not.” — Hospice Nurse Julie
I love my conversation with Julie because even though she comes from the medical world and believes in science, she shares some spiritual stories that can't quite be explained and are so beautiful. The kind of tales I love to hear.
It's all about embracing death as a natural part of life and staying connected with loved ones along the way.
As she says, there is sacredness in dying – that witnessing those final moments of someone's life can be incredibly profound and even spiritual – and understanding the end of life can help us all live more present lives. ~ Laurie
Episode Highlights:
The difference between hospice and palliative care.
The importance of education in reducing fear and opening up conversations about death.
Julie delves into the sacredness of the dying process, including the spiritual and sacred feeling in the room when someone takes their last breath.
Common themes that arise in end-of-life conversations, including regrets.
The phenomenon of "visioning" that occurs close to death.
Julie’s personal experiences have deepened belief in the afterlife and the existence of higher powers.
Julie’s valuable lessons she’s learned about living through working with the dying.