Death anxiety · Journal · 16 pages
Still here, still living
A journal for exploring death anxiety in six gentle sections, from noticing how it shows up to the ripples you leave and practical peace of mind.
Resources
Free worksheets and guides to explore at your own pace, drawn from the approaches I work with.
Each worksheet is a short PDF you can print, or write in on a tablet. They draw on Person-Centred Psychotherapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Polyvagal Theory (Rogers, 1951, 1957; Ogden et al., 2006; Ogden & Fisher, 2015; Porges, 1995; Dana, 2018). Take them slowly, and stop whenever you need to. They are for self-reflection, and are not a substitute for therapy.
Worksheets and journals
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy · 3 pages
Your window of tolerance
Get to know your own signs of being overwhelmed, shut down or “just right”, and gather what helps you come back.
Polyvagal theory · 3 pages
Mapping your nervous system
Notice your states of safety, fight or flight and shutdown, what moves you between them, and the small “glimmers” that help.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy · 3 pages
Resources in the body
Five gentle practices, from grounding to orienting, for discovering the steadiness your body already knows.
Person-centred psychotherapy · 3 pages
Meeting yourself with kindness
Explore the “conditions of worth” you may have learned, and practise offering yourself acceptance.
Person-centred and Sensorimotor · 3 pages
Boundaries and learning to say no
Why saying no can feel so hard, a simple “yes and no hand” practice, and gentle ways to start setting boundaries.
Guides
Guide
Finding the right therapist
How to choose a counsellor or psychotherapist in Ireland: accreditation, questions to ask, and green and red flags.
Guide
Still here, still living: death anxiety
What death anxiety is, how it can show up, why facing it can help, and how I work with it.
References
- Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. W. W. Norton.
- Ogden, P., & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment. W. W. Norton.
- Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton.
- Porges, S. W. (1995). Orienting in a defensive world: Mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A Polyvagal Theory. Psychophysiology, 32(4), 301–318.
- Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications, and Theory. Houghton Mifflin.
- Rogers, C. R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21(2), 95–103.
If you are struggling right now, please don’t wait. Call Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123; Pieta on 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444; or text HELLO to 50808. In an emergency, call 112 or 999.
If you would like support exploring any of this, you are very welcome to get in touch.