Soul Midwifery

Soul midwifery was started by Felicity Warner, who, when working as a health journalist, found that dying could be a lonely and fearful experience. She set out to find ways of supporting ‘friends’, as soul midwives called their clients, to make this final earthly journey, one of greater meaning, poignancy, dignity and grace.

Felicity researched many different cultures and traditions exploring their approaches to dying, and found they saw dying as a sacred time. With her experience of volunteering in a hospice and being close to people who were dying, she went on to establish Soul Midwifery in 2004. She has since gone on to train hundreds of people to gain skills in supporting people as they near the end of their life.

The 12 Principles of Soul Midwifery

• To work as non-medical holistic companions who guide and support a dying person in order to facilitate a gentle and tranquil death.
• To support and recognise the individual needs of the dying person and ensure they feel loved and supported.
• To create and hold a sacred and healing space for the dying person (whether in a hospital, a hospice or at home).
• To respect and honour a dying person’s religious/spiritual or atheist/agnostic beliefs and practices.
• To work as non-denominational, multi-faith practitioners who honour the dying person’s beliefs about life, death or the afterlife.
• To listen, provide gentle therapeutic techniques, and ensure compassionate care at all times.
• To ‘serve’ our friend; not aim to ‘fix’ or ‘rescue’.
• To give healing, using sound, touch, colour, scented oils or other gentle techniques to alleviate pain and anxiety.
• To keep a loving vigil.
• To work holistically with the spirit and soul of our friends at all levels and stages of transition.
• To support families and their loved ones, giving loving care with a human touch.
• To provide comfort, continuous support and reassurance in helping a dying person to experience the death that he, or she hopes for.

Taken from the Soul Midwives Webpage

“Many ancient societies regarded dying as the ultimate adventure in consciousness. Certainly there is something about the nature of death that sets the heart and imagination on fire. It touches the soul and sets the spirit free.”

Felicity Warner