No One’s Getting Out of Here Alive: Choices in Living and Dying

a long-term program with

Christine Price and Sharon Terry

and guest teachers

Gail Stewart and Steve Waldrip

Ongoing June through October 2023 (actual dates available soon)

This GAP Study Abroad program will address the practical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of living in conscious relationship to death and dying. Over the months, we will explore our values in life, our feelings about dying, our thoughts about death, and our wishes about that inevitable transition. We will also consider how to communicate our wishes to family and friends and prepare for a time when we may not be able to speak for ourselves.

The program is both educational and experiential. Completing an advanced directive, or reviewing and updating an existing one, will be part of the course. The course includes an online manual that offers an extensive resource guide.

By dealing with the details of our death, we can eliminate unnecessary suffering when the time comes. Attending to practical questions about end of life can lead to awareness of emotional and spiritual issues that need our attention in our life now.

Exploring this topic can be very potent and sometimes hard to face on our own. Having a circle of committed people with whom to share this process is invaluable. By hearing the thoughts and feelings of others, we may become aware of options and clarify our own needs.

At the end of the course, we will offer a separate one-day program for you and someone you have designated as your healthcare proxy (or agent). This will be a chance to engage in a structured dialog designed to help you both express your wishes and needs in each role and determine further communication and support that is needed regarding your healthcare directive.

What is GAP Study Abroad?

The GAP Study Abroad program is not intended as a substitute for therapy. This is a long-term exploration focused on a certain topic. We gather as a community of people in the educational model to support each other is our curiosity and discovery. As always, the essential practices* are the foundation of whatever we do. They will be an integral and daily part of this course.

 *GAP essential practices:

Taking our Seat: grounding and connecting to support

Basic Breath Practice: being in touch with the movement of breathing

Continuum of Awareness: noticing sensation, perceptions, and thoughts

Chris Price and Sharon Terry met in 2015 in the Wellbeing Project, an international project which included participants from many cultures worldwide. A few years later, they piloted a long-term online Gestalt Awareness Practice program designed to include people from many time zones. They called it GAP Study Abroad: A Distance Learning Program In Gestalt Awareness Practice

“Abroad: in different directions; over a wide area. “millions of seeds are annually scattered abroad in circulation, widely current, in the air, here, there, and everywhere”

Since then, they have offered these in-depth virtual programs annually focusing on various themes. This has enabled full participation for people who could never have attended a program of this length in-person. The length of each program allows the creation of a community where participants offer support to each other over time. The word “study” is intentional in the title because this program includes experiential process and didactic exploration with reasonable amounts of reading and journaling. Participants agree to daily practice because GAP Study Abroad programs are also designed to help incorporate practice in students’ daily lives.

 This program relies on previous experience with Gestalt Awareness Practice. Participants must have completed a recent introductory workshop in GAP as well as an intermediate or another intensive program that involves open seat. We ask prospective participants to consider whether this program is appropriate for them in terms of structure, time, and financial commitment. This group does not work well for people who dislike connecting primarily through zoom and who struggle with ongoing zoom fatigue.

As the work is both personal and congregational, participants must commit to full engagement (see below). By registering, participants agree to attend all aspects of the program, including all webinars. In the case of an unavoidable absence, listening to the recording and arranging to do the exercises before the next meeting is expected. Without that level of involvement, the impact of the course is reduced for everyone. We will arrange an interview with each applicant to ensure that this participation level is realistic.

Required elements of the program

• Daily Practice
• Independent Study Practice (ISP), including working with your advance directive in written form
• Webinars
• Partner Practice
• Small group session (triad)/ individual open seat
• One Monday night a month essential practice session (your choice of Monday)

Optional

• Office hours (once a month)
• Meditation in action days (once a month)

Course Time commitment (approximate):                                                   Monthly hours

• Webinar once a month, day long 7 hours
• Partner practice once a month 2 hours
• ISP average 1.5-2 hrs a week* 6-8 hours
• 1 Monday evening drop-in at least, each month (your choice of Mondays) 1 hour average

Minimum monthly hours:      16 – 18 hours

Course one-time events:

• triad small group with leader                                                5 hours
• individual session with leader** 1 hour

Additional hours over the entire course:                               4.5 hours

*Independent Study Practice times include daily awareness practice and requested reading.

**Additional individual sessions are available with Sharon for a $100/hour fee for Study Abroad students (discounted from $120/hour).

To indicate your interest and learn more as we determine the program dates, the application process, and further details, fill out this form.