Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: the psychiatrist who gave us lessons about death

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross changed the way the West observed, treated and understood death. She humanized it and introduced palliative care. She also taught us how to deal with it with her famous theory about the phases of grief and she reminded us that this ending was not so terrible for the one she was leaving. She set a trend and left us an indisputable legacy, one that is still very present.

This psychiatrist of Swiss origin became honoris causa in 28 universities. In a documentary that showed much of her work, half the world was able to watch with anticipation how Dr. Ross He accompanied dying people in their last moments and also children with terminal illnesses.. His sensitivity was absolute and the way he gave relief, and even hope, to those who left and those who stayed made history.

They even gave her the nickname “the mother of death”, but in reality, she was the “mother of life”. Because if there was anything it taught us, it was to understand that human loss is part of our existence. The key is to enjoy each of our days to the fullest, learning to dignify those moments in which people undertake a journey to another plane. One that, according to the doctor herself, is full of love and light.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: the woman who forged her own career

“You can be a secretary or serve in a house, but you will never study medicine.” This is what Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s father told her when he told her at just over 8 years old of his dream of being a doctor. She was born on July 8, 1926 in Zurich and she was the smallest and most fragile of three triplets, but that did not prevent her from deciding to leave her home as soon as she turned 16. His father’s resistance was not going to put walls to his desires and he set out on his own path in solitude.

She worked as a volunteer during World War II, helping in hospitals and caring for refugees. After the war, he managed to obtain his medical degree at the University of Zurich and met an American doctor. She married him and they moved to the United States, where she managed to specialize in psychiatry at the University of Colorado.

The need to give dignity to the dying

When Dr. Kübler-Ross arrived in the United States She was shocked by the lack of psychological care for people with terminal illnesses, especially children. He was also aware of the lack of carelessness and sensitivity with the dying, with people who were on their deathbeds. He tried to change all that and what started was a necessary revolution.

She was a pioneer in establishing the modern foundations of palliative care. In his book On Death and Dying (1969) he explains the Kübler-Ross model that would begin to be applied in many hospitals. Likewise, he introduced a new subject at the University of Chicago in which taught to understand the dying process and the need to support people with terminal illnesses. In those classes, sick people who had little time left to live came to give their testimony.

Kübler-Ross model

Commonly known as the five stages of grief, postulates a process by which people deal with loss through five phases. These are:

DenialAngerNegotiationDepressionAcceptance

Originally, Kübler-Ross applied this model to people suffering from terminal illnesses, but later extended it to any experience of loss. Therefore, it represents the grieving process in the face of significant events in life, such as: the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, a divorce, drug dependence, a diagnosis of infertility, etc.

Likewise, Kübler-Ross stated that These stages do not necessarily occur in the order presented above; nor that all of them are experienced by all people (although you will suffer at least two of these stages).

The most common thing is that people go through various phases of the process in a “roller coaster” effect, passing between two or more, and doing it again one or more times before ending.

Whatever the case, the ideal is not to seek to speed up the process or flatter it. In these cases, one must be merely aware that the stages will be overcome and the final state of acceptance will arrive. Some will leave them behind faster than others, as it is a very personal process.

Caring for families and grieving the loss

Elisabeth Kübller-Ross helped thousands of families. He did this by providing them with strategies to accompany the person in agony and on the deathbed with dignity, and to handle the loss once that person was gone. The classic model of grief made it easier to manage the emotions that arise in these experiences.

Likewise, his work and inspiration He encouraged the creation of multiple foundations to promote a dignified death. He even tried to create a hospice for children affected by AIDS, but since those were the first years of the epidemic, he encountered many criticisms and impediments to carrying it out. It was the thorn in his heart.

Dr. Kübler-Ross wrote more than 20 books about death and traveled around the world to teach her death workshops. “Life, death and transition.” The income he earned was invested entirely in organizing retreats to help people overcome losses.to deal with their illnesses, fears and anxieties regarding the end of life.

Kübler-Ross: death as a dawn, a transition to another stage

One of his most controversial books was undoubtedly Death, a dawn. He had a very specific idea in mind, Death is simply passing into a new state of consciousness.. It is transcending to a state full of love and indescribable well-being surrounded by light… From there, a journey of spiritual growth begins, according to the doctor’s approach.

This view was criticized by the scientific community. It is true that their models of palliative care and coping with loss and illness were well received and promoted. However, the aspect relating to That more intimate and spiritual vision of what death was for her was not well received.

Despite this, there are many people who support that idea and who feel comforted by harboring that vision, that perspective. Its calming and hopeful lessons about death and life are undoubtedly still very present today.

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