A 15-part personal series on training to become an end-of-life companion in Berlin, covering grief, dying, pain, ethics, rituals, and the people met along the way.

After eight months of training, Patrick reflects on becoming a certified end-of-life companion, on meaning, support, and what really matters in the end.

A stuffed monkey, a rooftop terrace, and the truths people choose to live in: Patrick on shadowing a day at a Berlin hospice during his end-of-life companion training.

My first client as a volunteer end-of-life companion: an honest account of connection, disappointment, and grief while accompanying Mr. K through his final weeks.

A folded painting and an altered state of consciousness: Patrick on the moments in life and death work that defy logic and are hard to put into words.

From paper stars to daily hospice traditions, Patrick Liebl on what rituals are, why they matter, and how they help both the dying and those who care for them.

Who gets the next free hospice bed? Patrick on the ethical principles and dilemmas hospice teams face every day, from autonomy to end-of-life decisions.

Our bodies know how to die. Patrick on the biology of dying, the "death rattle," and whether we can miss out on our own death.

Why this work is more about you than the dying person: Patrick on reading emotions, dementia, and not trying to fix a family system during end-of-life care.

From the fear of opioids to palliative sedation: Patrick Liebl shares what a palliative care doctor taught him about managing pain at the end of life.

A first shadowing visit brings up unexpected childhood memories. Patrick on getting emotionally triggered during his end-of-life companion training in Berlin.

Two grief counselors on why grief can't be fixed, only accompanied. Patrick on grief models, empathy, and why grief has become invisible in modern life.

A full-immersion training weekend on death, loss, and fear. Patrick reflects on facing his own relationship with death as part of his end-of-life companion training in Berlin.

Patrick learns how communication changes at the end of life, from the Schulz von Thun model to sitting with someone in silence, as part of his end-of-life companion training in Berlin.egins Here

Patrick continues his end-of-life companion training in Berlin, exploring expectations, support systems, and a personal exercise on what volunteering means to him.

Patrick begins an 8-month training to become an end-of-life companion (Sterbebegleiter) at a hospice in Berlin. Part 1 of a personal series on hospice care, death, and grief.