Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
ELISABETH KUBLER-ROSS
Psychiatrist, Journalist
1926-2004
Born July 8, 1926 in Zurich, Switzerland Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was the oldest of triplets, Erika and Eva of Protestant Christian parents. In 1957 she graduated from the
University of Zurich Medical School. She was induced in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in
2007 and the recipient of twenty various honorary degrees throughout her career. She suffered two miscarriages, and eventually had a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Barbara. In
1995 Kübler-Ross suffered a series of strokes which left her partially paralyzed on her left side.
She died in 2004 of natural causes. Upon reading Kubler-Ross’ book, Questions and Answers On Death and Dying, I found that it is set up in a question and answer/advise format. The questions evolved from various formats, such as workshops, lectures and seminars. It is her belief that the process of dying or learning one has a terminal illness processes in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. After reviewing my own experience with the passing of my son in 2000, I believe her hypothesis is correct. If more caregivers offered some type of this psychological counseling, many people could possibly deal with death and dying a little easier. During her work and volunteer missions, she found that many people, including families, and doctors, either avoided talking with the dying person or didn’t know what to say to them.
By addressing this problem through seminars, lectures and books her hope was to familiarize family, care-givers and professionals with what dying people are thinking and feeling. By being familiar with some of the issues, denial of death would hopefully pass and the patients wouldn’t feel so alone in the dying process. It is noted in the book, that often times the terminally ill person doesn’t really want to talk about their impending death. The want to talk about “tomorrow”. What
Psychiatrist, Journalist
1926-2004
Born July 8, 1926 in Zurich, Switzerland Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was the oldest of triplets, Erika and Eva of Protestant Christian parents. In 1957 she graduated from the
University of Zurich Medical School. She was induced in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in
2007 and the recipient of twenty various honorary degrees throughout her career. She suffered two miscarriages, and eventually had a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Barbara. In
1995 Kübler-Ross suffered a series of strokes which left her partially paralyzed on her left side.
She died in 2004 of natural causes. Upon reading Kubler-Ross’ book, Questions and Answers On Death and Dying, I found that it is set up in a question and answer/advise format. The questions evolved from various formats, such as workshops, lectures and seminars. It is her belief that the process of dying or learning one has a terminal illness processes in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. After reviewing my own experience with the passing of my son in 2000, I believe her hypothesis is correct. If more caregivers offered some type of this psychological counseling, many people could possibly deal with death and dying a little easier. During her work and volunteer missions, she found that many people, including families, and doctors, either avoided talking with the dying person or didn’t know what to say to them.
By addressing this problem through seminars, lectures and books her hope was to familiarize family, care-givers and professionals with what dying people are thinking and feeling. By being familiar with some of the issues, denial of death would hopefully pass and the patients wouldn’t feel so alone in the dying process. It is noted in the book, that often times the terminally ill person doesn’t really want to talk about their impending death. The want to talk about “tomorrow”. What