At El Faro we provide training in end-of-life support. And sometimes, as teachers, we ask ourselves a key question: is what we offer enough? Is it enough to prepare someone to accompany another in a moment as unique and unrepeatable as the end of life?
The answer, time and time again, is yes.
It is enough because it transforms. The people who go through our training sessions tell us that something changes in them. Not only do they learn tools and concepts, but they manage to look at death—and life—in a different way. It is a deep, internal change that is reflected in his words: “This not only taught me how to accompany, it transformed me as a person”.
It is enough because it can be put into practice immediately. Our companions today work in hospitals, hospices, long-stay residences, in private homes and also with families. This knowledge is not kept in a notebook or in a classroom: it goes out into the world to accompany people and environments in real situations, where they make a difference.
And it’s enough because it never ends. Nobody finishes learning to accompany. This path has no end. A companion will always be an apprentice, because in this task Death is the great teacher. It is she who teaches us, time and time again, that there are no universal recipes or answers, but that there is always something to discover.
How do we achieve all this? Our teaching model has something very special: it combines the conceptual with the experiential. It’s not just theory. Each class is full of practical exercises, reflections, shared moments that invite you to look inward and connect with what is human. Furthermore, teachers are companions who have already gone through what the students are experiencing today. And that makes all the difference, because they bring with them their real experiences, their learnings and their journey.
Training at El Faro is much more than learning tools. It is an internal journey. Those who go through this experience receive maps, resources and questions that lead them to encounter something that, in general, we avoid: the presence of Death in our own lives. Because even if we don’t like to think about it, Death is always there, reminding us that everything has a time. And in that reminder, if we pay attention to it, there are teachings that can transform our way of living and accompanying.
That’s why we say that our accompaniment model has something Socratic about it. We do not seek to impose answers or give magic formulas. We help each person discover what they already have inside: the ability to be with another, to listen with an open heart and to accompany from a human, deeply human place.
When I met Ram Dass, spiritual teacher and companion on the path of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Stephen Levine, I found an inspiration that continues to guide our formation. He said something that marked me forever: “I am human, and that should be enough to be next to another human being who is dying.”.
That idea was the starting point for designing training that does not depend on degrees or credentials. It focuses on activating what is essentially human: listening, compassion, full attention. Because accompanying is not a technical act, it is a deeply human act.
Today, after more than ten years of providing courses and seminars, I remain convinced that accompanying does not have to do with being perfect or having all the answers. It has to do with remembering that we are human. Human and mortal. And from that place, we can be next to someone who is going through the end of their life, accompanying Death as an ally and not as an enemy.
If you feel that this path could be for you, that you want to learn to accompany from a human and transformative place, write to us at [email protected]. We are here to guide you, to share this journey and to show you that, sometimes, learning to accompany another is also learning to live more fully.
by CEDOC
