Dying in the Land of Enchantment: A Doctor's Journey

At a time when the process of dying is often medicalized and hidden from social view, there is considerable renewed interest in the benefits of contemplative practice in end-of-life care. In Dying in the Land of Enchantment: A Doctor's Journey, Gordon Giddings undertakes a quest to more completely understand the 'final crossing' by retreating to a Buddhist monastery in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with other practitioners of end-of-life care. While there, he is introduced to a Zen priest who would change the way he views life, death and the practice of medicine. In the process, he gives a glimpse into the experiences of patients and families at crucial points along the fine line between life and death, and on the benefits of contemplative medicine in a world of presecriptive medicine. Artfully interwoven with poetic verse, his narrative is a tribute to the most essential yet sometimes discounted side of medicine - the human side.