End-of-Life Doula care can look like:
Organization of end-of-life plans and health care directives - How do I get my affairs in order? what is the next step?
Support individuals in processing medical diagnoses - What does this mean? What do I do next?
Provide health care system navigation support - What do these services provide? What is right for me?
Educate on end-of-life options and choices - What feels best and most authentically my choice?
Provide guidance on sitting vigil and being present at the end-of-life - What is normal? How can I be involved?
Demystify the dying processes with grounded information - Supporting the care team in all the ways, getting through the hard days together
Offer rituals such as post death vigil and Ritual Bathing and Shrouding for emotional and spiritual support - What can we do to bring sacredness to this space and process, honoring what it is.
Plan farewell events and ceremonies - Living Funerals, Goodbye events - Can we continue to honor this life in a thoughtful way?
End-of-Life Doula support
When we turn toward—and choose to be present with—the dying process, we open the possibility for a meaningful, heartfelt journey. As an end-of-life doula, I facilitate this “turning toward” by offering a steady, compassionate presence for individuals, families, and community. Through education on care options, bridging gaps with the medical system, and providing spiritual and psychological support, I help demystify the dying process. In doing so, I create a grounded, supportive container in which the dying person and their loved ones can move through this profound transition together.
Post Death Vigil
When a loved one dies, even with preparation, it can be shocking to witness their departure from the environment they once inhabited. First, we watch our loved one die; then, we are asked to physically say goodbye to their body.
With the growing trend of delayed funerals or direct cremation, many families now experience long gaps between the death of their loved one and the gatherings that bring people together to honor and celebrate their life.
The time between death and when your loved one is transported is sacred and precious. Creating a post-death vigil (mini-wake) offers an opportunity to pause, to slow down, and to engage in ceremony or reflection. It allows space to receive support within this liminal moment and to offer reverence for this profound transition.
Ritual Bathing and Shrouding - A Last Act of Care
Ritual bathing and shrouding is one of the oldest human practices, with nearly every religion and Indigenous culture holding a version of this sacred rite. Linen, hides, and cotton have been used for hundreds of years as traditional shrouding materials. The body is bathed with floral essences and carefully wrapped—offering protection, practicality, and spiritual reverence—in preparation for burial or cremation. This ritual creates an opportunity for the community to offer a final act of care and gratitude, collectively preparing their loved one for the next journey.
Sula Johnson
Sula is a life-long student of Tibetan Buddhism and has a background in event planning and cultural programming. Formerly a political advisor in Canada with the Ministry of the Status of Women, and COO of Rachel Cargle’s The Loveland Group, Sula is passionate about honoring the lives of people and all they move through in life.
An end-of-life doula since 2017, Sula has completed training and certification with The School of Traditional Medicine in Toronto, The Open center in NYC, and D-School with Martha Jo-Atkin. With a focus on home funerals and shrouding practices, her passion is creating reverence and ritual for us to be with and in transition, together.
Sula Johnson is the founder of Peacing Out and part of a growing movement of doulas, caregivers, and officiants looking to transform our relationship with death. She works with both individuals and their families as they navigate the dying process and offers emotional, spiritual, and logistical support. She also works with companies and organizations to create programming and experiences that explore our mortality and give us expressions for our grief. Through workshop facilitation and one-on-one time with people, she creates spaces to thoughtfully explore end-of-life contemplations, planning and ceremony.
She Mothers, works and lives in Brooklyn, NY and serves in person within Brooklyn and Manhattan. She offers virtual care to all.
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