Dreams at the Threshold

Dreams at the Threshold: Guidance, Comfort, and Healing at the End of Life (Llewellyn Publications 2015)

Dreams help open our hearts in the moments of our greatest fear

At the end of life dreams can help start important conversations and en- courage the resolution of old wounds. They provide a welcome sense of dignity in their sharing and often help those who are dying move confidently toward an unknown future.

Dreams at the Threshold provides simple instructions on how to listen with a caring, respectful curiosity to our own dreams and the dreams of others. Discover how these important messages can provide the gift of peace and the courage to say goodbye. Just one shared dream can bring lasting comfort to those who are dying and to the community around them.

Praise for Dreams at the Threshold:

“[S]uperb in discussing preparation for death”—Library Journal (starred review)

This book was a bit of a revelation to me. It was like someone showed me a piece of the palliative care jig-saw puzzle that I had not realised was missing. I would recommend this book to anyone who works in palliative care. It may help you improve the care you give, as allowing patients to talk about their dreams is non-obtrusive. And it may help the care of yourself. —Roger Woodruff, M.D.,International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, (Palliative Care Book of the Month, October 2015)

This book explores the important role that dreams can play for people nearing the end of life, those providing support, and the loved ones whose lives are touched by the transition. It suggests how to listen with a caring, respectful curiosity to dreams and the dreams of others. This is an unusual and fascinating book. Healthcare staff working with palliative patients may find it hugely beneficial. It is written with warmth and conviction, and is a heartwarming read. —Nursing Standard: Promoting Excellence in Nursing

“This book is written with love, interest and conviction. Jeanne’s aim is to teach us the importance of dreams for those in contact with the dying and the people closest to them. Easy to read and understand.  Do not hesitate to seize this opportunity in discovering another tool for accompaniment.”—Monique Séguin, co-author of Dreams and Death

“Jeanne Van Bronkhorst’s Dreams at the Threshold is an important contribution to this neglected dimension.”—Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind

“The great gift of this book is its warm-hearted simplicity.”—Robert Moss, author of Conscious Dreaming

“Through artful weaving of dreams . . . Jeanne Van Bronkhorst has created a beautiful guidebook both for professionals who work with end-of-life patients and for laypersons who will face this inevitable transition in their own lives and the lives of loved ones.”—Tallulah Lyons, M.Ed., author of Dreams and Guided Imagery

“Well-crafted and gracefully composed, Dreams at the Thresholdoffers readers an invitation to explore the strangely illuminating world of dreams that revolve around death, dying, and those who have died. Van Bronkhorst does not advocate any specific religious doctrine about what happens when people die, and her approach would be valid in virtually any setting, whether religious or secular in nature.

“Van Bronkhorst addresses the book to people who have no prior familiarity with dreams or dream research—that is to say, the vast majority of the modern Western population…She knows that many people in present-day society are skeptical about dreams, and she also knows that dreams hold tremendous healing potential if properly integrated into caregiving practice. –Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D., Dream Time Magazine, Winter 2016

Available now at Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Indigo.ca, Llewellyn Publications