‘We don’t talk about death’: Winston-Salem journalist seeks to help people understand dying, deathbed visions

‘We don’t talk about death’: Winston-Salem journalist seeks to help people understand dying, deathbed visions 
Fox 8 WGHP - High Point, NC; by Bob Buckley; 5/29/24 
There may not be anything that fascinates people more than death. It may be the thing many people avoid confronting the most. “In our culture, we’re pretty separated from death. And I don’t know the figures, but the vast majority … take place in hospitals. We don’t talk about death a lot in our culture,” said Phoebe Zerwick, a journalist based in Winston-Salem who recently wrote about deathbed visions for the New York Times Magazine. ... Zerwick became aware of the work of Dr. Christopher Kerr. ... “The biggest difference between hallucinations and these experiences is how the person is made to feel,” Dr. Kerr said. “Most hallucinations leave the person distressed and agitated and would be further confused. These experiences bring comfort. They bring meaning. They’re drawn from life. They really validate the life.” ... “I think the moral of the story is to be present and to be present with people when they are terminally ill. Be present when they’re dying,” Zerwick said.