The first of the four-unit Sacred Art of Living and Dying series - Understanding Spiritual Pain - will be held April 16 and 17 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg.  The two-day workshop will focus on the importance of healing spiritual pain at the end of life.

Explains Hospice of Northwest Ohio Executive Director Judy Seibenick, "Spiritual pain is as hard to treat as physical pain; something we have recognized for a long time at Hospice." Ms. Seibenick states further, "The content of this program is ideal not only for medical professionals, but for anyone at any stage of life. People all over the world have found great meaning in this experience for their own lives."

Participants in Unit One will:

• Learn about the rich cultural history and clinically effective practices for detecting and alleviating spiritual and emotional distress in times of loss, transition, illness and at the end of life.
• Discover a total pain management model with results that include reduced anxiety, improved quality of living and more effective pain management.
• Explore the distinction between religion and spirituality with perspective from Quantum Science, Depth Psychology and the world's greatest mystical traditions.
• Encounter valuable tools and insights to help maintain life's priorities, address death anxiety and reconnect one's "soul and role."

The four-unit program is a precursor to The Anamcara Project, which is a first-of-its-kind internship in the sacred art of living and dying. Based on Celtic teachings, the Anamcara acts as a life counselor and spiritual guide. The program has been designed by Richard Groves for healthcare professionals, faith communities of all traditions and the general public. Please visit www.sacredartofliving.org for more information. A chaplain for more than 25 years, Richard Groves and his late wife, Mary, founded the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend, OR. More than 10,000 students around the world have graduated from the Groves' spiritual education programs.

Tuition for Unit One is $350 - registration and payment can be made exclusively to the Sacred Art of Living and Dying website -www.sacredartofliving.org. Any additional questions can be directed to Jennifer Joseph, Community Outreach Coordinator at Hospice of Northwest Ohio, at 419-931-3156 or jjoseph@hospicenwo.org.

Unit Two is scheduled for October, also at the Holiday Inn French Quarter, and Units Three and Four are being planned for 2011.

Hospice of Northwest Ohio is the region's premiere resource on all issues pertaining to patient and family care at the end of life. As the first and largest provider of hospice care in the Toledo area - solely committed to caring for the terminally ill - it views community education as an important part of its mission.