181 Dr. BJ Miller, How We Deal With Death And How We Honor Life.

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Welcome everyone to this very special episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast. As most of you listening to my show are cops, first responders, or someone who writes stories about first responders, I thought this episode would be extremely useful to you all. We all have dealt with, or are still dealing with, a high volume of death. Sometimes we don’t deal with it at all. But I guarantee, it will come back to haunt us.

So today on the show I have a very special guest, Dr. BJ Miller.

Dr. Miller was the executive director of San Francisco's Zen Hospice Project from 2011 to 2016. He's the co-author, with Shoshana Berger, of the book "A Beginner's Guide To The End: Practical Advice For Living Life And Facing Death." Dr. Miller is also known for his 2015 TED Talk, "What Really Matters at the End of Life". Miller has been on the teaching faculty at UCSF School of Medicine since 2007.

Dr. Miller is no stranger to death, coming very close to himself by being electrocuted with 11,000 volts that resulted in several months in a burn unit, and eventually losing both legs and his left arm.

Dr. Miller is also the co-founder of Mettle Health, an organization that provides personalized, holistic consultations for any patient or caregiver who needs help navigating the practical, emotional, and existential issues that come with serious illness and disability.

Dr. Miller is one of the most inspirational and knowledgeable persons I have ever spoken to regarding death, and life.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Clinton Eastwood quote from the movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales. “Death is easy for us; it’s living that’s tough.”

· My first time hearing Dr. Miller on the Tim Ferriss show back in 2016.

· Experiences with ghosts or the presence of a person after their death.

· The beauty of the mundane of death.

· Dr. Miller’s unexplainable synchronicity with his patients.

· The difference between palliative care, end-of-life care, and hospice.

· When is it time to stop treatment and what do you do when a loved one pushes back against that?

· Visions or conversations with dead relatives? Sebastian Younger’s new book, In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife on the James Altucher podcast.

· Assisted suicide or assisted dying.

· The role of child life specialists when helping children with death.

· Regrets at the end of life.
The Netflix documentary featuring Dr. Miller, End Game.

Visit BJ at Mettle Health.
Watch BJ's TedTalk.
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

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