Acknowledgments

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has assisted me in bringing to publication the English edition of this book. My warm thanks to Dr. Keith Anderson, whose enthusiastic response to “Dying Is a Transition” (American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine 30 [3]: 283–290) made this book possible in the first place. I owe many thanks to Columbia University Press, especially to my translators, Dr. Mark Kyburz and Dr. John Peck; to Dr. Rudolf Walter, the editor of the original German edition of this book (Hinübergehen [Freiburg: Kreuz Verlag, 2011, 2015]); and to Dr. Miriam Schütt Mao, my research assistant, who supported and encouraged me time and again. I am most grateful to the following medical staff for their outstanding cooperation in the service of the patients in our care: Dr. Thomas Cerny, Department of Oncology, St. Gallen Cantonal Hospital; the palliative care physicians Drs. Florian Strasser and Daniel Büche; my fellow psychotherapist Michael Peus; and the palliative care teams St. Gallen and Münsterlingen. I am indebted to the following individuals: Dr. Gisela Leyting, a practicing supervisor, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst; Dr. Ursula Renz, Department of Philosophy, Klagenfurt University; Dr. Roman Siebenrock, Department of Theology, Innsbruck University; and Dr. Pim van Lommel, The Netherlands. I also extend my sincere thanks to my former teachers and colleagues, who were always prepared to discuss delicate questions in the areas of psychology and psychotherapy, theology, and spirituality. I owe special thanks to the many patients and relatives who shared their experiences with me. I wish to thank my family, my parents, my brothers and sisters. I would like to mention especially my mother for her critical comments and her unfailing support. My most personal heartfelt thanks go to my husband, Jürg!