Meditative Heartbeat Therapy
A Contemplative, Integrative Practice for Supporting Patients and Families in the Final 72 Hours of Life.
Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT) is a bedside contemplative practice used in hospice and palliative care to reduce anxiety, support presence, and guide patients and families through the final 72 hours of life.
Rooted in bedside hospice and palliative care, MHbT uses intentional awareness of the heartbeat to accompany patients, families, and caregivers through life’s final transition—especially when words, cognition, and conventional interventions are no longer sufficient.
Meditative Heartbeat Therapy does not replace medical care. It complements and deepens it by attending to dimensions of the human experience that cannot be measured, yet profoundly matter at the end of life.
MHbT honors dying as a relational and spiritual passage. It affirms that even as the body weakens, meaning remains accessible. Through rhythm, stillness, and shared presence, the final moments of life can become a time of connection, coherence, and peace.
The Practice
MHbT is a integrative practice created by Chaplain Daniel DeLoma.
At its core, MHbT is simple.
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The heartbeat is listened to, recorded, or gently mirrored
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Attention is guided toward rhythm and breath
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Presence becomes anchored in something constant, even as the body changes
No prior experience is required.
No belief system is assumed.
Only willingness to be present.
MHbT has been presented to and explored with professionals and institutions across the United States and internationally, including:
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Hospice and palliative care organizations
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Academic and clinical training programs
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Interdisciplinary care teams
Begin Listening
What begins as theory in the book by Chaplain Daniel DeLoma is embodied in The Intensive, where the work becomes lived—and one becomes a Friend of Phyrn. It is also made accessible through a series of videos for caregivers, offering simple, grounded ways to practice presence at the bedside. Explore the options below to learn more and bring MHbT to your patients and community.
Clinical Observations
In hospice and palliative care settings where MHbT has been used alongside standard comfort care, clinicians and families have reported:
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Noticeable relief from severe pain within approximately 4–6 minutes following morphine administration, compared to the more typical 15–20 minute onset when medication is used alone
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Rapid reductions in anxiety and emotional distress during periods of symptom escalation
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Increased caregiver steadiness, presence, and emotional grounding in the final hours