01 / Philosophy
Psychopompic presence
Psychopomp is an old word for a guide of souls. Here, it names the willingness to walk beside another person toward death without trying to control the crossing.
Explore the philosophyAccompaniment in the final 72 hours
A way of being present at the threshold.
Daniel DeLoma’s work centers on accompaniment during the final 72 hours of life, when listening, vigil, touch, silence, ritual, and the rhythm of the heartbeat can help patients, families, and caregivers remain connected.
To listen. To remain.
To accompany.
At the threshold
“We cannot cross the threshold for another person. We can walk with them toward it.”
Accompaniment begins by listening for what comfort, dignity, and presence mean to the person who is dying. The task is not to control the crossing, but to remain near.
Ways of accompanying
Philosophy, practice, and a signature method.
Each begins with the same question: how do we remain present as another person approaches death?
02 / Practice
Final-72-hour vigil care
Doula and bedside practice give accompaniment a structure through sustained presence, listening, family support, ritual, breath, touch, silence, and clear boundaries within the plan of care.
Explore vigil formation03 / Method
Meditative Heartbeat Therapy
MHbT is one contemplative tool within the larger practice. It brings heartbeat, breath, focused listening, imagery, and silence together to support connection when words may be falling away.
Discover MHbTFeatured webinar
MHbT in conversation with End of Life Psychedelic Care.
A practical and contemplative introduction to heartbeat-centered presence when psychedelic care is unavailable, inappropriate, or not desired.
Daniel explores how MHbT may support meaning, connection, and expanded states of awareness while remaining grounded in hospice, palliative, and spiritual care.
Begin where you are
Different ways to begin.
Some arrive as family caregivers, others as clinicians, chaplains, doulas, or simply people trying to understand what presence can mean as death approaches.
For families
I am caring for someone.
Find gentle guidance for the final hours and days, with no clinical training or special equipment required.
Caregiver resourcesFor professionals
I want to bring this work to my setting.
Explore experiential workshops, team training, and immersive formation in accompaniment, vigil care, and MHbT.
Professional trainingFor learners
I want to understand MHbT.
Learn how heartbeat, rhythm, breath, touch, listening, and presence can become a language of accompaniment.
Explore the methodLearn the practice
Workshops shaped for the people in the room.
From a focused introduction to an immersive mentorship, each offering is grounded in bedside hospice care and designed to be experienced, not merely explained.
01
Quarterly public training
An accessible, experiential introduction for individuals who want to encounter MHbT without waiting for an organization to host.
02
Introduction to MHbT
A focused first encounter adapted for hospice teams, clinicians, chaplains, doulas, caregivers, and community groups.
03
Half-day and full-day workshops
Deeper clinical, spiritual, and experiential learning tailored to your organization and care setting.
04
Intensive and certification
A 100-hour pathway combining a 25-hour immersion with 75 verified bedside hours and MHbT End-of-Life Vigil Doula certification.
The practice at a glance
The heartbeat can be encountered in more than one way.
A recording is one option, not a requirement. The rhythm may be sensed, heard, or brought into awareness in the way that best fits the patient and the moment.
01
Rhythm
The heartbeat offers a living point of connection to the body, the present moment, and the person’s continuing life.
02
Presence
Breath, listening, touch, silence, or a recording may help create a shared contemplative space without requiring words.
03
Accompaniment
MHbT can be adapted for verbal or nonverbal patients, including people living with dementia, with close attention to comfort and response.
Clinical observations
188
participants in an observational study alongside standard comfort care
84%
showed improvement in assessed indicators of anxiety and pain within 4 to 6 minutes
Presence alongside treatment.
MHbT is not understood to alter the pharmacologic action of medication. The findings suggest that rhythm-based presence may support comfort while standard measures are being provided.
Read the study summaryWhere the work has traveled
Engaged across clinical, academic, professional, and community settings.
Waveny LifeCare NetworkAssociation for Death Education and CounselingFairfield UniversityYale New Haven HealthMattatuck MuseumConnecticut Association for Healthcare at HomeEnd of Life Psychedelic CareIntegrative Palliative Care InstituteMasonicare
See evidence, reach, and media 
The book behind the practice
Meditative Heartbeat Therapy
A Contemplative Guide to Presence, Rhythm, and Care at the End of Life
The book brings the philosophy, bedside origins, clinical-spiritual framework, and contemplative dimensions of MHbT into one place. It is written for clinicians, chaplains, doulas, caregivers, and anyone seeking a more present way to accompany the end of life.
Published by Apocryphile Press.
Begin a conversation
Bring accompaniment at the threshold to your community.
Attend a quarterly public workshop or invite Daniel to bring this work to a hospice, conference, university, faith community, or caregiver group.