I, the Second, in the Presence of the First’s Death. An Existential Perspective on Accompanying in Dying – Based on the Story with Raspberries 

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63867/4e8njt41

Keywords:

passing away, phenomenology of death and life, accompaniment, relationship, being-in-presence, authenticity of existence

Abstract

 

 This article presents a personal perspective on participating in a boundary situation – the Second accompanying the First in dying. It is a record of an intimate experience, seen through the eyes of the Second – a “study of the intimacy of the boundary situation” (Walczak, 2023). It portrays the experience of being in the presence of a boundary situation, framed phenomenologically, which guides the path of accompanying someone in dying and leading the Second towards life after the death of the First. In this process, a “transformation” occurs – the Second, in the presence of the First’s death, becomes the First in the presence of her own mortality. The intimate experience of dying does not so much bring one closer to death, but – through awareness of one’s own transience – draws one nearer to life, becoming a source of authentic existence. 

Author Biography

  • Dorota Draczyńska, Akceptacja4FM.Lab, Warsaw, Poland

    A psychologist by profession, certified cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist (certificate no. 1674) and an existential psychotherapist, accredited in the NEST approach. She graduated from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Dominican University in River Forest (Illinois, USA), and SWPS University in Warsaw. She is professionally affiliated with the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Dialog Therapy Center. Her academic work focuses on relational trauma, complex PTSD, and the development of therapeutic methods that support acceptance and living in alignment with oneself. She is a co-author of the Acceptance 4FM Training. She teaches an elective course at SWPS University and leads internship workshops at the Dialog Therapy Center.

    Over the years, she has implemented numerous training and research-development projects in the field of mental health. Privately — a woman, partner, and mother. In her free time, she most enjoys... doing nothing. Lifelong learning is, for her, a way of being in the world.

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Published

2025-05-22

Issue

No. 1 (2025): Death as an Emanation of Life

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Existential Analysis and the Phenomenology of Life

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Czasopismo ukazuje się w wersji elektronicznej – w trybie open access – m.in. na stronie czasopisma. Publikowanie jest nieodpłatne na licencji Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND). Prace publikujemy zarówno w języku polskim, jak i angielskim.

How to Cite

I, the Second, in the Presence of the First’s Death. An Existential Perspective on Accompanying in Dying – Based on the Story with Raspberries . (2025). Existential Analysis and the Phenomenology of Life, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.63867/4e8njt41