The final seventy-two hours of life often involve shifts in cognition, communication, and awareness that leave clinicians with limited tools for meaningful engagement. This webinar introduces Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT), an integrative approach that uses rhythm, presence, and attunement to support patients and families when language begins to fade. The webinar will explore the phenomenology of the dying process, introduce core principles and practical applications of MHbT within interdisciplinary care, as well as review practical ways to remain connected at the bedside. Live demonstration using a clinical simulation model will provide a clear and accessible introduction to MHbT in practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe key physiological, cognitive, and relational changes that commonly occur during the final seventy-two hours of life.
2. Explain the core principles of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT) and its role as a complementary approach within interdisciplinary end-of-life care.
3. Identify and apply basic applications of rhythmic attunement and presence-based techniques that can be used to support patients and families when verbal communication diminishes.

About the Presenter:

Daniel DeLoma, M.Th., MSPC is a hospice and palliative care chaplain, medical theologist, and founder of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT), an integrative approach that brings together physiology, spirituality, and presence-based care in end-of-life settings. His book, Meditative Heartbeat Therapy: A Contemplative Guide to Presence, Rhythm, and Care at End of Life (Apocryphile, 2025), introduces the heartbeat as a clinical and relational anchor during the final stage of life.

With more than a decade of experience in hospice and palliative care, including work in global settings, Daniel has companioned patients across a wide range of clinical and social contexts, from home care to inpatient facilities. His clinical focus centers on the final seventy-two hours of life, with particular attention to shifts in communication, awareness, and relational presence.

Daniel integrates ritual, narrative, and interdisciplinary collaboration in his work with the palliative care teams at Waveny Visiting Nurse and Hospice in Fairfield County, Connecticut. He is a certified Reiki Master and trained End-of-Life Doula and Educator, and continues to develop and teach MHbT as a practical, clinically grounded approach to care when language begins to fade.