Most people are uncomfortable talking about death due to many fears, including losing one’s identity, losing a loved one, fear of the unknown and scores of other worries. As a result, not much is done to help the person who is passing over make a smooth journey to the other side. Nor is much done to help the loved ones left behind create healthy closure. The following steps can make the experience more sacred and meaningful for everyone involved:

Begin to create a peaceful death process. When someone is approaching their death there are ways to help that person make a smoother transition, no matter what their beliefs are. Start with the environment around the dying person. Fill it with things they love, such as pictures, flowers, music and pleasant scents. This can make a big difference in calming their spirit.

Complete the old life. In order to move to a new and more peaceful place in the spirit world, it is vitally important to find completion with the life one is leaving behind. Holding on to the past makes for a rocky journey forward. It’s important to show people how to look at and let go of old baggage, such as resentments, grudges and regrets. It’s also important to help people complete all unexpressed communications, make peace with what has happened, apologize for any hurts they may have caused, and forgive any wrongs they may have received. Simply having a conversation about these things will go a long way.

Prepare the person for the spiritual world. The spiritual world may be intimidating or simply foreign to some people, but it can be glimpsed during such practices as prayer, reflection and guided meditation. These exercises can help someone begin to have an experience of the finer vibrations of the spiritual world, which allows the dying person to let go of the physical world more easily and move into the loving energies of the other side. At the funeral, leading everyone in a visualization of saying goodbye to the person who has died, and imagining sending them off to the light, really does help the person to move on gracefully.

Michael Rosenbaum, ACHT, MP, is a past-life regression practitioner, hospice volunteer, and death and dying specialist. For a free consultation and support with helping a loved one to pass over, call 914.218.9000 or visit AlternativeChoices.org.