Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Winter 2015 | Page 26

faculty spotlight

psychotherapy techniques that can help them cope
One of the ways Goldblatt Hyatt has begun
better after the loss of a brother or sister.
to “dive into” the process involves studying
The book has become available at various
the words people use in that tender, vulnerable
libraries and school guidance counselor offices
stage right before death, and how they impact
and seems to be making a difference. Hyatt said,
caregivers’ distress during the dying process. At
“Ultimately, you write a book not to make money
Bryn Athyn College, Goldblatt Hyatt is heading up
but to make a difference. If it touches one sibling’s
an innovative research project where her team will
life, and they feel that they are important, and that
explore this question, and more.
they matter, and they will be okay . . . that’s the
She came to the project through the linguist
reason I do it.”
Lisa Smartt, who has found a number of categories
So how did Goldblatt Hyatt end up at Bryn
of terms and words people use at the end of life:
Athyn College? Through a man who would one day
metaphors, complex sentence structures, ideas
become her husband: Will Hyatt.
about being “transported”, light and darkness,
While they were dating, Will said to her, “Your
gathering belongings and going on a great trip,
work with dying children sounds really interesting.
and some other universal themes. Goldblatt
Have you ever heard of Emanuel Swedenborg? He
Hyatt explained, “It seems that, anecdotally, when
wrote about what happens to children after they
people die, they speak in these terms. As I tried
die.” So Goldblatt Hyatt
to understand this phenomenon
started reading Heaven and
better, I began to also wonder about
While they were
Hell. She loved it. As she
what impact this has on caregivers
explained, “It was these tender
at the bedside, and how we can help
dating, Will said
depictions of children and
those loved ones cope better, too.”
to her, “Your
how they are taken care of in
Having worked with so many
heaven. Something about it
people at the end of life, Goldblatt
work with dying
struck me as so true.”
Hyatt is very aware of the “strange,
children sounds
She added, “I can’t explain
confusing, often nonsensical words
really interesting.
it. From a scientific perspective
that people use before they die”.
of course, there’s no evidence,
She explained, “Ultimately I was
Have you ever
but it hit me very deeply and
drawn to researching the words of
heard of Emanuel
I thought, ‘this is something
the dying and trying to understand
I want to know more about.’”
what we might learn to help the
Swedenborg?
The more Swedenborg she
living.”
read, the more she appreciated
Currently, Goldblatt Hyatt is
the teachings. “They felt real and they felt authentic
working to ensure that various Bryn Athyn student
and I fell in love with them.” She added, “My
interns are involved with this research. She said,
skeptical brain still causes me to question, but
“Students are so interested! It’s great. I’ve had
spiritually I feel very connected to this religion and
nursing majors, English majors, psychology majors,
this approach.”
interdisciplinary majors – everybody wants to get
Goldblatt Hyatt believes that this is a topic
involved in the project! So, we hope to have lots
where more research and understanding can bring
of interns. One right now, a psychology major, is
comfort to those witnessing a loved one pass
helping me comb the research and literature to see
away. She explained, “Sometimes the experience of
what else is out there on this topic. We expect to
being in the presence of someone who’s dying feels
have interns doing all sorts of tasks on this project,
frightening. It’s a very intimate process. We might
training them to take informed consent and code
want to run away from it. I want to dive into it and
qualitative data, and help us write academic papers.
explore it. I think that if we push through our fear
So there are a lot of ways that our students will be
we can be like midwives, easing the transition of
able to help out.”
those who are going on to the next stage. I think
Goldblatt Hyatt has been working to ensure
we just need more research and education to help
that protocol for the research project is finalized
people feel more comfortable.”
within the next academic year, and she is also

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