Monday, July 30, 2018
End-of-Life Learning from the Philosophy of Ninjas
by Lizzy Miles
If you had told me there was a parallel between the study of ninjutsu and hospice a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I have now realized that there is much to be learned from the ninja philosophy that can be applied to hospice.
It was a patient who helped me make the connection.
The chaplain and I were doing our initial assessment with a cancer patient who was younger than both of us. I will call the patient “John.” I started the visit like I usually do, by asking the dignity question.
“What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best care possible?”
His response was calm. “I learned in the military, you can gain a lot of strength through suffering. It can help you see through to the other side.”
I looked over at the chaplain, intrigued. I could tell he was intrigued too.
I asked John if he had any worries or concerns. He said it he didn’t. I had heard that one sister was having a particularly tough time, so I asked John if there was anyone in his family that he worried about. Again, in a slow, calm voice, he said, “I hope when I’m gone nothing changes, but a shift in the system can cause disarray.”
I suppose my feelings of surprise were because his manner and presence were so much calmer than patients usually are when they’ve been referred to hospice with a short prognosis. I looked over at the chaplain again and we locked eyes. Craig, our chaplain, has a PhD in Philosophy. I could tell that he was also curious and impressed with John’s demeanor.
I turned to John and told the patient as much. “The chaplain and I are looking at each other because you are a lot calmer and more at peace than most patients we meet. What’s your secret?”
John told us that he had studied ninjutsu.
Though I only met John that one time, his strong presence at that visit affected me. I was so curious about ninjutsu because I really knew nothing about it except what I had seen in movies and television, which couldn’t be more misleading. I searched online, and found an article that introduced me to the spiritual component of ninjutsu training. I then checked out several books from the library and dug in.
According to Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, the last surviving grandmaster of the ancient art on ninjutsu, there are multiple theories of the evolution and origin of ninjutsu. Going back almost 1,000 years there was a time in Japan where feudal lords ruled through terror. Ninjutsu was created as a martial art focused on self defense against oppressors. Along with the physical training, there was a focus development of mental fortitude (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 19-21).
First and foremost: “The ninja are not members of a circus. Nor are the ninja robbers, assassins or betrayers. The ninja are none other than persons of perseverance or endurance.” (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 77)
Secondly, “…true ninjas began to realize that they should be enlightened on the laws of humanity. They tried to avoid unreasonable conflicts or fighting…The first priority to the ninja was to win without fighting, and that remains the way.” (Hatsumi, 1988 p.23)
What was of greatest interest to me in the books was the details of mental training that went along with the physical training in ninjutsu. Much of what we see in hospice goes beyond the physical as well, and I saw many parallels.
Here are the gems I found:
Ninja philosophy: “The objectives of the ninjas are: first, to use ninjutsu to infiltrate the enemy’s camp and observe the situation.” (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 111).
How it applies to hospice: Everyone involved in a hospice situation, including the patient, their loved ones, and the staff, are observing everyone else.
* The patient often can be stuck in a role of observation whether they chose to or not because they may be too tired to interact, or the family will talk in front of them to staff.
* The family is often on high alert, watching the patient for symptoms or watching the staff and timing our responses.
* The staff members are observing the patient for signs of pain or distress and watching family for signs of psychosocial distress.
Interventions: Be deliberate on the task of observation. Imagine taking the bird's eye view. Sometimes we can be so focused on what we need to do or say that we forget to check in. Make a mental note for yourself to observe before you speak or act.
Ninja philosophy: “In ninjutsu this is no fixed or permanent, ‘this is what it is’. Forget the falsehood of fixed things.” (Hatsumi, 2014, p.46)
How it applies to hospice: This is already my favorite insight with hospice. The longer I’ve been doing hospice, the more I keep learning what I don’t know. I’ve written about assumptions that we have about dying, how the dying may not want to be in control, and the emotions the dying might be feeling. Still, I keep discovering more and more variations in the way that people die – both in timing and symptoms.
Interventions: Be mindful of any time you find yourself feeling certain about a patient’s condition or what will happen. Reflect on the times you have been wrong about what you thought you knew.
Ninja philosophy: “First, forget your sadness, anger, grudges, and hatred. Let them pass like smoke caught in a breeze” (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 123).
How it applies to hospice: It is not uncommon for patients to go through a life review process in which they may have feelings of anger, guilt, or shame. Sometimes they take out their emotions out on us. Friends and family too may have memories of past hurts that come up during this time. Hospice staff are sometimes put in the position where we have to wear a mask to hide whatever might be happening to us outside of work.
Interventions: Work on your awareness of when your feathers are getting ruffled by a patient. Recognize that their attitude towards you may reflect on their own internal state of mind rather than a defect of your own. Be mindful of your reactions to stressful situations.
Ninja philosophy: “We say in Japanese that a presentiment is ‘a message conveyed by an insect.’ For example, when someone is dying, his family or close friends he really loved, can feel something is happening. We say than an insect has conveyed a message to them. It makes us believe that one can communicate through the subconscious” (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 72).
How it applies to hospice: If you have been working in hospice long enough, you have to acknowledge there are unusual coincidences, synchronicities, signs, and moments of instinct. There are stories where patients have predicted the timing of their own death, stories about someone dying just when a loved one arrived or left, and stories about spirit presences in the room.
Interventions: Be open to the idea that there are forces beyond what we understand. Remember that patients and families may have belief systems different from our own.
Ninja philosophy: “The first important aspect of ninjutsu is to maintain calmness in the body, and endurance in the heart” (Hatsumi, 2014 p.169).
How it applies to hospice: The connection with this one to hospice seems obvious to me. How many patients do we have with anxiety? From my experience, this feels like one of the most common symptoms across diagnoses, and understandably so. The mind/body connection is most apparent with COPD patients who are short of breath and then feel anxiety about being short of breath and then become even more breathless. We know that they are creating their own cycle, but sometimes we have difficulty helping them find their calm.
Interventions: Start the conversation with patients about anxiety at a time when they are not anxious. Ask them how they calm themselves when they are feeling anxious. If they don’t know how to answer that question, then encourage them to think on it for a while. I sometimes joke with patients that I am giving them “homework.” This goes for staff too. Do you know what brings you calm? How can we be educators if we don’t practice what we preach?
Ninja philosophy: “Nothing is so uncertain as one’s own common sense or knowledge. Regardless of one’s fragile knowledge one must singlemindedly devote oneself to training, especially in times of doubt. It is of utmost importance to immerse and enjoy oneself in the world of nothingness” (Hatsumi, 1988 p. 65-66).
How it applies to hospice: Patients and families do not get to a point of acceptance of death overnight. For patients and families to reach acceptance they need to sit with the uncomfortable feelings. Slowly, they get used to the idea that this is really happening. When patients start sleeping for longer periods of time, both the patient and the family are learning to separate from one another.
Interventions: Be patient with the time it takes for our patients and families to come to acceptance. Realize that for some of them, the introduction of hospice may have been the first time they truly contemplated mortality. They haven’t trained for it like we have. Those who work in hospice and see death and dying on a regular basis can forget what it feels like to be in this situation.
Ninja philosophy: “Ultimately the responsibility for your training is your own” (Hoban, 1988, p. 172).
How it applies to hospice: Remember not to project your own ‘right way to die’ onto a patient. Consider this: some people actually do want to die in a hospital setting! Some patients do want a room full of people there with them. Some people want the television on to Fox news.
Interventions: Ask the patient about their preferences, rather than assuming you know what they want because it’s what you would want. Self-reflect on suggestions you make to patients and families to ensure you're not projecting your own belief system.
References
Hoban, J. (1988). Ninpo: Living and thinking as a warrior. Chicago: Contemporary Books.
Hatsumi, M. (1988). Essence of ninjutsu: The nine traditions. Chicago: Contemporary Books.
Hatsumi, M. (2014). The complete ninja: The secret world revealed. New York, NY: Kodansha USA.
Photos via Unsplash. Some photos have been cropped.
Moon via Clayton Caldwell
Owl via Philip Brown
Butterfly via Nathan Dumlao
Smoke via Alessio Soggetti
Lizzy Miles, MA, MSW, LSW is a hospice social worker in Columbus, Ohio and author of a book of happy hospice stories: Somewhere In Between: The Hokey Pokey, Chocolate Cake and the Shared Death Experience. Lizzy is best known for bringing the Death Cafe concept to the United States. You can find her on Twitter @LizzyMiles_MSW
