Home

Testimonials

“Unmasking Mortality” was first conceived and offered during the pandemic, running two cohorts from September 2020 to August 2021. Two more cohorts were offered January to December, 2023. Each of these sessions filled to capacity. Here’s a sample of what participants had to say:

“I experienced Unmasking Mortality as an invitation and an inspiration. I now live in an increased awareness of consciousness of dying. Throughout the course I had important conversations with friends and family about dying, fueled by insights learned from the course… It was brilliantly taught, with helpful exercises, excellent choice of readings, and heart-opening sharing with and bearing witness to the stories of beautiful people traveling this path together. — Louise M., Vancouver BC, Canada

“To gather under the generous and masterful guidance of Steve Schwartzberg with a group of souls drawn to look closely at death was a transformative opportunity. The experience for me was deeply nourishing and provocative. Over the course of the year, Steve presented a meticulously planned curriculum which invites, seduces, and inspires participants to probe feelings as well as factual information around our own mortality. My relationship with death is now much more intimate, as is my ability to live more fully and freely. Being in this course augmented every aspect of my spiritual practice. Steve offers a truly great course for living.” — Martin M., New York, NY  

“Unmasking Mortality was stimulating and enlightening. This course enabled me to finally face some problems, and address some denials, that have worried and confused me for many years… This course will give you a good start on how to live the rest of your life with care and confidence, and prepare you to face death in a way that encourages a positive attitude rather than a fearful one.” — Liz L., Swansea, Wales

“This course has shifted my experience of life and my thoughts about my death. The ongoing interactions and conversations with my fellow participants were illuminating and enlivening, and proved to me that we are not meant to do this work alone. I now have more profound feelings of gratitude for my living friends and family, as well as for those who have passed. I feel better prepared than I ever have for that moment when I take my final breath.” — Don L., Los Angeles, CA

“I loved being able to speak freely about death with other equally inquisitive souls, all under the sage guidance of Steve Schwartzberg. Steve did such a wonderful job. He transmits profound lessons very clearly and casually. I so appreciated his leadership through the year. Having finished the course, I can’t say that I know more about death (who but the dead can claim to?) but I can say that I do know much more about my relationship to and beliefs about my inevitable passing. That knowledge now enriches my everyday life.” — Pier-Carlo T., Hillsborough, NC

“This course was an extraordinary experience for me. It changed my life far more than I expected it would. I am very grateful to Steve for his wisdom, care, and devotion in bringing this course to us.” — Judy H., Wendell, MA

About the Instructor

Steve Schwartzberg, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, workshop instructor, and writer. He has been a serious Buddhist meditation practitioner for over 25 years. His doctoral research in clinical psychology focused on death, grief, and how people find meaning in extreme illness. He has authored several works on bereavement, including the book A Crisis of Meaning: How Gay Men Are Making Sense of AIDS (Oxford University Press, 1996). Steve served on the adjunct faculty of Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry from 1992-2008. As a facilitator with the Body Electric School since 2006, he has created and taught introductory and advanced workshops, designing programs that bridge psychological and spiritual issues with creative, embodied expression.

Steve was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in Spring 2021. His insights gleaned from living with serious illness — currently well managed with medication — inform the life-affirming, death-acknowledging explorations possible in Unmasking Mortality.