New Article Series: The Incredible Impact of Witnessed Cremation
In early July, I had the sincere privilege of spending a day at the East Tennessee Cremation Company in Maryville, Tennessee. I talked with the staff, watched the process and the sincere respect and attention to detail with which it was conducted, and asked lots of questions. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the entire experience made a lasting impact on me, but one particular part of that day was especially meaningful: learning about witnessed cremations.
As my gracious hosts braved the searing Southern summer heat to share their dedicated witnessed cremation space, explain why certain details and features were so very important to families, and tell me both heartbreaking and heartwarming stories from the witnessed cremations they’d conducted, I felt compelled to share what I’d learned with every deathcare practitioner who would listen. I had to write the story.
But as I drove home to northwest Alabama, that story idea morphed into three stories, then four. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. There was so much to the concept of witnessed cremation that I wanted to learn, research, and share that there are now five distinct areas that we will feature on the topic in the coming weeks:
The closure case — what the grief research actually says about witnessing's psychological value, and how closely it mirrors the benefits families already associate with graveside burial;
Debunking the flames myth — what families really see (and don't see) during a witnessing, and why the mental image standing in their way is usually wrong;
What gets lost when nobody witnesses — the flip side of the closure argument, and what unwitnessed direct cremation can quietly cost a grieving family down the road;
How to actually bring it up — practical language and timing for raising witnessing at the arrangement conference without it sounding like an upsell; and, lastly (maybe) …
Preparing yourself to prepare your families — practical, necessary steps to take before guiding a family through your first witnessed cremation.
This series will complement the upcoming Continuing Education webinar “Without a Witness, Everything Just Disappears: The Importance of Family Cremation Witnessing,” which will be presented on Wednesday, December 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern by Christi Moon Robbins of The Independent Funeral Group & East Tennessee Cremation Company.
My friends at the crematory (many of whom are now my coworkers!) understand and shared with me that witnessed cremation is not for every family, but after learning more about it, I am convinced that it’s something every funeral home should be offering — as long as it’s priced deliberately, described accurately, and presented as the meaningful option it actually is. I hope that at least one of these articles makes you consider the impact witnessed cremation can have on the families you serve.
