The trauma is the result of physical, mental and emotional pain and suffering, the loss of everything (including one's possessions, body, friends and relations) and uncertainty as to what the future holds.

Perhaps one of the greatest issues from a yoga perspective is to prepare oneself for the point of death and the next life. The point of death is important because, according to Indian thought, your last thoughts set the scene for your next life. If you are thinking of God at the time of death then He/She will come to you. After death, you have no mind, and therefore you cannot be troubled. During the period between lives, you travel to your next destination, heaven or hell, for example, at a pace required for your Soul to adjust to the new experiences that He or She will be given. Hence on this journey, you may see light or darkness, feel, hear or taste (not smell as this relates to the earth element which is absent during your travel) different things. However, as these are consistent with your accumulation of likes and dislikes during your life, you will be peaceful.

So, how can one help someone who is dying? The following are some thoughts:

• Maintain a yogic frame of mind through means such as the observance of the principles of yama and niyama , chanting a mantra , religious practices moderate austerities , self study and surrendering to God . The person who is dying can be encouraged to do these too
• Give the person who is dying love, consideration and support. In practice this is likely to mean skimping on some of your other commitments, i.e. sacrifice on your part 
• Often the dying person is unable or unwilling to make decisions and these will need to be made by his or her family and you may be asked to help  
• It is the quality rather than length of life that is important. As much as possible one should resist (depending on how much responsibility you have) doctor or other family pressure to keep the patient alive in a drugged state or to have many operations to prolong life
• The person needs to be made comfortable by if possible (subject to their wishes) remaining at home in familiar surroundings, with nourishing food
• He or she should have an undisturbed atmosphere - assuming this is in accord with the person's wishes, visitors should be mainly those who love him or her, the use of television should be limited, music should be tranquil. In some cases the person will be receptive to advice on these and other issues and in other cases not
• The best policy is often not to profer advice unless asked or it seems really necessary, and to limit giving advice to areas where you are expert in
• Often your main contribution will be time, helping with practical day-to-day chores that the dying person cannot cope with or just keeping him or her company. This may mean remaining silent or taking part in light or serious conversation as and when needed
• The person is likely to be suffering and possibly the only relief available is humour and relief for the mind.