Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement, defined 'total pain'- when emotional, social and spiritual distress, greatly enhance physical pain. She belived that , unless we address each of these, we fail to control pain and distress. When a patient is dying, this becomes more important than ever, yet the pressures of modern living mean that the spiritual needs of patients are all too often ignored.This guide to spiritual care is so valuable because it enables us all to recognise psychosocial and spiritual distress in the dying. It is applicable to dying people of any faith or none; as the authors observe, 'we share a common humanity if not always a common faith.' This guide should be read by all who are involved with dying people. Dying is a part of life that will come to us all sooner or later. We must try to see it through the eyes of those who are there now.