Thanatophobia Or Fear Of Death
The idea that one day we will cease to exist, at least, tends to disturb us. However, there are people who are terrified in such a way that it prevents them from living their day to day normally. When this happens, the person affected by this excruciating fear of death suffers from thanatophobia. A fear, partly natural, but on the other maladaptive when it reaches too high levels of discomfort.
Thanatophobia is usually quite paralyzing for those who suffer from it. Thoughts of one’s own death come to mind over and over again obsessively. Despite the nature of death, we could not understand the reason for its existence.
Thanatophobia in everyday life
People with thanatophobia often have persistent thoughts about the end of their own existence. Places like hospitals or cemeteries can be avoided by the “thanatophobic”. As well as watching very violent movies, coffins or anything that has to do with death.
Symptoms
The symptoms expressed by those who suffer from thanatophobia are several:
- Anxiety.
- Obsessive and constant thoughts about death. Both of own death and that of loved ones.
- Depressive moods or depression.
- Anguish.
- Avoidance behaviors about everything that is related to death.
- Panic attacks.
- Sleep problems
What is behind thanatophobia?
Trauma
Many people with a fear of death have experienced events related to it that they have lived intensely . Both victims of car accidents and survivors of attacks.
This fear can also be triggered by the death of a family member or witnessing an event related to death, both real and fictitious. Even a movie can be the seed that triggers that fear.
Learned fear
There are various beliefs about what is after death. Some people, cultures, or religions claim that eternal life exists. Other positions defend reincarnation or rebirth. And other beliefs defend that after death there is nothing.
Despite this, death is always disturbing. If we live in a society in which the fear of death predominates, it is much more likely that we have it too.
In cultures that believe in rebirth, the fear of death is much less intense and they even live this life with the intention of achieving a good future rebirth. What there is or not after death is a belief of each one, although it is obvious that this belief can provoke a more calm state or a state of fear.
Hide death
A society that hides death is a society that does not accept it. In this way, it is unlikely that a healthy relationship will be fostered with this very important step that we are all going to take.
Despite the fact that news about tragedies abounds in the pages of newspapers and on the news, we tend to hide our own death. Seeing news about a death saddens us, but hearing that one day we will die, apart from making us sad, can cause us great anxiety and discomfort.
As the team of Gala León (2002) postulates: “with this attempt at concealment and denial we get embedded in that evolutionary backward process (retroprogress) that leads us to less mature and inferior stages of the evolutionary process of attitudes towards death” .
Dissolving one’s identity
Another important aspect that hides behind the fear of death is the loss of our identity. A loss that, in principle, supposes the lack of notion of an “I” that feels. We attribute dying to stopping feeling. The “I” is extinguished and everything that we had been ceases to be.
We cling to a static concept of identity, which by its very nature is perishable. However, when we are aware that we have to let go of this body and this identity, a fear invades us that sometimes paralyzes us.
Fears at the end of life
Gala León’s team (2002) affirms that at the end of life a series of fears appear that increase the fear that we can already feel:
- Fear of the dying process. The mere thought that both physical and psychological pain will be felt can cause agony for many people.
- Fear of losing control. When our last moments arrive and our body is turning off, it is the others who sometimes have to make the decisions for us.
- Fear of what will happen to our people after our death. The state of our family is of great concern to us. They’ll be fine? Will they suffer? Will everything remain in order?
- Fear of fear of others. When we observe fear in others, our sense of fear can increase.
- Fear of the unknown. What is behind death? What does it feel like before leaving?
- Fear that life has no meaning.
How to treat thanatophobia?
The most used treatment to treat thanatophobia is usually cognitive-behavioral therapy. It focuses on both a behavioral, cognitive, and physiological level.
The team of Mercedes Bordas (2011), from the University of Seville, proposes in their article a series of objectives:
- Control anxiety symptoms. At a physiological level, it is about controlling those symptoms that appear related to the concept of death. At a cognitive level, thoughts related to death are worked on. Relaxation techniques such as breathing or progressive relaxation are also applied.
- Reduce avoidance behaviors. It takes place both in imagination and live.
- Reduce the level of emotional distress associated with the experience of death and the dying process. Cognitive restructuring at this point is essential to work on the fear of death.
conclusion
Although death is one more process of life, it does not prevent you from imposing respect or fear. However, if this fear is so intense in us that it prevents us from living normally, the most appropriate thing to do is seek professional help.
Good help will provide us with the right tools to stop fear from being so disabling. In this way, we will return to enjoy our activities as we have always done. The really important thing is not to die, but to live fully and appreciate every little gift that life offers us.
