The feeling of fear of death (thanatophobia) is common to all living beings. If you do not take therapeutic measures in a timely manner and do not get rid of the fear of death, the consequences can be severe.
When a person is faced with a disaster, a negative emotional state is considered valid. Anxiety goes away on its own after its cause is eliminated. However, some phobias arise without any basis and can lead to psychosomatic disorders (physical illnesses) in a physically healthy person.
Symptoms of fear of death
Anxiety for others (especially relatives) manifests itself in the form of excessive guardianship. The fear of one's own death most often manifests itself more acutely, and a person sees danger in every object or action.
People with a pronounced fear of death usually lead an aloof lifestyle, trying not to go out and not come into contact with others.
If it is not possible to avoid activities that pose an increased danger, such as air travel, then on the plane the patient may have a panic attack with the following symptoms:
- dizziness;
- nausea;
- frequent urination;
- diarrhea;
- cardiopalmus;
- promotion ;
- loss of consciousness.
Constant fear for one’s own life provokes the development of other phobias:
- mysophobia,
- liftophobia,
- electrophobia.
As the pathology progresses, the symptoms intensify, and an attack of panic fear can appear without a visible stimulus and at any time of the day.
Case from practice
It is extremely difficult to cope with the fear of death on your own, because it is impossible to work on something that we are not fully aware of. In addition, the fear of death can be masked behind other psychological problems, and in this case it is almost impossible to deal with it on your own. Only a professional psychotherapist, with the help of special methods and techniques, can help you understand the true causes of difficulties and become your guide on the path to a higher quality of life. Working with the unconscious is a jewelry job that requires a high level of education and extensive experience.
“I just can’t live in peace. Every new day begins with panic: what if something happens, what if I feel suddenly ill, and there is no one around? When I think about this, it hurts me terribly. Death pursues us all at every step and can come at any moment. Why live then?
These are the words of client Maria, who sought help due to a strong fear of death. During the conversation, it turned out that six months ago her cousin, with whom the girl was close, tragically died. The death of her brother was the event that forced Maria to face the reality of her own finitude. Only a gradual rethinking of the tragic event, accompanied by a psychotherapist, helped the girl eventually reach a new level of life.
Psychotherapy of fear of death is a long and difficult work; the briefly described example from practice is in fact a multi-layered deep work on one of the most complex and mysterious phenomena of our life.
Why does thanatophobia occur?
Thanatophobia is the medical name for the fear of death. It can occur in people of any conscious age. The logical conclusion of life is death, therefore the fear of this event is common to all people. The complete absence of a sense of fear of death is also considered a pathology.
Depending on the reason that can provoke the fear of dying, there are several forms of fear and its manifestations:
- Fear of serious illness. A patient with such a psychoemotional disorder has undergone surgery or had other health problems. It is possible that the source of the problem lies in the fear of experiencing severe pain, which is characteristic of many serious diseases.
- Fear of the unknown. No one knows what will happen to him after death, so a person begins to fear what awaits him after death.
- Loss of control. It is impossible to prevent death from occurring. Even if a person eats right, seeks medical help in a timely manner, etc., he knows that death cannot be avoided and begins to realize his own helplessness. Loss of control over the situation provokes a constant feeling of anxiety.
- Loneliness. A person is afraid to be alone.
- Faith and punishment. Religious people are not afraid of death, but of the fact that punishment awaits them for their sins.
- Fear of sudden death. People with this form of thanatophobia are afraid to die, because... they have unfinished business, small children in need of care, etc.
In adults
Obsessive fear of death in adult patients often occurs after 30-35 years. During this period, most manage to establish themselves as individuals in their career, business and family life, beginning to evaluate their achievements differently, because They believe that life is at the beginning of its decline. Thoughts about death are visited more and more often, and the fear of dying begins to intensify in the event of a financial crisis, in moments of poor physical well-being and life turmoil.
In older people
The psychology of an elderly person differs from the psychology of middle-aged people. At the end of life, a rethinking of all actions and events occurs. In old age, people are often afraid not to die, but to experience the death throes.
Fear intensifies when a serious illness is diagnosed, and the person begins to fear that health problems may cause problems such as loss of reason or inability to move independently. Having such thoughts can lead a person to try to avoid the death throes through suicide.
In a child, teenager
Children's awareness of death occurs gradually. They may encounter it as a result of the death of a pet or relative. A small child does not experience emotional loss the same way an adult does. As he grows up, he begins to copy the behavior of those around him (parents).
When the realization comes that death is an irretrievable loss, it is necessary to explain to the child that this event awaits all living beings, but at different times. The child must learn to correctly understand the meaning of death. Otherwise, a phobia may begin to develop. Most often, children are afraid not of their own death, but of the loss of loved ones (mom, dad).
In adolescence, when personality is being formed, signs of fear of something new appear constantly. The child is afraid of public speaking, the sight of blood, or attacks. The fear of early death is no exception.
The teenager rethinks the information received at a young age about the meaning of death. He begins to understand that the end of existence cannot be avoided. Often teenagers try to fight and confront their fears and get carried away by various cultures that extol death or, conversely, mock it.
Situations cannot be ruled out when awareness of one’s own helplessness in adolescents leads to the appearance of suicidal thoughts.
Primary alarm
“People talk about death and know that it is inevitable, but no one believes in it, since it lies beyond the concepts of life and is conditioned by life itself. Death cannot be comprehended."
Erich Maria Remarque
In modern psychotherapy, fear is a feeling that necessarily has a specific object. For example, you may be afraid of heights, closed spaces, or airplane flights. These experiences are familiar to us, unlike death - a rather abstract concept, because in the life experience of a living person there is no experience of experiencing one’s death. Thoughts about it do not generate fear, but anxiety, because where there is death, we are no longer there.
The famous American psychotherapist Rollo May believed that fighting death anxiety is an obviously pointless exercise, because it is extremely difficult to resist something pointless and incomprehensible. The anxiety of death literally surrounds from all sides, and a person is not able to directly resist it. In order to cope with the horror that death anxiety brings to the conscious part of the psyche, it goes into the unconscious sphere. That is, it does not disappear anywhere, and with the help of the protective mechanism of denial, a person develops the confidence that death cannot touch him, that he is exceptional, or faith in the ultimate savior appears.
- Exceptionality. This is a deep conviction that withering and death will come to everyone, but not to him.
- Faith in the ultimate savior. This is the belief that some powerful higher power will protect you from any misfortune, and of course, from death. For a child, this role is assigned to parents, and an adult seeks a savior in God or another higher power.
Such basic defenses do not help a person cope with death anxiety at all and do not even make it weaker. Anxiety simply transforms into fears, for example, of water, darkness, heights. A person begins to fear life, in this unique way protecting himself from the need to die. As a result, such fear will begin to manifest itself as constant background anxiety, which is often described as follows: “I am always afraid that something will happen to me.”
Why is it important to get rid of the fear of death?
If a child, teenager, or adult says, “I'm afraid of dying,” it is recommended that you take this statement seriously. Getting rid of fear is important because its presence causes bad decisions to be made. A person with such a problem deprives himself of the joys of life. The constant emotional stress that accompanies the phobia of death also negatively affects physical health.
Severe course and consequences
If thanatophobia is not overcome, there may be unpleasant consequences:
- development of somatic diseases (ulcers, chronic fatigue, etc.);
- secondary psycho-emotional disorders;
- narrowing the circle of social contacts;
- job loss.
To overcome fear, some patients begin to use alcohol or drugs. Such self-medication leads to a worsening of the clinical picture. The impact of such substances on the body often does not dull, but exacerbates the feeling of fear.
Diet
Diet for the nervous system Efficacy: therapeutic effect after 2 months Timing: permanent Cost of products: 1700-1800 rubles per week
It is recommended to consume foods that have a positive effect on the nervous system:
- Legumes, vegetables, greens.
- Fish and seafood.
- Cellulose.
- Fruits.
- Nuts, seeds.
- Olive and linseed oil.
- Dairy products.
- Lean meat.
The following products should be minimized:
- Sweets, baked goods, baked goods.
- Fat meat.
- Fried foods.
- It is recommended to minimize salt and foods high in salt.
- Alcohol.
How to get rid of the fear of death
Get rid of the fear of death on your own by asking yourself questions about the causes and consequences of certain events. Thus, the more events a person sorts out and finds natural causes, the less anxiety for his life will become. By living through various situations in a similar way, you can find logical answers, and in this case the emotional component about “bad” and “good” events turns into neutral: this event happened because something happened.
To overcome the fear of death more quickly and effectively, it is recommended to consult a psychotherapist.
It is difficult to cope with this phobia on your own. Depending on the manifestations, i.e. severity of the disease, the patient will be prescribed appropriate treatment. The doctor will give recommendations on what to do if a panic attack occurs. In severe forms, drug treatment is prescribed.
Forms of manifestation of the disease
Thanatophobia can manifest itself in several ways.
- fear of the burial process itself;
- fear of cremation;
- painful anticipation of death itself;
- Tantophobia is the fear of violent death. In this case, a major role belongs to the media, systematically informing the population about cases of violent death.
In the modern world, panic fear of one's death occurs among older people. And the point here is not at all about lofty matters, fear of an unknown afterlife or religious motives. Panic rejection of one's death comes from trivial things: older people are afraid that their accumulated funds will not be enough for burial.
The disorder is accompanied by a fear of the dead, tombstones, even ghosts.
There are certain age periods that are critical for the formation of a phobia. In this age range, the likelihood of thanatophobia is especially high. For children, these are periods of 4–6 years, 10–12. For adults – 17–24 and 35–50 years old.
Psychologist's advice and treatment
Therapy is selected based on why a person is afraid of dying. After identifying the source of the problem, it is recommended to accept the fact that it is impossible to avoid the end of life. Death is neither bad nor good. If a person has relatives or friends, then the departed person remains in their memory forever.
The patient needs to understand that there is no second chance to live life, so it is necessary to receive maximum happiness and benefit from everything that happens. The opportunity to experience joy should not be missed. If you constantly worry about your impending death, you can miss your long life without knowing what it means to be happy.
Positive thinking has been proven to speed up the recovery process from physical illness. When the problem is psycho-emotional in nature, optimism is one of the best medicines.
Additional techniques
It is necessary to answer the question, what is the worst thing about death? Then analyze your answer. If this is pain and torment, then try to remember similar situations. When the underlying feeling is loneliness, it is already necessary to solve the problem of socialization.
Fear of death is a phobia that affects almost 80% of people on the planet. To live with this, you need to become aware of your presence in the real world, and not in the cloud of your negative fantasies. Death phobia tends to progress if the thought is constantly replayed in the head and experienced. It is very useful to write down your fear on a piece of paper. It is advisable to describe in detail all the unpleasant sensations, down to minor details. Then imagine yourself as a different person and read what you wrote, analyzing it from the outside.
Psychology has been studying the fear of death for a very long time. The presented method is effective. When a state of exacerbation occurs and thought begins to choke, it is recommended to imagine yourself from the outside. Look at your condition from the doctor’s perspective and draw a conclusion.
You can even give yourself advice and prescribe treatment. Death from fear occurs in isolated cases. Therefore, you should not be afraid that a panic attack will end in death. This type of somatic manifestations is cyclic. During an attack, it is recommended to take any sedative and vasodilator drug and sit in a horizontal position.
It is necessary to understand that the stronger the fear, the more intense the symptoms will appear. All this can be easily avoided if you keep mint essential oil or ammonia on hand. When you feel like an attack is starting, you just need to inhale the listed remedies and it will immediately feel better. Proper breathing will help. If your heart is beating very strongly, then you need to try to calm yourself down. To do this, you can slowly walk around the room, turn on relaxing music or your favorite movie.
A psychotherapist will tell you how to deal with the fear of death correctly after a preliminary consultation. In this case, assessing the patient’s condition is very important.
Symptoms
The diagnosis takes place in the psychiatrist's office. A person needs the help of a specialist if he or she reveals the following pathological symptoms that have been present in the anamnesis for more than six months:
- increased excitability, irritability, nervousness, aggressive behavior, feelings of despair, in especially severe cases, behavior becomes uncontrollable;
- reduction in social contacts, restrictions apply to family and friends;
- continuous anxious thoughts;
- problems with sleep, the patient has nightmares, it is difficult for him to wake up and fall asleep, shuddering when falling asleep;
- the appearance of pseudopain;
- obsession with super-important ideas, unprecedented persistence in achieving them;
- sexual dysfunction;
- alternating periods of apathy and overactivity;
- severe weight loss due to partial or complete loss of appetite;
- professional and vital matters are relegated to the background;
- fixation on a certain scenario of dying, which scrolls through the brain every day;
- the emergence of accompanying fears, which manifest themselves as fear of ghosts, souls of the dead;
- the appearance of an inner voice as a signal from the subconscious.
Physical symptoms of phobic attacks include dizziness, trembling limbs, fainting, and increased sweating.
Thanatophobes are also distinguished by a special attitude towards death. Most patients discuss this topic with pleasure and obsessively, or, on the contrary, are panicky afraid of any mention of it.
Thanatophobia is often accompanied by nosophobia - an uncontrollable fear of a serious illness. Such patients endlessly visit doctors, undergo all kinds of tests and examinations, and undergo comprehensive examinations.
