How to get rid of the phobia of death. Fear of life. Severe course and its consequences

Death awaits everyone at the end of the road, but until that moment the question remains, how to get rid of the fear of death? It is normal to be afraid of death: the instinct of self-preservation causes a feeling of anxiety in order to ensure the maximum possible security. It matters when there is real threat life. But the human psyche works in such a way that often the same biological mechanism is used for different purposes.

So the fear of death can become an expression not only of the instinct of self-preservation, but also of more subtle psychological features man, his internal conflicts and mental trauma.

Sometimes fear becomes too strong, inadequate and haunting.

Experts call this obsessive fear death by thanatophobia. A phobia can cause panic attacks, increase the general background of a person’s anxiety, subjugate behavior and, in general, reduce the quality of life.

To understand how to get rid of the fear of death, it is important to find out the cause of its occurrence. How to overcome anxiety if we do not know its source? Anxiety can be associated with both real death and fantasy or symbolic death.

This is one of basic fears characteristic to some extent for all. Especially good reasons are needed for the development of thanatophobia, the most common of them are listed below.

Deadly or dangerous disease

When a person learns about his severe diagnosis, even if his illness is curable, it is a huge shock. Many people only become seriously ill and realize the fragility and vulnerability of the human body, its finiteness and the reality of death.

This painful openness inevitably leads to thoughts of death, and it takes time and inner resources to accept your new state, come to terms with the nearness of the end of life and learn to live with this knowledge.

Death of a loved one or relative

If dying native person, this is always an irreparable loss, and we are not always ready to survive such a shock. Losing loved ones is always hard, but the sudden death of relatives and friends is especially painful, which simply cannot be accepted as a natural state of affairs. Fear sudden death often becomes haunting and intrusive.

Sudden death of others

The death of strangers can also become a traumatic experience for a witness, because sometimes deadly danger hiding in very ordinary things and this discovery can come as a shock. Terror attacks, cataclysms, wars and other tragedies that claim the lives of innocent people can be hard to experience even for those who are not directly related to the dead.

It's scary that this is happening somewhere in the world, even if we only see it on TV. The consequence of experiencing the death of another person can be not only boundless grief, but also a haunting sense of the inevitability of death, its omnipresent power: the life of each of us can end at any moment. Well, how to ignore it?

Internal conflict

The fear of death is explored in detail by the psychology of attachment and psychoanalysis. Sometimes anxiety around death accompanies a person all his life or a significant part of it, at times subsiding and becoming stronger again. Often behind this is some kind of internal conflict - unconscious conflicting impulses in the psyche.

For example, the fear of death expresses the basic, characteristic fear of separation for most people - the fear of losing the object of affection (originally, the mother).

The simultaneous need to be an autonomous, separate person, and the fear of loss may find its way to consciousness in the form of fantasies about death. We can talk about separation anxiety if the fear of death is accompanied by thoughts of loss: it is terrible not to see sunlight, never touch your relatives, never breathe in a fresh breeze ... It's terrible to lose your life and the world around.

Ambition, self-realization, feelings of inferiority can also be a provoking factor for exacerbating anxiety. During periods of transition to maturity, and then to old age, we ask existential questions. What have I done in my life? Have I fulfilled my potential sufficiently? Have I lived good life? What legacy will I leave behind?

If the answers do not satisfy, then the idea of ​​death turns into a symbolic surrender, an absolute recognition of one's own inferiority and insolvency.

Older people and old people are more afraid of dying than younger people. Their own lives are drawing to a close, and death is getting bigger all around - as if it is getting closer and is already breathing down the back.

Thoughts of death are increasingly occupied by the elderly, if an active lifestyle is replaced by a passive one, relations with friends and relatives become poorer, and a person finds himself in a vacuum of his own loneliness and anxiety.

The gloomy future begins not only to frighten, but leads a person to chilling horror with its hopelessness.

Old age then turns into a painful, disturbing "living out", sometimes lasting for years and even decades, and they do not always manage to understand how to deal with the fear of death in such despair.

What to do with all this?

Every fear, especially if it interferes with life, deserves attention. Painful emotions are always a signal that something important is happening in the soul, like any pain is a signal of a malfunction in the body. Therefore, it would be productive not only to ask how to overcome the fear of death, but also to find out the causes of its occurrence.

Depending on the reasons, you can develop A complex approach, which includes both self-help and work with a psychologist or psychotherapist, and, if necessary, drug treatment painful symptoms of fear of death.

If you have to cope on your own, then there are some self-help techniques that allow you to work with your emotional state, as far as reflection allows, free time and internal resources.

Relax and calm down

When feelings go off scale, anxiety seizes a person and prevents him from sleeping, eating and living, then first of all it is important to bring yourself into a more or less acceptable state. It's not always possible alone, but it never hurts to try:

1. Meditation. An endless number of meditation techniques from Eastern practices allow you to find a suitable one for almost any person in order to relax, relieve tension, immerse yourself in a harmonious and calm state of mind. The impact of meditation on the state of mind is difficult to overestimate, and generally difficult to evaluate. Therefore, it is advisable to practice meditation under the supervision of an experienced practitioner in order to minimize unpredictable consequences.
2. Dancing and other physical activity. Sports help to relax and relieve mental stress. If the body requires movement, it is worth listening to it - constant fear recedes when there is an opportunity to be distracted and be in contact with your own body.
3. Complete sleep and relaxation. During emotionally intense periods, it is very important to take care of yourself, starting with physiological needs - sleep, eat, rest. To fight fears, you need resources, including physical ones.

With the optimal degree of relaxation, you may feel that the anxiety is gone forever. At this moment, it is sometimes important to make a strong-willed effort on yourself and continue to think about a frightening subject. When the state is stabilized, you can make careful attempts to explore and work through feelings, listening to your feelings.

Eric Michael Wilson

Explore the content of fear

For the development of emotional self-regulation, it is very great to get to know your inner world as closely as possible, which is so often left unattended despite the fact that its impulses often control behavior. Self-knowledge is an opportunity to further structure the internal content and adequately process emotions.

When using any technique, one should always be mindful of one's condition and not do anything that feels unbearable or destructive. A little concern is good sign, but a strong panic will not benefit anyone.

To better understand what exactly thanatophobia hides in itself, you can try the following techniques:

1. Compose detailed description. In the form of a list, you can describe in detail what exactly scares you (object, object, event), why it scares you (indicate all known reasons), what the consequences might be if the worst happens, what actions can be taken to avoid this, what actions are already being taken and so on. Such a list will help to distance yourself somewhat, to feel horror as something limited and specific.
2. Draw a diagram, or a map of fear - perhaps the map will include some or all of the items in the first list, but in the form of pictograms or artistic images. The scheme can be compact (a small fear of death is not so terrible) or large (to display all the details and emotional strength of the feeling), color or monochrome, voluminous or flat, but it is important that it reflects the connections between real objects, actions and internal experiences.
3. Make a portrait of fear. An artistic image, even the most detailed and expressive, as a rule becomes not as terrifying as a pure experience of horror. After the work is ready, you can look at it and try to understand the meanings of colors, shapes and images, their emotional content. You should not destroy the painted fear, it will rather interfere with understanding its nature and establishing contact with your inner world.

Do not forget that self-help is not a cure, but often good way support yourself and develop new psychological skills. In the process of work, new thoughts and feelings may appear that give strength and confidence.

Neutralize destructive action

What to do next? When thanatophobia becomes something more concrete and tangible, as a rule, this already brings relief. There is an opportunity to keep feelings under control, to do some kind of mental manipulation and transform your fear. To overcome the fear of death, at least partially, you can do the following:

1. Allow yourself to be afraid. It turns out that if you “clear” the phobia of feelings of shame and guilt, stop holding back and allow yourself to plunge into panic, then after some time you can find yourself having survived all the mortal horror and ready to live on. This cathartic experience is valuable, but difficult. At some point, panic can get out of control and this serious threat psyche, so it is important to be aware of what is happening and seek immediate treatment if the situation becomes threatening.
2. Use humor. You can remake the portrait from the previous exercise into a caricature, write funny story about death or come up with a joke. The ability to laugh at a frightening phenomenon is an important step towards getting rid of a phobia, as laughter allows you to emotionally move away from scary thoughts and look at them from a different perspective. Sometimes in the form of a joke comes a solution to how to cope with the fear of death.
3. Give yourself time. Sometimes we need time for overcoming the fear of death to become an organic life stage. Accepting the idea of ​​the inevitability of death is not easy, but most of us are capable of it sooner or later, acceptance comes by itself, and worries quietly recede. Of course, this does not mean that one should always endure torment and suffer in the hope that everything will pass. It may be appropriate to talk about your experiences with another person.

We cannot always cope with psychological difficulties alone, so there are helping professionals who can organize treatment and provide timely professional support in a difficult situation.

What can experts do?

Eat different types providing professional assistance, which depend on the direction of training, specialization and qualifications of a specialist. Basically, the problems of fears and phobias are dealt with by such specialists as:

1. Psychologist-consultant. A psychologist will help you deal with thanatophobia, tell you how to overcome the fear of death, correct symptoms, and may offer to perform special exercises to desensitize or work through fear. Various psychologists work within the framework of different practical approaches, so you can always choose a specialist who is right for you.
2. Psychotherapist. Psychotherapy is a longer process that allows you to deeply work through the source of thanatophobia and transform the personality. Therapy gently and gradually will lead to the fact that the phobia will come to naught in a harmonious and natural way.
3. Psychiatrist. Medical assistance in the form of a treatment regimen with tranquilizers, antidepressants or sedatives is quite appropriate if thanatophobia manifests itself in the form of sleep and appetite disorders, panic attacks and other symptoms that require correction as soon as possible. Taking medication does not replace, but qualitatively complements psychotherapeutic treatment.

It is perfectly normal to doubt that professional help is needed. It is expensive, scary, and even embarrassing – often asking for help is perceived as an inability to cope with problems on your own, and this is a sign of weakness and failure. But in fact, asking for help is an adult and courageous step, which is sometimes necessary in order to cope with difficulties as effectively as possible. Nobody has to be left alone with their fears.

Ask an expert in the comments

It would seem: what is the point of thinking about death, if nothing depends on us anyway? Life ends for everyone, though in different ways. How exactly - we are not able to predict, change the scenario - most often too. But it is precisely the variety of options for the finale of life that forms the fear of death - thanatophobia.

Normal or disease?

"The fear of death is absolutely normal phenomenon. No one wants to leave this world earlier than expected,” says Rashit Tukaev, professor at the Department of Psychotherapy of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, head of the systemic research group for psychotherapy at the MNIIP of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
Another thing is when fear takes on an obsessive form - it prevents you from concentrating, deprives you of will and pursues you through life. This is already a phobia - a disease that requires intervention.

“A person who is not afraid of death is also an abnormal phenomenon. Fear must be present in reasonable quantities.

The inevitability of death must be taken for granted, but the main thing is that awareness should not interfere with real life.

Rashit Tukaev

Professor of the Department of Psychotherapy of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Head of the Systemic Research Group of Psychotherapy of the MNIIP of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation

Source of fear

As a rule, thanatophobia coincides with the so-called midlife crisis. A person looks back at the past and understands that over the past years it was possible to do much more - everyday life has become a routine, dreams have been forgotten, and there are simply no new ones. But there are family obligations, loans, mutual reproaches and rare moments of relaxation. Being in apathy, the brain switches from a devalued past to a bleak future. It is then that various forms of fear of death arise.

What am I afraid of?

There are many factors behind the fear of death. A person may be afraid of one thing or, on the contrary, experience a whole range of fears. Here are just a few of them:

• Fear of losing dignity. People are afraid to become a burden for their relatives and lose self-respect. Often the end of life is associated with unpleasant moments - suffering, disgust and self-pity.
• The fear of losing control is inherent in strong, disciplined individuals. They cannot accept the fact that physiology will at some point be stronger than consciousness.
• Fear for relatives. Often the last thoughts of a dying person are concentrated on loved ones - how they will survive the loss, who will take care of them when it's all over.
• Fear of pain. The process of dying can be very painful. The fear of facing a one-on-one test is scary and prevents you from enjoying the present.
• Fear of the unknown. The most common fear. We get scared when we go to a job interview or a first date - and that's okay. Therefore, this form of fear is close and understandable to every person.
• Fear of punishment in the afterlife and non-existence. A separate type of fear, usually imposed by religion. Atheists do not recognize the “after” life, and therefore they most often fear complete disappearance. Not to think, not to think, not to feel - this is really hard to imagine.

What to do?

The fear of death does not always acquire the features of panic, and the help of a specialist is not always required. Sometimes a person is able to cope with implicit, but oppressive experiences on his own.

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Do you think that best years lives have been wasted, and you don’t want to change anything? Now imagine that you will live in this state for another 10, 20, 30 years...

Agree, irritation and a feeling of deep dissatisfaction are not the best companions on deathbed.

“Fear of impending death for many becomes an incentive to start enjoying all the diversity that life offers,” Rashit Tukaev shares his observations. The brighter you live today, the less regrets you will experience at the end of your life path.

Study Literature
Religious leaders, philosophers and mystics are able to compose a whole library of the afterlife. Of course, they will not be able to tell what awaits you beyond the line. But find reflections on exciting questions it will turn out for sure - epochs and generations succeed each other, but the same fears have haunted mankind for centuries.

Near death researcher Norman Van Roy once said: “When a child is born, he has no choice but to commit himself to the unknown. So understand yourself, get to know this world and make your contribution to it. We have the great privilege of life, so let's take advantage of all the opportunities that it gives.

Refer to the rituals
Religious or not, rituals are necessary to experience life in this moment. They allow you to stop and feel the cyclical nature of existence. It does not matter what ritual it will be: a morning run or a candle in a church. According to psychotherapists, this method allows you to fully experience the changes around you - after all, day after day you see subtle changes that occur inside and around you.

Make a wish list
The path to big goals is made up of small steps. Make a commitment every day, no matter the circumstances, to take that one step, or at least lie in the direction of your goal (if you have one, of course).

Experts recommend that people who have crossed the fifty-year mark make a “wish list”: write down in detail a list of amazing things that you would like to do. Of course, financial realities dictate certain rules, and it is unlikely that a pensioner will be able to afford the coveted sports car. But besides material happiness, there are other things, the return from which is more powerful than the pleasure from expensive things.

The meaning is simple - if you are passionate about something, you do not have time to worry about death.

Plan your care
It sounds strange, but it is the simulation of the post-mortem situation that helps many to overcome the fear of death. Indeed, in addition to philosophical questions, there are also quite material ones: inheritance, funeral or cremation, magnificent or modest farewell.
We cannot predict when and under what circumstances we will leave this world, but we can take care of what we leave behind. Many are relieved when they put their affairs in order.

Psychologists and psychotherapists believe that the panic fear of death is a psychological problem. It is hidden in the depths of the subconscious and is at the heart of almost all fears.

Fear of death is a natural state. Every living being has an instinct for self-preservation. But the panic fear of death, which contributes to the emergence of obsessive thoughts and vegetative crises, requires the attention of a psychotherapist.

“I’m 27, I have a fear of death” - this is how patients begin their “confession” during a session with a psychologist. Such a person is haunted by the fear of death.

What is the fear of death called? This phobia is called thanatophobia. It affects people belonging to the thinking type.

People who are haunted by the fear of death in VVD are mainly divided into two types: those who are afraid of dying themselves, and those who are afraid of the death of loved ones.

YOU ARE CONTROLLED BY WHAT YOU CANNOT ALLOW!

Thus, we can formulate the key to understanding this problem.

The Nature of Anxiety

A person suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia usually has a combination of several phobias. Most often, the following fears appear with VVD:

1. Fear of going crazy with VVD.
2. Fear of some disease.
3. Metrophobia.
4. Fear of the crowd.
5. Agoraphobia.
6. Fear of an attack.
7. Thanatophobia.

Psychological factor

Psychology about the fear of death says the following: there is certain type people prone to this phobia. Tanatophobia is subject to:

1. Extremely impressionable individuals.
2. Persons characterized by anxiety, excitability.
3. People with low self-esteem.
4. Wicked personalities.
5. Creative people (mainly musicians and artists).
6. Reflective people.
7. Selfish nature, intolerant of someone else's position.

Main reasons

A phobia, in which a person is haunted by the fear of dying, develops according to different reasons. The main factors are given in the table.

Basic forms

Common forms of the disease are presented in the table.

Fear of losing control

It is observed in very anxious and suspicious people who believe in their own exclusivity. The fear of death is closely intertwined with this phobia and keeps a person in constant voltage. Sometimes the "background" may develop OCD.

Fear of cardiac arrest

Cardiophobia is a disorder fixed in children and adults. A person tries not to sleep on his left side, constantly monitors his health and considers any ailment serious reason for anxiety.

The result is that he constantly lives in terrible tension.

Against the backdrop of pregnancy

The fear of death before childbirth accompanies a complicated pregnancy. A woman is afraid to die and leave her child an orphan. There is also a fear of giving birth to a stillborn baby. If the birth ends safely, the young mother begins to worry about every cough of the child - it seems to her that he might die.

Children's fear of death is based on personal experiences.

How does a phobia manifest itself?

Thanatophobia is the most complex somatic disorder. It is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• dyspnea;
• dizziness;
• palpitations;
• "Jumps" BP;
• nausea.

Panic attack with an attack of fear, death may be accompanied by increased urination or disorder of the stool. The person seems to be about to die. But it's not. The autonomic nervous system thus reacts to fears.

When thanatophobia progresses

In patients, thanatophobia is at its peak. The person falls into despair. Between attacks, which may come at any time, he is in a gloomy, depressed state.

Sometimes the time of the attack falls at night. Some patients are phobic when they are on the subway or at work. Additionally, there is a fear of losing control over oneself.

Additional symptoms

Negative emotions are accompanied by a sharp release of adrenaline into the blood. The vessels begin to spasm. Arterial pressure“jumps” strongly, makes a person sick. If the clinical picture is very bright, it may vomit.

Sometimes there is a feeling of lack of air.

Anxiety disorders

A person who is afraid of becoming dead tries to fight his obsessions on his own. Often he does it wrong, and they only get stronger.

He cannot relax, which leads to exhaustion. nervous system. There is a deterioration in blood circulation.

The patient, obsessed with feelings about the inevitability of death, is faced with the following symptoms:

• stomach ache;
• pain in the intestines;
• spasms of varying intensity.

Ulcers may appear on the mucous membranes.

Against the background of severe anxiety, the production of gastric juice is stimulated. This adversely affects the condition of its walls.

Appetite decreases, a person can lose weight dramatically. Often these symptoms contribute to the fact that a person is rooted in the idea that he is terminally ill.

What to do

Getting rid of the fear of death is a long process. This phobia is difficult to cure.

When the disease is in the initial stage, the specialist conducts a differential diagnosis. After that, the severity of the disorder is established.

Then the patient is sent for a consultation with a pathopsychologist. The following points are explored:

• defect depth;
• depth of mental functions;
• definition of the method of assistance.

If the clinical picture is very pronounced, the patient is prescribed hypnotics and tranquilizers. The goal of therapy is to get rid of insomnia and reduce stress levels.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive techniques help control negative emotions and contribute to the change of wrong thinking. This helps to reduce premature fear, which develops into panic attacks.

These techniques help a person who has a thought of death to learn to exercise control over their condition and change the fatal perception of panic. The duration of the attack is shortened, and its impact on the general emotional state is reduced.

At the consultation, the patient is given an individual scheme of tasks. The prognosis depends on how actively he fulfills them. This technique is called "learning". A person learns to resist bad emotions.

Medical therapy

If the panic fear of death is uncontrollable, the patient is prescribed potent drugs. The most effective hypnotics are presented in the table.

Independent work

The treatment of the fear of death should be combined with independent work. It consists in the fact that a person must understand the following:

1. Life is cyclical.
2. The memory of the person remains.
3. You can't keep your feelings to yourself.
4. It is recommended to use life while there is such an opportunity.
5. It is important to look at everything with optimism.
6. You need to decide on your worldview.
7. Everything in the world should be treated with humor.

Awareness of the cycle of life

Man must understand that everything in nature has a clear cycle. First we are born, then we are given a certain segment. It ends with death. This is a natural process, no one has managed to avoid it yet.

“A person is not just mortal, he is sometimes suddenly mortal,” says a famous literary character. This thought scares a lot of people. Nothing can be done here. Even despite the precautions taken, no one is immune from death during accidents.

Memory remains

A person continues to live in the memories of his relatives and friends. The kinder and more attentive he will treat them, the warmer their memories will be. One of the reasons for fear is the “uselessness” of a person. Therefore, you should try to do as many good deeds as possible.

A change of environment and type of activity has a beneficial effect on a person. He may not notice how he stopped being afraid, and painful thoughts left him alone.

Don't keep your feelings to yourself

Looping on your experiences is a vicious circle.

Use life

A strong fear of death will recede if you stop being afraid of life. Get out of your comfort zone and do something new. If possible, you need to change your job, or improve your skills, which will allow you to apply for a promotion in the future.

You need to try to realize your abilities. It is recommended to constantly look for new experiences. If it is not possible to go on a trip, you should go for a bike ride at least once a week. The route must be different each time. You can ride alone or with someone together.

optimistic view

Thoughts tend to materialize. If a person constantly sets himself up for negativity, then the “program” embedded in the body can “target” at self-destruction.

A positive outlook is not euphoria and delight. Positive attitudes inherent in many self-confident people, politicians, businessmen.

Having learned positive outlook, a person will be able to change his life attitudes and fully experience the joy of being. Thanatophobia will recede, and the person will forever part with these thoughts.

Decide on a mindset

Reliance on materialism or on one or another creed allows you to have a clear position and has a calming effect. As a result, a person develops a special opinion regarding death.

If materialism is close to him, he begins to understand biological nature alive, learns what happens in the process of dying and learns to take it for granted. Faith helps to understand the mystical meaning of death. All creeds say that nothing ends with the death of the physical shell. Man already exists in some "other dimension".

No fear of death

The instinct of self-preservation and the fear of death are almost identical concepts. If a person does not feel the fear of death, this is not normal. This deviation is typical for:

1. People who lack empathy.
2. Individuals whose empathy mechanism is at a very low level.
3. People prone to misanthropy.
4. Persons with no or reduced sense of physical danger.

Such people lack satisfaction when communicating with both their species and wildlife. Often they have a lower threshold of perception pain. Also, the fear of death is reduced or absent in individuals prone to sadism and other criminal inclinations.

Conclusion

Thanatophobia is a psychological disorder that can be treated. In minors, it is diagnosed and treated easier and faster.

Hello dear reader! We are glad to see you on the Helping Hand portal, in this article we will try to answer your question: how to get rid of the fear of death. As part of the article, we have collected the most detailed information, which will help to cope with all the experiences on this basis, to abstract from thoughts about death and start living!

Fear of death - theoretically, this feeling is absolutely normal, since it is it that protects us from rash extreme actions and danger in general. But what to do if thoughts of death haunt you and frankly interfere with your normal existence, work and daily activities?

We offer you to understand in detail all the nuances: to learn about the causes of this feeling, to understand yourself and try to get rid of the oppressed and depressed state caused by the fear of death.

The main causes of occurrence

Obsessive fear, as a rule, does not come from nowhere. He certainly has reasons that can be not only obvious, but also hidden, arising from distant childhood or resulting from some situation that has firmly ingrained itself into the depths of your subconscious and does not want to leave it.

The most common causes of fear of death are the following factors:

• Age crises
• Dissatisfaction with life
• Personal experience with loss
• Religious beliefs
• depression and hypochondria
• suspense

During age-related crises, which, as a rule, act as a kind of boundary and are rather caused by social norms, a phase of some reassessment of one's values ​​begins. At this time, a person may begin to fear death due to the fact that he does not have time to do something, to carry out his plan.

Dissatisfaction with the state of one's life is another cause of thanatophobia. As in the case with age crisis, the reason for development may be the fear of not having time to change everything, to achieve something.

In a situation with personal experience everything is basically obvious. A loss loved one can leave a serious imprint on the psyche. Especially if this person died prematurely, due to an accident, illness, or any other factors.

Religious beliefs - feelings of fear can clearly manifest themselves here because of the fear of doing something wrong in life, not according to the canons and rules dictated by religion.

As for hypochondria, everything is obvious here. A person invents a “deadly” disease for himself, manages to wind himself up and prepares for all the worst.

Uncertainty is one of the most common causes of fear of death. This is obvious, because no one knows how it will be further and whether it will be. Does reincarnation exist, do any feelings remain, what is felt and whether something is felt at all - so many questions remain unanswered!

An interesting fact is that the fear of death can arise even in a child of 3-4 years old, when the mother, wanting to pacify and reassure him, says that if he does not stop indulging, then she will die. The kid, of course, does not understand that the mother cannot just do this, but the fear of loss can accompany him later throughout his life.

Signs of thanatophobia

A person may not be fully aware of his problem. That is, there is a constantly oppressive feeling, but where it comes from is not clear. Let's take a look at the main symptoms.

Conventionally, the fear of death can be divided into two large groups:

• Fear for yourself
• Concern for family and friends

Both groups have a number of similar signs - and nervosa, Bad mood, . Moreover, their level may vary depending on the severity of the problem - from panic fear to a banal experience, which can even be logically supported and substantiated.

In both cases, a person is accompanied by anxiety, which, mainly, interferes with a peaceful life. For example, when getting into a taxi, during the journey you scroll through a scenario in your head where the driver turns out to be a terrible serial killer and takes you to the forest, or you visualize a terrible accident that should happen with your participation.

In experiences for loved ones, the symptoms are similar. Example: You send your child to school, but as soon as he has already left the gate, you imagine the most terrible and nightmarish scenes. This is a very serious call, after which you should think about your life and its quality component.

Understand that with your fears you do not make anyone better - only worse. Worried about a child, parents or husband, you can annoy them with your calls, distract them from work and important matters just to make sure that they are all right. You think this is care and attention, but in reality it is not.

Below in the article we will reveal for you the most effective methods, which will help overcome fears and start living without stress and constant worries!

Each person is unique in their own way, so it is impossible to single out any one way that is guaranteed to help nip all fears in the bud. The advantages of the methods described are that they definitely will not make things worse, and they also do not require a targeted visit to a psychotherapist.

1. Accept. Death is inevitable in any case - just try to accept it as a fact. You can’t do anything about it, unless, of course, scientists make a breakthrough in the very near future and invent an elixir eternal youth. Try to think seriously about the fact that before your birth you did not exist and you did not suffer from this in any way. With a probability of 99.9% after death will be the same.
2. Get distracted. This may sound very banal, but try to get rid of thoughts of death by distracting yourself. Find some hobby that you like and that will definitely bring joy and. You can get a pet that will take away all the time you spend on negative thoughts.
3. Observe. Instead of actively trying to overcome your fear, try looking at it from a slightly different angle. Try to analyze the events that make you feel constantly anxious. For greater convenience and efficiency, you can write down all your thoughts in a diary. Rereading it from time to time, you can understand where the problem lies, mentally return to the past and fix everything.
4. To help. Psychologists have proven that such an aspect as caring for someone helps to cope well with the fear of death. Engage in charity, take Active participation V volunteer movement. The more you make a positive contribution to this world, the less you will worry about leaving and about what will remain after.
5. Be in love. First of all, we are talking about healthy love for your body and body. Strive to surround yourself with all the best - not necessarily expensive, but high quality. With an improvement in the quality of life, even if expressed in minor details, thinking changes - an absolute fact.

The fear of death is normal condition, but only if thoughts of this phenomenon You do not have too often and do not interfere with life. In other cases, this can and should be dealt with. If the above methods do not bring visible results, then it makes sense to think about a visit to a psychologist.

Thanatophobia (fear of death) is a special, and probably not the most unreasonable fear among panic disorders. At the same time, it is pathological in nature and is expressed in a paroxysmal (or chronic) state of severe and uncontrollable anxiety. In truth, such a phobia is a problem in terms of treatment - it is one of the most difficult to correct fears. However, he is in today's society.

At the same time, it is difficult to imagine a person who would not be afraid of death, at least reflexively - after all, everyone has an instinct for self-preservation.

One of the reasons for the fear of death is the fundamental impossibility of knowing what it is and what lies beyond the last boundary? Big number religious communities are built precisely on the exploitation of this uncertainty: on the one hand, this is good and has a psychotherapeutic effect on believers, on the other hand, it can also cause fear of death.

What is the reaction healthy person facing a life-threatening situation? Of course, this is fear, activation, or vice versa, suppression of body functions, anxiety, avoidance or resistance. However, in sick people, thanatophobia turns this normal state into a chronic one and is not associated with a real threat.

The attentive reader has probably already noticed the paradox of thanatophobia in comparison with normal fears about one's life: the fear of death is a phobia that literally makes its victims fear constantly, regardless of the environment. The main pole of fear is a feeling of the proximity of one's death, although more often patients cannot determine exactly what they are afraid of.

The main forms of phobia are:

• the uncertainty behind physical death;
• fear of painful death;
• fear of sudden death.

On the other hand, implicit thanatophobia also carries a small positive message. If fear does not completely absorb the patient's mind, then to some extent it can serve as an impetus for rethinking one's "I", revising the Self-concept and accepting the real one. Sometimes this message is used in psychotherapeutic work and gives an excellent result. Acceptance of one's symbolic "death" clears the way for each patient's personal growth. However, let's make a reservation that the phobia itself should not be demonic in nature, so that something positive can be “squeezed” out of it.

It is also worth considering that this phobia often accompanies a higher-level disorder and other nosology. In this case, doctors may well suspect that the patient has delusional manifestations of some other disease. However, even if thanatophobia is pure, a psychiatric consultation must be completed without fail.

Direct appeal to a psychotherapist can be dangerous in the sense that the specialist will begin to work with a specific manifestation (in the form of fear of death) of some kind of disorder, but getting rid of one manifestation is more likely to cause other forms of the disease than to help the patient.

With thanatophobia, a psychiatrist's consultation and a complete rejection of self-treatment and the use of " grandmother's methods» fear correction. Any unprofessional is more likely to exacerbate the disease than to get rid of it.

Before dealing with the fear of death, it is necessary to deal with the whole range of various causes that can be the basis for the development of fear of death. Like many other phobias, thanatophobia is defined by psychiatrists as a biosocial fear: either as a result of the action of genes, or as the influence of the nearest society. However, it seems important to us to point out other, not exactly confirmed, but taking place hypotheses of the emergence of the fear of death.

Hypothesis 1: contact with death

There is an assumption that a phobia develops as a reactive formation caused by a collision with death (especially unexpected). This may be the death of loved ones, the experience of being held hostage, a simple observation of a terrible catastrophe.

Such stressful experiences trigger in a person the mechanisms of an irrational search for an answer to the question of what death is. The negative background of mood, the break of a typical life stereotype lead to the fact that a person begins to compare himself with those who are no longer with him. Thus, a person expresses his protest against death - creating and experiencing his own death in his mind.

Hypothesis 2: death cult

This assumption was put forward by Russian psychiatrists. They explain the fear of death as formed external influence installation, which is quite difficult to get rid of. For example, the information flows in which we constantly find ourselves (media, Internet, daily printed publications, etc.) broadcast to us vivid images termination of life in connection with any events. A person literally takes on the role of an aggregator of "deaths", which makes him obsessively think about how and when he will die.

Hypothesis 3: existential fear

Some schools of psychology (in particular, humanistic and existential-humanistic) explain the emergence of fear as a result of a long stop in personal development. According to these directions, it is natural for a person to ask himself questions to which there is no single answer: why is life given, what is death, and so on. At the moment when the answers to these questions begin to be clearly negative, the so-called "existential anxiety" arises, which can be the cause of the development of fear of death.

Hypothesis 4: crisis of 30 years and midlife

Despite the fact that this phobia can manifest itself at any age, however, the number of severe cases is growing exponentially between 35-60 years of age.

It is during this period that several crises fall: middle age and middle life. The new formation of a successful resolution of this crisis is a positive rethinking of one's life and the formation of new views on life and one's path.

But if this crisis proceeds unfavorably, a person has to admit that many of his dreams did not come true, and some illusions remained illusions. We have to abandon some of the ideas that are significant for a person: this gives rise to natural depressive symptoms, against which the fear of death can develop.

Hypothesis 5: religious fanaticism and sectarianism

Psychotherapists have described hundreds of cases of working with patients whose fear of imminent death arose on the basis of various religious sects (including recognized religions). Here, for example, in Christian culture, two tendencies collide: "true knowledge" of what awaits people after death and fear of punishment for their earthly deeds. The treatment of such patients is extremely difficult and often requires a lot of time and effort, because the therapist literally acts as an “enemy” of the patient’s ideals and the authority of the spiritual leader.

Hypothesis 6: intolerance to the unknown

Some experts identify a natural connection between the total rejection of the unknown (uncertainty causes panic in the patient). However, such a reason rather justifies a phobia in people with a sufficiently developed grain of rationalism: after all, what they cannot explain through sound logic is either unnecessary or potentially dangerous. And since death is an inevitable phenomenon, it acquires the character of a grotesque danger for such people.

Hypothesis 7: Neurotic Overcontrol

Here comes the problem of unhealthy perfectionism and attempts to completely take control of all areas of your life: from external to internal. Such pedantry, however, eventually faces a serious problem: after all, you can control your every step, but it is impossible to control the biological processes and cycles of the body.

There is a fear of losing control, which is compensated by even greater restrictions, even the smallest moments of the routine begin to be controlled. Over time, there is a sense of the inevitability of death, which may be accompanied by obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Distinctive features of thanatophobia

Is it possible to conquer the fear of death without understanding its structure? Unlikely. Therefore, consider clinical picture illness.

In the clinic of a phobia, it is not the fear of death itself that is more often found as a given, but precisely the phenomena that accompany (in the thoughts of patients) the process of dying. Fear of death may be a symptom of some nosophobia, which is associated with feelings of painful and prolonged death from any disease.

In other patients (often self-centered), the fear of death manifests itself in anxiety about what is on the way. last step in their lives they will turn into “good-for-nothing old men” who will lose their mind and will not even be able to tritely self-service themselves. The fear that old age will force them to resort to the help of third parties is rooted in the fear of death, before which this period will come. The same anamnesis is typical for patients with a history of disorders such as hypochondria.

For people 40+, the fear of death may be a consequence of the frustration of their need for mentoring. That is, most people by this age have a natural need to educate their children, care and concern, ensure their well-being and support. Here the fear of death is equated with the fear of losing control over relatives, which will lead them, in the patient's mind, to a fiasco in life.

For single parents, the fear of death is characteristic as a form of fear for the “advancement” of children in later life. In their minds, their own demise is inextricably linked to the ill-being of their children, which leads to obsessions and feelings about death.

It is worth accepting the fact that at times emerging anxiety for one's own life is normal reaction the human psyche to, for example, overloading the body.

However, Russian psychotherapists working with adolescents cite sad statistics, what in last years the fear of death began to manifest itself with regular frequency in older adolescents and even children.

Patients diagnosed with thanatophobia often suffer from comorbid disorders that are somehow related to the subject of death. For example, patients may be terrified of the symbols of death: tombstones, crosses, the dead, etc. Sometimes absolutely irrational secondary fears appear, such as the fear of the "heralds" of death, ghosts and other mysticism.

Phobia Symptoms

Like other anxiety disorders, the fear of death is found not only in the patient's obvious anxiety about death, but also carries latent (inaccessible to direct observation) symptoms and manifestations.

So, the first sign that experiences about death are of a phobic nature is the fundamental objectivity of fear. That is, the patient cannot imagine "death in principle", in his mind there is either a limited repertoire of this phenomenon, or in general rigidity and obsession with a specific form of death is manifested. For the most part, these are either "terrible" deaths, or some kind of traumatic experience. For example, one patient was afraid of choking when drinking milk (and only milk), because in childhood he was forced to do this against his will. The psyche "redirected" disgust and traumatic experience into an absurd fear of death.

Some patients kind of "project" their death and begin to actively avoid it. For example, if it seems to the patient that he will die from a brick falling from the roof of the house, then he begins to actively avoid walking near the walls, constantly looks up, and, in principle, may try not to leave the house. By the way, this phobia is often associated with some nosophobia, for example, carcinophobia. A patient who thinks that he will die from oncology begins to either avoid visiting hospitals, or, on the contrary, is ready to spend a day in medical facilities.

Such strange (obsessive) behavior is combined with physiological disorders:

• sleep suffers - it is difficult for the patient to fall asleep and wake up, recurring nightmares torment;
• decreased appetite and, as a result, weight loss;
• sexual dysfunctions;
• the appearance of secondary neurotic symptoms, pseudo-pain.

Such implicit phobic signs quite strongly influence the life of the patient. The patient lives not just by constant “chewing” thoughts about his death, but feels undirected anxiety, sometimes tearfulness and aggressiveness. In principle, the patient's condition gradually slides into depression.

Severe course and its consequences

People with this diagnosis face a number of unpleasant phenomena:

Without appropriate treatment, psycho-correction and rehabilitation therapy, the fear of death absolutely rebuilds a person's life, changing his personality traits, which are extremely difficult to correct within any direction.

Treatment

So how do you get rid of the fear of death? Since this phobia is difficult enough to correct, on initial stages need to see a psychiatrist differential diagnosis and determining the severity of the disorder.

At the second stage, a consultation is scheduled with a pathopsychologist, who conducts diagnostics aimed at establishing the depth of personality defects and mental functions, as well as determining how to correct them.

In severe cases, various drugs of the class of hypnotics or tranquilizers can be prescribed, aimed at normalizing sleep and reducing stress levels.

In addition to all of the above, one has to deal with the fear of death in the psychotherapist's office. To leave no illusions, let's say that the psychotherapeutic correction of the fear of death is a long and laborious process for the patient.