The obsessive fear of death (tanatophobia) arises in people belonging to the thinking type, after a psychological trauma manifested by anxiety, a depressed state. Treat such a condition with the help of hypnotic practices, and those who are believers will help reading prayers.
Fear of death is an uncontrollable fear of suddenly dying or experiencing before the unknown, the inevitability. People worry about themselves and their loved ones. At extreme forms, they become depressed or even prone to suicide. According to experts, everything that we fear in our lives is a disguised fear of nothingness.
Fear of death
When people think of leaving the living world, they are in fact afraid of what will, in their opinion, occur in the very process of dying:
- cease to exist;
- to lose control over circumstances;
- helplessness;
- To lose one's dignity, to be dependent on others;
- leave relatives;
- feelings of pain, suffering, physical and psychological anguish.
The greatest fear is the uncertainty of the time, circumstances and consequences of death itself. Like any uncertainty, with reflection, the constant fear of death becomes overgrown with fantasies and speculation paralyzing the will and common sense. If earlier it was believed that this phobia accompanies the crisis of middle age , now it is noted even in children.
Fear of death of relatives
The manifestation of fear of death can be a continuous anxiety for children, parents, spouses. The desire to constantly monitor their lives, protect them from negative situations and illnesses brings suffering not only to those who are afraid, but also brings a lot of problems to the other side. To understand how to overcome the fear of the death of relatives, it is first of all necessary to realize your dependence on them. Excessive attachment in such cases has nothing to do with love, but more like egoism, so understanding the causes of such a state will be a step towards getting rid of it.
Fear of death - psychology
Since the fear of death is a psychological problem, there are certain characteristics that are subject to this. Such people usually:
- overly impressionable;
- are excitable;
- anxious;
- insecure in themselves;
- fixated on themselves and personal problems;
- creative individuals;
- have a penchant for doubts, reflections;
- intolerant to someone else's opinion;
- selfish;
- are prone to obsessive behavior.
Not always this is due only to accentuation (a feature of the character). Sometimes painful and obsessive thoughts about how to get rid of the fear of death can accompany serious mental illnesses, so if they are accompanied by deviations in behavior and deprive a person of the opportunity to work, contact with others, then without the help of a specialist, you can not do.
Fear of death - reasons
There is no final opinion on the causes of thanatophobia. Psychologists distinguish a number of theories about when a sense of fear of death arises and what are the most common causes:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Death of a loved one, especially sudden.
- The flow of negativity from the media, daily reporting on the tragedies.
- The emergence of thoughts about the value of life in the process of personal growth, the study of philosophy.
- The crisis periods of life - adolescent, maturity, the appearance of signs of aging, loss of work, divorce, moving.
- Religious beliefs are a fear of punishment for sins.
Fear of death - symptoms
Such a phobia refers to anxiety disorders, therefore, the symptoms of both tanatophobia are external and internal. External manifestations include the desire to avoid the circumstances with which the idea of one's own death is associated. For example, when a person is afraid of dying from an oncological disease, he is constantly examined by different doctors, heals the slightest signs of ailments. At the inner level there is an alarming intermittent sleep, loss of taste, appetite, unwillingness of social contacts, loss of sexual activity.
Is it possible to die from the fear of death?
When studying the reaction of a person to the effect of a stress factor, it was proved that the panic fear of death can cause sudden cardiac arrest. This can happen, because fear is an innate biological reflex in the struggle for survival: heart rate, blood circulation in muscles, adrenaline rush increase. All this is directed to escape from danger. If this does not happen, adrenaline may cause fibrillation (trembling) of the heart muscle, a violation of the release of blood and the heart stops shortening.
How to overcome the fear of death?
To understand everything and understand how to overcome the fear of death, you need to think about the fact that:
- You can talk about your problems, recognize them and get friendly advice or help from a psychologist.
- We need to understand our values - to do what pleases, benefits, lives a full life.
- It is advisable to refrain from viewing oppressive films and television programs, news and crime chronicles, and watch only life-affirming movies and programs that bring only positive.
- The disturbances in this case are untimely: the fact of transition into non-existence to man is not given to realize, because only living people feel feelings. Death is not bad and not good, it's nothing.
- Recognize that life and death are a natural biological cycle that always exists.
No one has proved that a person after going to another world is ill, then it should be good, so after the death of loved ones, especially those who died after serious illness, thinking that for them death was a relief from torment can be a consolation. Love remains with the person in the soul, regardless of the presence of a loved one nearby. Finding the answer to the question of how to get rid of the fear of death leads a person to understand how it is really important to appreciate every moment of life.
Fear of death - treatment
The total absence of such fears is also not considered a norm, because the instinct of self-preservation must necessarily be in man, but if this feeling either makes it passive, existence seems meaningless, or, conversely, too careless, it requires treatment. Thanatophobia, which is treated by specialists in this field, usually responds well to such methods:
- Hypnosis (usually enough 5-8 sessions).
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (persuasion treatment).
- Drug therapy with tranquilizers and antidepressants.
Orthodoxy about the fear of death
Believers and atheists are afraid of death in different ways. For atheists, it is a fear that, after death, they will disappear forever, and for a believer the expectation of a payment for sins is especially difficult. Christianity teaches us to take it calmly, as the natural completion of the physical span of earthly life, for the soul is immortal. If an Orthodox feels the fear of death, it is a sin, because it means a doubt in religion, attachment to the earthly life, because a person can fear only one god, and then the other fears will disappear, because everything is in his power.
Prayer for the fear of death
For all people, prayers are the simplest and safest way to reach rest and get rid of anxiety and anxiety. Orthodox priests advise their parishioners and even people far from religion to experience the power of the word. It programs thoughts and forms positive attitudes. In order to live a life without the fear of death you need to read:
- Our Father.
- Virgin, Virgin rejoice.
- The Psalm of the Ninetieth and the Fiftieth.
- Prayer to your Guardian Angel.
It is necessary to read prayer texts regularly, several times a day, better aloud, while reading, imagine how fears disappear. It's good to concentrate on the candle flame at this time. This will help not only to calm down, but also to find the right solution to how you can get rid of the fear of death. The strongest action is having faith in a positive result and gratitude to the Creator for deliverance from suffering.