Is there anything more natural than the fear of death? Thanatophobia is one of those phobias that do not surprise us because to a greater or lesser extent we all have a certain fear of the idea of dying. However, the fact that this fear of death becomes a phobia means that we are facing a disorder that needs to be treated. We tell you everything about thanatophobia or fear of dying in ours.
What is thanatophobia?
Thanatophobia is the fear of dying and, by extension, of everything related to death. It is not the same disorder as necrophobia, but they do share stimuli such as cemeteries, funerals or tombstones. In short, everything that reminds you that one day you are going to die can cause an excessive anxiety reaction.
Estephobia is better understood by us than many other surprising phobic disorders. In principle, who wants to die? Nobody knows what happens after death, so this fear of the unknown is quite natural. But it stops being natural when fear becomes a phobia and limits your life to unimaginable extremes.
Symptoms of thanatophobia
It is the idea of dying that triggers a series of physical symptoms among which are dizziness, tachycardia, and shortness of breath or panic attack, like when anxiety overwhelms you. Added to this is anguish, insomnia and, of course, that nervousness and discomfort that make you try to avoid anything that reminds you of death.
Perhaps the psychological symptoms are the most worrying in the case of thanatophobia, since distorted thoughts about death become obsessive. It is about that fixed idea that you cannot get out of your head and that makes you see any situation in which you find yourself as dangerous. The emotional overflow in the case of this phobia is very intense and can lead to depression.
Causes of thanatophobia
As in the case of other, the traumatic experience is the most common origin of this disorder. But nobody dies twice, right? So having experienced a traumatic death in the family in childhood is a compelling reason to develop thanatophobia.
But there are more causes for thanatophobia. In some cases it may be a learned fear, if someone in your family suffered from this phobia. And not having overcome a duel can also is the reason for that excessive fear of death to arise.
The cultural factor favors thanatophobia, at least in some parts of the world where death is seen as something negative, as the end and not as a transition or an opportunity to be reborn. We do not forget the role that hypochondria plays in some people when it comes to developing thanatophobia.
Treatment of thanatophobia
Even if you think that the fear of dying is something logical, when you suffer from thanatophobia, distressing thoughts will not let you live, so you have to seek psychological help. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help you transform the distorted thoughts that lead you to fear death in such a limiting way.
And little by little you will be able to stop obsessing over the idea of dying. Due to the degree of anxiety that thanatophobia produces, it is worth practicing some relaxation and breathing techniques to reduce symptoms, as well as adopting positive thinking that allows you to live in the here and now.