What is Thanatophobia?
Thanatophobia is an extreme fear of death. The origins of the word are derived from Greek, 'thanato' means death and 'phobos', means to dread or to fear. Though the thought of dying can be considered scary or unpleasant for most people, a person suffering from Thanatophobia will obsessively worry and stress about dying and any potential situation that might cause death constantly. Many people who are considered hypochondriacs (a person who is abnormally obsessive about their health) often have Thanatophobia.
If a person has Thanatophobia they can easily develop many other similar phobias such as Agliophobia, the fear of pain, Nosocomephobia, the fear of hospitals, Latrophobia, the fear of doctors, Hemophobia, the fear of blood, Trypanophobia the fear of needles, Mysophobia, the fear of germs, and Carcinophobia, the fear of cancer.
If a person has Thanatophobia they can easily develop many other similar phobias such as Agliophobia, the fear of pain, Nosocomephobia, the fear of hospitals, Latrophobia, the fear of doctors, Hemophobia, the fear of blood, Trypanophobia the fear of needles, Mysophobia, the fear of germs, and Carcinophobia, the fear of cancer.
Interesting Fact:
The age group most afraid of death is not young children or the elderly but actually the age between 40 and 50 year olds because of the fear of never experiencing the reward of retirement that a premature death might bring.
Causes:
A person often will develop this fear because they witnessed someone they loved go through a painful death. The reality of what the process of death can actually be like can create a trigger of terror within someone, especially if it happened when the person was young.
The media can also contribute to this fear and paint the world out as an incredibly dangerous place where the risk of premature death is a lot higher than what it might really be. Often stories of scare mongering about diseases, natural disasters, terrorism and war, medical risks, malpractice in the medical field, etc, make big headlines.
A person might have personally gone through a near death experience that may have traumatized them. As they never want to experience something similar again, the person can become terrified of anything that could be seen as a perceived risk of death.
A child could also pick up the phobia from a parent with Thanatophobia, especially if the parent exhibited strong panic reactions in a variety of different situations in front of the child that were perceived as a risk of death.
Religious beliefs such as the idea of spending eternity somewhere unpleasant can help create this fear. The general uncertainty of what happens after death can feed into Thanatophobia as well. The idea that you disappear into nothingness when you die is terrifying for many and in some this can become an all consuming fear.
Also the fear of never achieving important life goals or finding love before it's too late can play largely in the development of Thanatophobia in people later on in life. Regret can become a monster.
The media can also contribute to this fear and paint the world out as an incredibly dangerous place where the risk of premature death is a lot higher than what it might really be. Often stories of scare mongering about diseases, natural disasters, terrorism and war, medical risks, malpractice in the medical field, etc, make big headlines.
A person might have personally gone through a near death experience that may have traumatized them. As they never want to experience something similar again, the person can become terrified of anything that could be seen as a perceived risk of death.
A child could also pick up the phobia from a parent with Thanatophobia, especially if the parent exhibited strong panic reactions in a variety of different situations in front of the child that were perceived as a risk of death.
Religious beliefs such as the idea of spending eternity somewhere unpleasant can help create this fear. The general uncertainty of what happens after death can feed into Thanatophobia as well. The idea that you disappear into nothingness when you die is terrifying for many and in some this can become an all consuming fear.
Also the fear of never achieving important life goals or finding love before it's too late can play largely in the development of Thanatophobia in people later on in life. Regret can become a monster.
Symptoms:
Thanatophobia is a complicated fear and people suffering with it might be misdiagnosed or have additional undiagnosed mental health conditions such as ADHD, bipolar disorder, epilepsy Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, schizophrenia and other forms of anxiety and depression. Being a hypochondriac or Agoraphobic (the fear of open spaces usually outside of a person's home) are also common symptoms of Thanatophobia.
Someone with Thanatophobia could feel a lack of control or like they are going crazy, and sometimes lose track between reality and fantasy. Some people will experience intrusive gory thoughts of their own death. They will often feel a need to escape and flee any current situation, make excuses and avoid a wide range of situations in the first place.
Someone with Thanatophobia might have a panic attack if a situation triggers a perceived feeling of risk of death. A range of symptoms can include:
Someone with Thanatophobia could feel a lack of control or like they are going crazy, and sometimes lose track between reality and fantasy. Some people will experience intrusive gory thoughts of their own death. They will often feel a need to escape and flee any current situation, make excuses and avoid a wide range of situations in the first place.
Someone with Thanatophobia might have a panic attack if a situation triggers a perceived feeling of risk of death. A range of symptoms can include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Hot or cold flashes
- Hysteria
- Chest pain
- Feeling of choking
- Anxiety
- Trembling and/or sweating
- Numbness or tingling sensation
- Nausea or other gastrointestinal distress
Why I Should Get Treated:
If severe, this phobia can affect every possible aspect of life as the perceived risk of death can become extreme and almost any place and any situation can seem terrifying to the Thanatophobic. The world is seen as a terrifying and dangerous place and fear dictates almost every life decision; where the person goes, who they see, what they eat, what job they take, etc. It limits a person with this phobia in many ways. This can lead many people suffering with this phobia to develop several other phobias including agoraphobia, the fear of outside spaces and can leave them isolated at home.
This can create many other additional mental health issues.
Even someone with a more mild form of the phobia will spend a lot of their time with unnecessary anxiety which will hamper a person's quality of life. Ultimately a person with this phobia will ironically die with many regrets unless they get it treated.
This can create many other additional mental health issues.
Even someone with a more mild form of the phobia will spend a lot of their time with unnecessary anxiety which will hamper a person's quality of life. Ultimately a person with this phobia will ironically die with many regrets unless they get it treated.
Why See The Phobia Guru For Treatment:
I am often able to help people break free of their phobia often in just one session, using the scientifically proven power of hypnotherapy combined with NLP and an immersive therapy option. My therapy skillfully combines these techniques uniquely to create the most powerful, effective and quickest way to beat a phobia. You will be in the hands of a trained phobia expert who will help you transform your mind and liberate yourself from even the most extreme fears.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
I've created a system of audio downloads, videos and a course to remove this fear in just 7 days. Click the link below for more information.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
I've created a system of audio downloads, videos and a course to remove this fear in just 7 days. Click the link below for more information.