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10/16/2009 10:36 AM

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By Maria Benanti

This article has been read 209 times.

It is a bright, warm morning. The sun is shining like a star in a cloudless sky. You roll over under your covers, feeling the softness of your pillow against your cheek. The blackness of your eyelids startle you.

Suddenly all warmth fades into an eerie coolness. You feel pulled down, almost bound to your bed by the weight of the blanket. You decide to open your eyelids. Instant panic arrives and your pulse shoots way up. Your hammering heart beating is a sign of panic, yet one of relief; relief of life.

The fear of death. Sounds gruesome and macabre, or like something seen around Halloween. But imagine living this fear every month of the year, not just October. Unlikely, right? Thanatophobia, or the fear of dying or of death, is actually a phobia rare unfortunates succumb to.

What exactly does a person with thanatophobia fear? Death, of course, but he or she does not, in fact, mind the actual dying part compared to the so-called “rising action” to the climax. Most people fear how or when they are going to die. Also feared is what might happen to them after death. While many religions believe in an afterlife, people with thanatophobia might start to even question these beliefs and cause them to doubt.

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Thanatophobia is said to be caused by a traumatic experience or a specific event that triggers the fear; for example, the death of a loved one. The fear of death can also be hereditary.

Hollywood also adds more fear to people who suffer from thanatophobia. Between all the murder mysteries and horror films, anyone who even watches them becomes a victim in thinking about their own death.

Imagine suffering from this phobia when “Silence of the Lambs” or “Jaws” hit the box offices. What may be entertainment to some may be a source to fear for others.

Some symptoms of thanatphobia include feelings of panic or terror, quick heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dry mouth and anxiety.

How does one overcome the fear of something inevitable? There is no sure-fire cure, but there are some treatments to the phobia like hypnoanalysis and other simpler treatments such as yoga or tai chi, and taking some medications.


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