Anyone also have Thanatophobia

[HypoCanuck]

I have a constant immense fear of this and have from time to time been so afraid of this i have not been able to function. I sometimes feel my deep rooted fear of this is what causes my hypochondria to flare up big time.

I suffered from this as a child greatly but at the time I had no idea what it meant but these days as i sit and think about the meaning of life I can not control the fear that comes from it.

I struggle with the fear of non existence, and eternity. I am always trying to figure out what is eternity, does it exist, what will I feel if anything. It then leads to what will happen to the universe in 100s of billions of years from now, while civilization still exist, the universe ... ect ect... and i get great amounts of fear from this - very troubling.

I have for years wanted to find spirituality and often decided to go to church or a buddist temple but after the symptoms stopped I would stop going, it was almost like i was doing things just out of fear and not really becuase I was a religious person and it made me feel guilty and sinful.

I once had a friend when i was a small boy who told me if i did not believe in God I would burn in hell for eternity and this terrified me so badly and scared me for life as i pictured what it would be like to burn forever.

Sometimes like now I can write about and it does not cause me anxiety but then other times it freaks me out so badly..

Its the uncertainty of it all - on what will happen and the feeling of void, nothingness and bothers me.

This is why i dislike sleeping so much over the years, they say its like being asleep, but that means nothing happens, you cease to exist and done - that really bothers me.

I want there to be something after death and the fact i do not know if there is anything really scares the hoot out of me..

I dont want to stir up other peoples fears, but this is the only way i know how to try and deal with this fear of mine to discuss it.

I just believe this was one of the main reasons for my health anxiety.

[Ruthy]

I have had an intense fear of death since i was a kid. My brother died when i was very yoing and sense then i have had the fear of the unknown. It does get better the more i practice my religion or atleast it used to. Here lately i think it has been manifesting itself as a health anxiety. I think u touched on exactly how i have felt for most of my life. Once i found other things to focus on, the fear of death went away and was replaced by health anxiety.

---------- Post added at 14:35 ---------- Previous post was at 14:32 ----------

Which i guess in the end its really the same thing. My Health anxiety is only bc i am and always have been afraid i would die young like my brothers. I think the idea that i have no control over it, scares me. Crap. I dont know. I really do think i have real health issues though...

[HypoCanuck]

Thanks so much for the comment. Yes my brother died at 47. He developed non hodgkins lymphoma in 1998 around that time and died in 2004. He actually died of a heart attack. I have a sister who is 56 and last year had a heart attack.
The thing is both of them had pretty bad health histories.

My brother had so much chemo it affected his heart from what i read. My sister she developed schizophrenia at 30 and has been pumped up on so many drugs its not even funny - she had become diabtic as well and gained so much weight.

So i try to reason i do not have heart disease but its a constant fear. Also my mother died of heart failure - and currently my Father (83) had COPD, Prostate and Bladder Cancer - its like my whole life all i have scene is disease and illness and death in my family.

I get terrible fears I am going to die young and then i think - if i continue to think about it its going to happen - you know the saying - if you keep thinking of something it will happen...

All the doctors tests so far have indicated i am ok - but i am still so terrified.

I have stopped smoking and drinking and becoming very excessive in improving my health to the point its at unhealthy levels..

[Ruthy]

So trying to be healthy is becoming unhealthy for you. Isnt that something. I am sorry about your family. Your fears seem very logical given the history. Im glad u r healthy and yeah i think positvity and of course exercise and taking care of your self should keep it that way. Postive energy does seem to make a difference.

[lindadiana]

death phobic (thanatophobia)diagnosed at age 11 with it im now 54,lost my son my nephew my parents ive lived alone with my kids for 15 years no man in my life no freinds,cant go out alone only trip out once a week to buy fags in a taxi not alone though its horrible to have this.i honestly know if there was no death i wouldnt suffer from panic attacks.thought of death creates fear fear makes the panic then the death thought comes back,its logic no death from anything no panic about aches pains etc etc no panic attacks.its the one phobia you cannot avoid like say a spider,ive had enough of it all,ive seen all types of therapists and they ask are you sucidal lol a death phobic suicidal,i somtimes think they trained in lala land i sympathise with anyone who has this phobia which i think is a lot of people hugs to all linda

[Eek]

I am absolutely terrified of death and I know it is what drives my health anxiety. If I wasn't afraid of dying, I wouldn't be afraid of having a fatal illness all the time. For me it's the fact that I'm convinced that death is the end, that there is nothing after but non-existance and I don't want to stop existing. It's a selfish fear I know, but I just don't want to stop, it terrifies me beyond belief. I have mentioned my fear to both my psychiatrist and psychologist but they dismiss it and have never tried to help with it. It is a terrible fear as linda said you cannot avoid it, it is inevitable something you have to face one day. If only I could get over this fear.

[sammyb]

I am scared of death but for different reasons. I hate the idea of leaving everyone behind. Wife family etc. Other than that I am fine with death really. If I WA by myself I think that fear might actually leave me. But I am blessed to have a family so I just live with the fear but it does have a lot to do with my h a. For sure

[Dubbmented]

This is interesting, I wanted to touch on this topic on a new thread. I wanted to know where every bodies Health Anxiety stems from. It seems like the majority of us it comes from not wanting to die young and the uncertainty of death. Truth is everybody is nervous of death and what comes after.

I personally think I need to accept death and it's apart of the cycle of life that's been happening thousounds, millions of years before us. We're not special, we all must die one day too. But do we want to spend those days we DO have on this earth, worrying what will be inevitable in the end.. or we do want to look back on our death beds and say.. I'm ok with dying, my life was fulfilled and I never had one regret. Me, I'd like the latter.. So I think to end my health anxiety I need to accept death..

Someone once bought up a good point that kind of settled my fear.. She said if we were to know about being born and the process of exiting your mothers womb.. you would be terrified ! But we as humans were designed to be born, but most of us don't remember being born do we? I think death is the same, I think in the last few minutes of our life we will feel at peace, having anxiety or not. Our bodies are designed to die just as we were designed to be born.. So it will be okay ! We need to accept it and not fear it and enjoy what's going on TODAY.

[roseandwill]

death phobic (thanatophobia)diagnosed at age 11 with it im now 54,lost my son my nephew my parents ive lived alone with my kids for 15 years no man in my life no freinds,cant go out alone only trip out once a week to buy fags in a taxi not alone though its horrible to have this.i honestly know if there was no death i wouldnt suffer from panic attacks.thought of death creates fear fear makes the panic then the death thought comes back,its logic no death from anything no panic about aches pains etc etc no panic attacks.its the one phobia you cannot avoid like say a spider,ive had enough of it all,ive seen all types of therapists and they ask are you sucidal lol a death phobic suicidal,i somtimes think they trained in lala land i sympathise with anyone who has this phobia which i think is a lot of people hugs to all linda

Hi Linda, I completely empathise with you...I have had this as a child and now for the past month. i feel like it's taken away any joy in my life and as a consequence am trapped in a living hell.....Apologies for the intensity of this. Have you had any treatment to help with this? Thanks and a hug.
Ali

[Fr3ckles]

This is where I'm at right now. I wonder if 10 years on anyone in this thread had found any relief or comfort?