i have a pathological fear of being on my own

Furer and Walker say, although death anxiety is reduced by CBT, many people can relapse again. Prevention of Repetition of Anxietyįinally, Drs. The therapist should also identify and address sources of stress for people facing any unhealthy lifestyle that would aggravate death anxiety. The individual must clearly define his short, medium and long-term goals. It can help them cope with the fear of death more calmly. Furer, we help them move on to more balanced views on these issues, says Furer. It is also important to review the personal experiences of individuals’ death, such as witnessing the death of a loved one and encountering a life-threatening illness.ĭr. Walker and Furer suggested that ‘postpone target behavior, gradually reduce their frequency, or stop behavior altogether. To prevent this kind of harmful behavior, Dr. This step aims at an individual’s tendency to control his or her body for worrying changes obsessively and to talk to counselors or peers in search of emotional assurance of death-related concerns. Furer and Walker propose to be exposed to fear-related (alive and fictitious) issues related to death since the individual’s confrontation with anxiety elements is an important part of the CIS. Individuals who try to reduce the anxiety of death should express their fears clearly and determine exactly what scares them about death and whether there are situations and places they avoid, such as funerals or graveyards, so that their fears are not triggered.ĭr. No relationship could be established between religious belief and death anxiety.There is a relationship between a person’s educational background and socioeconomic status and death anxiety.Young people, like old people, can experience death anxiety.In addition, according to a new study, death anxiety has occurred in both men and women in the 20s, while women in the 50s have experienced a second fluctuation. Women tend to fear death more than men.Most people tend to fear death, but only the degree of anxiety varies. The vast majority of individuals are afraid of death.Patricia Furer and John Walker summarized the findings in an article published in the journal Cognitive Psychotherapy: Robert Kastenbaum developed various theories of psychology and made researches on the concept of death and summarized who feared death. He’s been getting worse lately – he doesn’t know why – but he’s panicked and his thoughts don’t go out of his mind all day.” Who Fears Death?ĭr. His fear is an emotional fear that is inconsistent with his control. “Fear is especially fear of death (not death by pain or suffering) and death void (not a believer) and the fact that it no longer exists. One aspect of death anxiety as stated by a man’s wife-reveals the extent to which such fear can become obsessive and get out of control.

Fear of Death as a Psychological DisorderĪlthough we are afraid of death or death in some periods of our lives, the anxiety of death becomes pathological only when it reaches extreme levels in a way that disrupts the individual’s life. It’s a fundamental desire to live against the certainty of death: the ways in which individuals achieve their personal goals driven by self-consciousness and death. And that we have to focus on not worrying about our final death.īecker’s work has uncovered the Terror Management Theory, which suggests that people should always deal with internal conflict. Therefore, Becker argued that everything we do – our goals, our passions, our hobbies, and the activities we participate in – is essentially a coping strategy. Fear of Death Natural or Trauma-Induced?Įrnest Becker shaped the current understanding of the fear of death and its causes.īecker believes that the fear of death naturally comes to all people who find the idea of death unacceptable.

In addition to our own desires and goals, we focus on what life has to offer and escape from terrible thoughts such as death. But why are some of us more afraid of death? What exactly is it that scares us to death? However, as in other psychological disorders, the severity of fear and its effects on our lives determine the factors in fear of death. In this respect, the fear of death is natural. In the end, all sane people know: One day, we will all die. One way or another, fear of death is something we all can face.

I have a pathological fear of being on my own