Life and Death and in Between (A New Study on life and Near-Death)
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| Near-death experiences: not as paranormal as they sound? |
A new study on near-death experiences featured 567 men and women whose hearts stopped while hospitalized in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Out of 28 survivors of cardiac arrest interviewed as part of the study, 11 recalled memories suggesting consciousness while undergoing CPR.
Additional cardiac arrest survivors provided self-reports about what they experienced while their hearts stopped.
Reports included perceiving separating from their bodies and meaningful examinations of their lives.
Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity up to an hour into CPR.
While finishing his medical degree at the University of London in the mid-90s, Dr. Sam Parnia watched as doctors attempted to revive a man in cardiac arrest. As he stood there, Dr. Parnia wondered whether the patient could hear the medical staff as they worked to revive him. Dr. Parnia asked himself, “What is life? When does it really end?”
Dr. Parnia, an intensive care physician, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Health, as well as the organization’s director of critical care and resuscitation research, decided, right there in the hospital, that he was going to figure out the answer himself.
He thought the research might take a year or two. “Here we are 25 years later, and I’m still doing it,” Dr. Parnia told Medical News Today.
On November 6, Dr. Parnia presented “AWAreness during REsuscitation II: A multi-center study of consciousness and awareness in cardiac arrest” at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022 Trusted Source in Chicago.
Dr. Parnia, who served as the lead investigator of the study, explained that he and the other researchers undertook this research in an attempt to scientifically explore something that health professionals have discussed anecdotally for decades: The similar stories of people revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) often tell about the time when their hearts stopped.
“For decades now, millions of people who’ve gone through this have reported having lucid heightened consciousness, even though from the perspective of their doctors they were not conscious and they were in death,” Dr. Parnia told MNT.
A multiphase and multi-site study
The study centered around 567 men and women who received CPR after their hearts stopped beating while at one of 25 participating hospitals in the United States and the United Kingdom.
When health practitioners began CPR on a patient whose heart stopped, researchers rushed to the scene, bringing along a portable electroencephalogram, or EEG, to monitor electrical activity in different parts of the brain, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure oxygen saturation of superficial brain cortex regions.
Taking care not to get in the way of health practitioners performing CPR, researchers also clamped a tablet computer above the patient’s head. The tablet was connected to Bluetooth headphones which were placed on the patient’s ears.
The tablet projected one of 10 stored images onto the screen. After 5 minutes, the computer played a recorded voice saying the words “an apple,” “pear,” and “banana” every minute for 5 minutes.
“So when we designed this study, we wanted to not only have brain monitoring systems but also to have a system to look for possible unconscious learningTrusted Sources,” Dr. Parnia explained.
Of 567 subjects, 213 or about 38% experienced the sustained return of spontaneous circulation, meaning their pulse was restored for 20 minutes or longer. Only 53, or fewer than 10% of the participants, lived to be discharged from the hospital.
Of those 53, 25 were unable to be interviewed by researchers due to poor health. The remaining 28 participants were interviewed 2 to 4 weeks after cardiac arrest depending on their recovery.
First, researchers gave survivors an Abbreviated Mental Test Score to assess deficits in their brains’ abilities to function. Patients who scored higher than six, indicating they likely did not have a moderate cognitive impairment, underwent stage 1 interviews, which included questions about their memories of the time when they underwent CPR.
For stage 2 interviews, researchers used open-ended questions to learn about the patient's experiences during cardiac arrest and completed the 16-item near-death scale. Patients who recalled hearing or seeing things during their experiences went on to a stage 3 interview which was more in-depth.
Additionally, researchers asked participants to select one image out of ten and to state the names of three fruits they heard while receiving CPR.
The research also included a cross-sectional study trusted Source to make up for the fact that so few people lived following cardiac arrest in the study conducted in hospitals. This larger population of survivors provided self-reports of their experiences.
Reports of transcendent experiences
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| Death is often a taboo subject, so when death anxiety comes into play, it is hard to know how to face it. |
Of the 28 participants interviewed, 11 — or 39% — reported having memories during cardiac arrest. Two of the 28 participants could hear the medical staff working while receiving CPR. One participant recalled seeing the medical staff working and could feel someone rubbing his chest.
Using the near-death scale, six participants had transcendent experiences. Three participants reported dream-like experiences, which included a singing fisherman.
Six of the 28 participants interviewed remembered the experience of dying. These recollections included one person who heard a deceased grandmother telling her to return to her body.
“We characterize the testimonies that people had and were able to identify that there is a unique recalled experience of death that is different to other experiences that people may have in the hospital or elsewhere,” Dr. Parnia said, “and that these are not hallucinations, they are not illusions, they are not delusions, they are real experiences that emerge when you die.”
From the 126 cardiac survivors who provided self-reports about their experiences, five themes emerged. Some participants recalled feeling the impact of CPR on their bodies or hearing the medical team talk. Others recalled activities in the intensive care unit following CPR.
Other self-reports detailed an experience of death. Some individuals perceived they were heading to a destination. Others underwent an evaluation of their lives.
These included realizations about how their actions impacted others. Some perceived they were returning to a place described as home. Some of the self-reported recollections included participants reporting frightening memories.
These, Dr. Parnia told MNT, were likely misinterpretations of medical events. For example, one participant believed he was burning in hell; however, researchers in the study write that he was likely feeling a burning from a “tissued” potassium intravenous line.
Biomarkers of clinical consciousness
Of the 28 participants interviewed, not one described seeing the image depicted on the tablet when they received CPR or remembered hearing the auditory stimuli. When provided with 10 photos to examine, no participants identified the displayed image. Only one of the 28 participants chose the fruits named when the participants received CPR.
Fifty-three participants had interpretable EEG data. Researchers discovered spikes of brain activity, including so-called gamma, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves emerging up to 60 minutes into CPR.
Some of these brain waves normally occur when people are conscious and performing functions like memory retrieval and thinking. According to the researchers, this is the first time such biomarkers of consciousness have been identified during CPR for cardiac arrest.
“We found the brain electrical markers of heightened […] lucid consciousness, the same markers as you get in people who are having memory retrievals who are having […] high order cognitive processes, except that this was occurring when the brain had shut down and would suddenly appear as a surge.”
– Dr. Sam Parnia
Survivors may need psychological support
Dr. Lance Becker, chair of emergency medicine at Northwell Health in New York and professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY, who was not involved in the study, pointed out that Dr. Parnia measured brain waves and brain oxygen of the participants.
“So he was super scientific-y, but he’s also pretty out of the box,” Dr. Becker told MNT.
As a medical student, Dr. Becker said he was taught that people who were in cardiac arrest were unconscious.
Dr. Parnia, Dr. Becker argued, did not believe everything he was taught. Instead, he questioned whether the patients receiving CPR had awareness of what was happening in the room despite the fact that the patients showed no signs of consciousness. “He is a pioneer,” Dr. Becker said.
For Dr. Tom Aufderheide, professor of emergency medicine and director of the Resuscitation Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, who was also not involved in the study, the presentation prompted him to give thought to how to respond to patients experiencing cardiac arrest.
“There needs to be a wider recognition of patient cognitive experiences during cardiac arrest among treating physicians and healthcare providers with [the] incorporation of this reality into the compassionate care of our patients,” he told MNT.
Dr. Becker said the study may change how he deals with patients who have survived cardiac arrest.
“It taught me that we need to talk to patients afterward,” he told MNT. “And kind of see how they’re feeling about surviving the cardiac arrest. Dr. Parnia has identified that many of those patients have some very positive things [to report following cardiac arrest] […] but, on the other hand, some of the patients had negative experiences: anxiety and depression afterward.”
Near-death experiences: Fact or fantasy?
“Suddenly amidst all this pain, I saw a light very faint and in the distance. It got nearer to me, and everything was so quiet; it was warm, I was warm, and all the pain began to go […] I was finally there, and I felt as if someone had put their arms around me. I was safe, no more pain, nothing, just this lovely, caring sensation.”
Near-death experiences: not as paranormal as they sound?
The quote above comes from a 48-year-old woman who, on one occasion, almost died from complications related to a spinal tumor; it evokes much of the general emotion associated with a classic near-death experience story.
The term “near-death experience” (NDE) is well-known throughout America, but the phenomenon is not restricted solely to the Western world. Most cultures have an equivalent experience; even children have related NDEs.
An NDE might involve walking toward a bright light at the end of a tunnel, meeting gods, speaking with relatives who are long dead, having out-of-body experiences (OBEs), or feeling bathed in light.
Almost unanimously a significant life experience, conversations about NDEs are often accompanied by discussions of the afterlife and the mind surviving the mortal body.
These kinds of esoteric tales would normally be banished to the realms of pseudoscience and parapsychology, but their pervasive nature – an estimated 3 percent of Americans report having experienced an NDE – has sparked a smattering of genuine scientific research and a wealth of conjecture.
What do NDEs consist of?
One Dutch study, published in The Lancet, set out to investigate the regularity of NDEs and tried to tease apart causal factors.
The investigators reported Trusted Source that 50 percent of individuals who experienced an NDE mentioned an awareness of being dead, 56 percent regarded it as a positive experience, 24 percent reported an OBE, 31 percent described traveling through a tunnel and 32 percent spoke of interacting with deceased people.
The study also showed that, of the patients they interviewed, although all were clinically dead at one point, only a small percentage (18 percent) experienced, or remembered, the NDE. The likelihood of having an NDE was not related to the level of cerebral anoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), the amount of preceding fear, or the type of medication they were taking.
According to the paper, NDEs were more often experienced by patients under 60, and women more commonly described deeper experiences. Conversely, those with memory deficits following resuscitation were less likely to report NDEs, which is to be expected.
There is obviously something driving these experiences, but the factors that impact them are still very much up for debate.
Cultural flexibility in NDEs
The NDE phenomenon is particularly fascinating because the psychological and physiological factors are intimately tied to social and cultural factors Trusted Source. For instance, the NDE of a 40-year-old white male from Nebraska might include visions of a shimmering white, bearded male beckoning him through pearl-encrusted gates; the NDE of a 12-year-old boy from Papa New Guinea probably will not.
The Mapuche people of South America and residents of Hawaii are more likely to see landscapes and volcanoes, whereas NDEs in Thailand and India rarely involve landmarks, tunnels or light; for Tibetans, light features more heavily, as do illusions of reincarnation.
The following narrative comes from an African NDE, reported in 1992. A young man had been attacked by a lioness after attempting to capture one of her cubs:
“I could see myself going into some kind of a trance. A highway suddenly opened up before me. It seemed to be going endlessly into the sky. Along it was a lot of stars, also spreading up to the sky.
Each time I tried to get on the highway, the stars would block my way. I just stood there not knowing what to do. After a while, the highway and stars disappeared. I woke up and found myself in a hospital bed.”
Europeans and North Americans often visualize beautiful gardens; intriguingly, the Kalai of Melanesia are more inclined to see an industrialized world of factories.
Culture and a person’s hopes or dreams clearly influence the nature of NDEs; but what biological mechanisms could be behind this strange phenomenon?
What is behind NDEs?
A phenomenon so widely experienced cannot be dismissed as just another old wives’ tale, there has to be something biological at work to explain its prevalence.
Some observers claim that NDEs display a rift in current neuroscientific theory and that the experience shows another, more esoteric facet to our existence.
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| [Near-death experience long tunnel] pinterest |
Can neuroscience unpick the mysteries of the NDE?
Many believe we should split the mind from the functions of the brain, once and for all.
However, this type of thinking is not necessary to explain NDEs; rather than claiming paranormal origins, the field of cognitive neuroscience has attacked the problem as it would any other: as an output of the brain.
There are a few potential explanations, any number of which might be involved in each individual’s experience. The following are some attempts to explain the biological origin of NDEs.
The role of expectation
Expectation surely plays a part in the overall NDE; the differences between cultures mentioned above are a testament to that. But expectation seems to play an even deeper role.
Interestingly, NDEs sometimes occur in people who were, in reality, nowhere near death, they just thought they were. One study trusted Source that included 58 patients’ experiences of NDEs found that 30 were not, in fact, close to dying. However, there is more to an NDE than expectations, as we shall see.
Out-of-body experiences
OBEs are commonly a part of NDEs and sometimes include autoscopy – seeing one’s body from above. Although this seems like an otherworldly event, neuroscientists know that OBEs also happen in settings other than the near-deathbed.
For instance, during an attack of sleep paralysis, which affects up to 40 percent of people at some point in their lives, OBEs are common. Sleep paralysis occurs when an individual is still essentially in REM sleep, but their brain awakens partially.
During REM sleep, the brain effectively paralyzes the body to prevent it from acting out dreams. The brain, still believing that the person is asleep, keeps this lock on the body, subjecting the individual to a terrifying, literal, waking nightmare. The experience often involves a sensation of floating from one’s body and viewing the room from the ceiling’s perspective.
Other researchers have demonstrated that by stimulating the right temporoparietal junctionTrusted Source (TPJ), they could induce OBEs artificially. The TPJ is a section of the brain that collates information from the thalamus (regulator of consciousness, sleep, and alertness), limbic system (involved in emotion, behavior, motivation, and long-term memory), and the senses.
So, regardless of how real the autoscopy feels, it can still be explained in neuroscientific terms.
Meeting the dead
Meeting and greeting the dead is another commonly reported aspect of NDEs and can be partially explained away by expectations. Cultures are often filled to the brim with tales of heaven or some other type of afterlife where long-dead relatives eagerly await us.
Added to this, people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are known to have vivid hallucinations of ghost-like entities; some report seeing dead relatives in their homes. These types of apparitions have been linked to pallidotomy lesions – a kind of neurosurgery used in some Parkinson’s patients.
[Near-death experience ghostly apparition]
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Ghostly apparitions are not necessarily rooted in another dimension.
The experiences are considered to be due to dysfunction in the pathways of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in the brain’s reward pathways that is known to cause hallucinations.
In truth, it is surprising that we do not hallucinate more than we already do. Our brains weave our senses into the experience of perception in such a way that we forget what a difficult and amazing job they do.
Any cracks in the perceptual sphere are seamlessly back-filled by the brain; as a quick example, we all have a blind spot where the optic nerve meets the retina. In this section of our visual field, we can see nothing at all, but we never notice because our brain simply fills in the blanks.
But on occasion, if under duress or when receiving confusing inputs, rather than penciling in a chair, a patch of wallpaper, or a door, it fills the void with a goblin or ghoul.
In macular degeneration, the center of the visual field gradually fails; patients report the hallucination of ghosts relatively frequently. This might be due to the brain attempting to make sense of the neural “noise” being generated from the faulty or partial messages it is receiving.
In short, a brain hallucinating at a time when it is receiving unusual signals, or not receiving appropriate signals, is not such a surprise.
Explaining the euphoria
Often, NDEs are reported as a euphoric, blissful experience. At first glance, this seems paradoxical, given the circumstances surrounding NDEs. However, a number of recreational drugs have been found to closely mimic the visual and emotional aspects of NDEs.
One such drug – ketamine – that is used both recreationally and as an anesthetic, can produce hallucinations, OBEs, euphoria, dissociation, and spiritual experiences. Ketamine produces these effects by acting at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, the same receptors utilized by other recreational drugs, such as amphetamines.
When an animal is under extreme stress, dopamine and opioid pathways are known to trigger. These reward pathways seem to come into play during traumatic events; although we do not know exactly why this should be, they no doubt evolved to be of assistance in times of extreme danger.
A brain in shock, being flooded by natural opioids, can go some of the ways to explain the intense feelings of quiet and calm.
The tunnel of light
Possibly the most well-known facet of an NDE is the feeling of being drawn into a long tunnel with a bright light at the end. Some researchers believe that this phenomenon can be explained by retinal ischemia (lack of oxygen to the retina).
The theory goes that, as the retina is starved of oxygen, peripheral vision slowly decays and only the center of the visual field can be seen. Tunnel vision is a symptom of both extreme fear and oxygen loss (hypoxia), both of which are often present during the process of dying.
No doubt, NDEs are a complex phenomenon with a myriad of mechanisms behind them. From a lack of oxygen affecting the visual system to a brain struggling to make sense of strange emotions; from the drug-like triggering of reward pathways and a host of cultural expectations. Being close to death (or believing that you are) is a unique physiological and psychological experience. It is little wonder that it produces such confusion about sights and sounds.
The precise nature of each NDE will not be unraveled for many years. After all, catching them in action, at one of the most critical points of an individual’s life is no easy task, and the ethics of experimental interventions could prove tricky.
One thing is for sure, NDEs are fascinating and are (probably) have nothing to do with the afterlife.
Death anxiety: The fear that drives us?
Death is something that we all, sooner or later, have to face. But how do we respond to it? Why are some of us more afraid than others? And what is it, exactly, that scares us about death? We offer an overview of theories related to death anxiety, and what you can do to address it.
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Death is often a taboo subject, so when death anxiety comes into play, it is hard to know how to face it.
To a greater or lesser extent, it is likely that we are all scared of death – whether it be the thought of our own cessation or the fear that someone we love might pass away. The thought of death is not a pleasant one, and many of us avoid such morbid musings, naturally choosing to focus on what life has to offer, as well as on our own wishes and goals, instead.
Yet, as Benjamin Franklin once famously wrote, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” so it is no surprise that death-related worries sometimes take us by storm.
Fear of death is sometimes referred to as “thanatophobia,” deriving from the Ancient Greek words “Thanatos,” the name of the god of death, and “Phobos,” meaning “fear.”
Notably, thanatophobia – which is called “death anxiety” in a clinical context – is not listed as a disorder in its own right in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Still, this rarely spoken-about anxiety has the potential to seriously affect people’s lifestyles and emotional health.
Thanatophobia: Natural or trauma-driven?
Thanatophobia was first tackled by Sigmund Freud, who did not consider it to be a fear of death, as such. Freud thought that we cannot truly believe in death as a real occurrence, so any death-related fears must stem from unaddressed childhood trauma.
But it was the theory put forth a little later by an anthropologist called Ernst Becker that ended up informing most current understandings of death anxiety and its causes. Becker believed that death anxiety comes naturally to all people who find the thought of death and dying unacceptable.
That is why, he argued, everything everyone does – the goals we set, our passions and hobbies, and the activities we engage in – is, in essence, a coping strategy, and these are things we focus on so we that need not worry about our eventual death.
Becker’s work gave rise to “terror management theory rested Source” (TMT), which posits that humans must constantly deal with an internal conflict: the basic desire to live against the certainty of death. TMT emphasizes individuals’ self-consciousness and their drive to achieve personal goals, motivated by the awareness of mortality.
Also, according to TMT, self-esteem is key to the degree to which individuals experience death anxiety. People with high self-esteem are better at managing their fear of death, while people with low self-esteem are more easily intimidated by death-related situations.
Some newer approaches trusted Sources suggest a “middle way” between TMT and another theory referred to as “separation theory,” which highlights the importance of early trauma, reinforced by an awareness of mortality later in life.
Another recent approach to understanding and explaining death anxiety is that of “post-traumatic growth theory” (PTG). According to PTG, going through a distressing event – such as the death of a loved one or receiving a worrying health diagnosis – can actually have a positive effect, causing individuals to appreciate the small things in life a lot more, or to become more goal-oriented.
Death anxiety as a disorder
Although it is likely that we will all be worried about death or a death-related situation at some time in our lives, death anxiety is only pathological when it reaches extreme levels, disrupting the normal lifestyle of an individual.
One account of death anxiety – as reported by a man’s worried wife – emphasizes how this kind of fear can become obsessive and get out of control.
“The fear is specifically of death (not pain or dying as such) and the emptiness of it (he’s not religious) and the fact that he will no longer be here. […] this is an irrational, emotional fear that he has trouble controlling. Recently it has got worse – he’s not sure why – but it has made him feel panicky and the thoughts have been straying into the daytime.”
Who is afraid of death?
Dr. Robert Kastenbaum has reviewed various psychology theories and studies related to the concept of death, outlining which populations are most likely to express a persistent fear of death. Drs. Patricia Furer and John Walker summarize the findings in an article published in the Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.
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Women are more likely than men to experience death anxiety, and this tends to peak twice: once in their 20s and again in their 50s.
The majority of individuals are afraid of death. Most people tend to fear death, but they usually only exhibit low to moderate levels of anxiety.
Women tend to be more afraid of death than men. Additionally, a newer study has found that while death anxiety seems to surface in both women and men during their 20s, women also experience a second surge of thanatophobia when they reach their 50s.
Young people are just as likely to experience death anxiety as elderly people.
There appears to be some correlation between a person’s educational and socioeconomic status and reduced death anxiety.
No association has been found between religious engagement and reduced death anxiety.
Specialists argue that more often than not, death anxiety does not come on its own, and that it is instead accompanied by another type of mental health disorder (such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorderTrusted Source, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder).
Other studies show that people exhibiting health anxiety, or hypochondriasis, are also affected by death anxiety, as it naturally correlates with an excessive worry about health.
CBT for death anxiety
At present, specialists tend to recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to people who face severe death anxiety. CBT is based on discussions and exposure, and it is often used to treat depression and many different kinds of anxiety and phobias, such as the fear of flying.
Drs. Furer and Walker advise a six-step “cognitive-behavioral intervention” in the case of individuals dealing with death anxiety.
1. Exposure to fears
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Willing exposure to places and things associated with fear of death could help to counteract unhelpful mental habits.
Individuals seeking to reduce their death anxiety must be convinced not only to express their fear explicitly, but also to identify what exactly it is that scares them about death, and whether there are any situations or places – such as funerals or cemeteries – that they tend to avoid so as not to trigger their fear.
Drs. Furer and Walker suggest “exposure (both in vivo and imaginal) to feared themes related to death,” since facing elements associated with the individual’s particular form of anxiety is an important part of CBT.
2. ‘Reducing reassurance-seeking behavior’
This step targets the individual’s tendencies to obsessively check their own body for alarming changes, to speak to mentors or respected peers seeking emotional reassurance regarding their death-related worries, and to have an abnormal reliance on idealized health and emotional aids, ranging from supplements to superstitious behavior.
To prevent these unhelpful behaviors, Drs. Furer and Walker suggest “postponing the target behaviors, gradually decreasing their frequency, or simply stopping the behavior altogether” through “response prevention homework.”
3. Reviewing personal experiences
It is also important to review the individual’s “personal experiences with death,” such as having witnessed the death of a loved one or being faced with their own or someone else’s life-threatening illness.
“Helping [them] move toward more balanced views of these issues,” Drs. Furer and Walker explain, “may help them cope more calmly with the prospect of death.”
4. Switching focus to enjoying life
Next, the individual should clearly identify their “short-, medium-, and long-term goals,” to be able to focus on what they want to achieve in life and how best to enjoy their experiences, rather than obsess over their fear of death.
5. ‘Developing a healthy lifestyle
The therapist must also identify and address any consistent sources of stress for the person facing death anxiety, or any other “unhealthy aspects of their lifestyle” that are potentially aggravating the fear.
6. Preventing anxiety relapse
Finally, Drs. Furer and Walker acknowledge that, even after initial successes in diminishing death anxiety through CBT, many people experience a relapse. To prevent this from happening, they say that it is crucial to help each individual “develop coping strategies” for challenging situations that might re-trigger death anxiety, such as sudden illness or an emotional crisis.
Fighting death anxiety at home
Recently, professionals from the funeral industry, as well as even laypeople interested in tackling death anxiety-related issues, have set up resources to help other people deal with thanatophobia.
Mortician Caitlin Doughty, for instance, founded The Order of the Good Death, which is a collective of professionals from all walks of life who are dedicated to informing the public about death-related practices, and encouraging people to “stare down [their] death fears.”
A similar initiative that has picked up steam over recent years is the Death Cafe, a project that allows people from all over the world to organize meetings wherein they explore themes of death. The Death Cafe’s objective is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.”
In order to face death anxiety, however, one must first understand what it is, more specifically, that they fear death. In one classical paper on thanatophobia also cited by Doughty, seven possible reasons for fear of death are indicated.
Identifying your specific death-related fears could help you to tackle them pragmatically.
I could no longer have any experience.
I am uncertain as to what might happen to me if there is a life after death.
I am afraid of what might happen to my body after death.
I could no longer care for my dependents.
My death would cause grief to my relatives and friends.
All my plans and projects would come to an end.
The process of dying might be painful.
Doughty suggests picking up two reasons that we strongly identify with as our personal rationale for fearing death and taking pragmatic steps to address them.
If we are afraid, for instance, that someone depending on us might be left in a financial crisis after our death, then we should take steps to ensure they are provided for in that situation.
In her view, being able to “unpick” the elements of our death anxiety and facing them separately can help us to regain our calm and be less bothered by our fears.
Face it or evade it?
Death and fear of death are often difficult topics to broach, especially when even healthcare professionals are unsure of how to talk about it or are also affected by it.
As a society, we are so keen to avoid thinking about the end of life that we have started obsessing over ways of artificially preserving life – such as cryonics, or “augmented eternity,” which is a project that aims to create “digital heirs” able to reason and respond in a similar way to their human “originals.”
There is no clear-cut way of dealing with the thought of our own or others’ mortality, and yet we must do it if we are to lead productive lives. What are your thoughts: is death best confronted with your eyes wide open?
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