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What is taphophobia and its origin

What is taphophobia? Taphophobia is the fear of funerals, fear of coffins, wreaths and other attributes, as well as the fear of being buried alive. Taphophobes are frightened by the thought of their own funeral or the funeral of another person. The patient is also haunted by the fear of waking up in a coffin. Just the thought of this is terrifying.

The fear of being buried alive can be associated with claustrophobia, nyctophobia and thanatophobia. Fear is based on individual beliefs and perceptions of the individual, the peculiarities of perception of the burial ceremony and other rituals associated with death.

The peak of the spread of taphophobia occurred in the 19th century, but back in 1772, the rule of a three-day delay before burying a corpse was introduced. The media still fuels rumors and mystical stories about lethargic sleep, which is most often associated with burial alive. Many writers suffered from this neurosis and ordered their bodies to be embalmed and periodically checked for signs of life.

This is interesting! Taphophobia is more common in men. Scientists suggest that this is due to the attitude and orientation of women towards life, giving birth and raising children. They believe that they will live forever, continuing through their children.

Causes and mechanism of fear

Impressionable adults and children are susceptible to taphephobia.
They are united by experience and strong outside influence. Each of them suffered tragedy in early childhood: they lost loved ones and attended their funerals. The reluctance to accept their death and ignorance of what happens to a person’s body after burial triggered the fantasy. Trying to deny the obvious, the child’s psyche built defense mechanisms. He came up with various options, and thoughts came into his head that the man did not die, but was just fast asleep. Seeing that the coffin was covered with a thick layer of earth, the kid understood that the buried were trapped and were unlikely to be able to get out without outside help.

It is not only the experience of attending a funeral that leads to the obsessive fear of being buried alive. Children could have seen similar stories in horror films or read many stories on the Internet. Growing up, they learn about lethargic sleep, coma, medical negligence, the difficulty of establishing the fact of death at home, sudden revival, and their fear only intensifies.

High emotionality leads to the fact that a person is so imbued with stories that he begins to try on the role of someone buried alive. He models various situations and mentally plays them out, which further develops his sick imagination. Nervousness, anxiety, and constant thoughts appear that the person is no longer able to get rid of. A weak nervous system, great vulnerability and impressionability contribute to the fact that fear turns into a behavioral disorder, which psychiatrists diagnose as taphephobia.

Main signs of taphophobia

Signs of taphophobia can be divided into somatic and behavioral. Let's look at each group in more detail.

Somatic symptoms of taphophobia

Somatic manifestations depend on the type of nervous system and the intensity of the response to stress. The list of symptoms varies from person to person, but the most common are the following:

• sweating;
• eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia);
• aggression;
• obsessive thoughts;
• pressure surges;
• cardiopalmus;
• dyspnea;
• headache;
• fainting state;
• vomit;
• nausea;
• muscle pain and tension;
• stool disorder;
• absent-mindedness;
• decreased performance;
• chronic fatigue.

Atypical behavioral reactions

The patient is constantly prepared for sudden death, because of this he prepares a lot of information in case of his death. For example, he writes a suicide note, draws up a will, leaves messages, and gives instructions. He gives this information to those who will bury him in the event of sudden death.

In a panic attack, the patient may furiously ask to be sure of his death before burial. If a person lives alone, then before going to bed he writes a note with instructions and instructions for those who find him. As a rule, a person with a fear of being buried alive asks not to perform an autopsy, to carry out tests that will confirm death, to wait several weeks before burial.

Some taphophobes exhaust themselves with visits to doctors in order to exclude the possibility of falling into lethargic sleep. No matter how strange it may be, they are looking for information about real cases of burial alive, looking at scary pictures and videos.

Symptoms

Symptoms of taphophobia can vary. They have their own characteristics for each person. But it is worth highlighting those that appear most often:

Sleep disorders

This may include insomnia, nightmares, sleeping in an awkward position and other sleep-related problems. Let's look at them in more detail.

A person may be afraid to go to bed; he associates the horizontal position of the body with a coffin. In this regard, he may take uncomfortable sleeping positions (for example, sleep sitting, standing, or with his legs raised high), thus putting a psychological barrier between himself and the deceased.

The thought that he might not wake up haunts him, especially in the dark. He tries to surround himself with people; it seems to him that if there is a person nearby, he will be able to wake him up, stir him up, and save him from deep sleep. The presence of people nearby creates a feeling of safety, but does not relieve all the symptoms of a phobia.

Nightmares are usually directly related to the phobia. A man dreams that he is being buried alive. He can feel not only the lack of air, but also the boards under him, as well as the earth that is pouring onto the coffin. It is very difficult for a person to recover from such nightmares. Therefore, for a long time after such a dream, a feeling of anxiety, suffocation, palpitations and all-encompassing fear persists.

Obsessive actions

These can be conversations, notes, video recordings, audio recordings, diaries and other behavioral manifestations.

Shackled by the fear that he will be buried alive, the person constantly talks about how to make sure of his death. He can write suicide notes every time he goes to bed. It could also be video and audio messages to those who find him fast asleep. Such messages most often contain requests not to touch the body for several days (and sometimes even weeks); verify death through a consultation of doctors and under no circumstances allow an autopsy of the body.

Frequent visits to doctors, especially somnologists, is also a distinctive feature of people suffering from taphophobia. To exclude the possibility of lethargic sleep, people constantly check the characteristics of their brain activity during sleep.

Phases, changes and deviations from norms are studied in detail.

Physiological manifestations

A set of manifestations in the body is characteristic not only of taphophobia, but also of most other irrational fears. This list is extensive and personal. Manifestations depend on a person’s personality, his reaction to stress, and the strength of his nervous system.

The most common physiological problems are: Sweating; poor appetite or vice versa – overeating; uncontrollable thoughts; aggressiveness; increased or decreased blood pressure; heartbeat; fainting; dyspnea; dizziness; "lump in the throat; nausea; stool disorder; pain in the back and limbs; dry mouth; memory impairment.

Physiological manifestations

Manifestations of phobia are individual, but psychologists have been able to identify several common signs of taphophobia. Let's take a closer look at them.

Sleep disorders

A dark room, horizontal position, loneliness, closed eyes are directly associated with a funeral. Because of this, the quality of sleep suffers.

What sleep problems does a taphophobe experience:

• frequent awakening;
• trouble falling asleep;
• nightmares;
• insomnia;
• inability to completely relax;
• unnatural sleeping positions.

The latter is often a method of dealing with fear. To get rid of associations, patients take unnatural positions: standing, sitting, bending over.

It is important! With taphophobia, the patient dreams that he finds himself in a nailed-up coffin and hears earth pouring onto the lid of the coffin. Waking up after such dreams, a person is in a cold sweat, it is difficult for him to breathe, his blood pressure rises, and his heartbeat quickens.

Physical ailments

We have already looked at the somatic symptoms that occur most often. It remains to add that in addition to them, panic attacks and individual psychosomatic symptoms are observed. Some people feel unwell in one system, others in several systems of the body at once. Some people regard any deterioration in well-being as impending death.

Causes of taphophobia

The reason is associations with death and burial. The mechanism for forming associations can be direct or indirect. For example, this could be watching a funeral procession at an early age, the death of someone close to you, and fear after the funeral. A nightmare, threats and attacks can frighten you.

Another reason is a dysfunctional childhood. If a child was directly told that he was unwanted, that his parents did not love him, then he may develop a fear of being buried alive.

In addition, taphophobia in children can be caused by attending a funeral, observing the process, actions and reactions of people. You can never say exactly how a child’s unstable psyche will react to this. Therefore, it is not recommended to take children with you to the funeral. If this is unavoidable, then you need to tell the child in advance about what he will see there and why this is happening. It is also important to explain that death is an integral stage of life.

Psychologists have identified several common traits in people who become taphophobes:

• increased emotionality;
• increased sensitivity;
• vulnerability;
• suspiciousness;
• developed imagination;
• developed associative and figurative thinking;
• impressionability;
• psychophysical exhaustion, tension.

A phobia can develop both after personal experience with death, and after watching films, listening to stories, etc.

Origin of taphophobia

Any phobia is caused by groundless obsessive fear and is a psychological deviation. This can result in illogical actions that are difficult to explain. As a result of the development of a phobia, a person begins to avoid certain places, situations or activities.

Taphophobia is a phobia caused by an uncontrollable fear of funerals; people are literally afraid of the grave. It is one of the main phobias of the human psyche.

Fear of being buried alive, fear of funeral paraphernalia, fear of cemeteries are the consequences of an overly developed fear of death.

Being buried alive is your biggest fear.

The fear of being buried alive is most pronounced and is accompanied by panic attacks. People have been struggling with this fear since ancient times. Previously, in order not to bury a person alive, they came up with tricks to make themselves known, for example, using a bell.

In the 1770s, the Duke of Mecklenburg signed a decree that a person should be buried only on the third day. Because taphophobia was widespread in the 19th century, so-called "safe coffins" were invented. They allowed the buried person to independently leave the coffin or show signs of life.

Types of taphophobia

There are several subtypes of taphophobia. Let's look at each in more detail.

Fear of being buried alive

Taphophobia most often refers to this very fear - the fear of being buried alive (taphephobia). It is based on the instinct of self-preservation, the fear of being immobilized, without food, water and access to air. It is important to understand that all stories about being buried alive go back a long way. Then medicine was not as developed as it is now, there were no morgues. Fainting, coma and other borderline conditions could be mistaken for death. But this does not stop taphophobes, and modern films with similar plots frighten impressionable citizens even more.

Fear of funerals, cemeteries and coffins

Fear of the process of funerals and cemeteries (coimetrophobia), fear of coffins can be associated with memories of someone's death. And also the fear of going to funerals and visiting cemeteries affects superstitious people. Some are afraid of the rising of the dead, some of their own death, some of the departure of a loved one, and some of burial.

Fear of the hearse

A hearse is another attribute of a funeral. This is a machine that sends a person on his final journey. In this case, fear is associated with both the fear of death and the fear of the unknown. Particularly sophisticated taphophobes may imagine that they were still alive in a coffin and were being transported in a hearse, and that it got into an accident.

Fear of suffering from illness

Some people are afraid not so much of death itself as of pain and death in agony. The reason for such fear should be sought in the past. The patient probably witnessed how his loved one died.

Fear of death

Thanatophobia, or fear of death, is the basis of taphophobia. This is an exaggerated instinct of self-preservation, which manifests itself after a person has witnessed someone’s death or because a person is frightened by ignorance, the unknown. We will talk more about this fear in another article.

Sopor

The first cases of lethargic sleep were described several centuries ago. In this state, a person’s body temperature decreases, breathing becomes invisible, and the heartbeat decreases to a minimum. According to research results, people who have been subjected to extreme stress, psychophysically and emotionally exhausted individuals can fall into lethargic sleep. This can also happen with severe intoxication, alcohol poisoning, or head injury. Patients with this type of phobia are tormented by the fear of waking up in a coffin.

How to get rid of taphophobia

How to get rid of taphephobia? The main method of treatment is psychotherapy. The specific method is selected depending on the patient’s personality type and depending on the course of the phobia.

Use methods such as:

• free association and desensitization;
• neurolinguistic programming (NLP);
• cognitive behavioral psychotherapy;
• hypnosis.

In advanced stages, the psychotherapist prescribes medications: antidepressants, tranquilizers, sedatives.

Psychologist's advice

Psychologists recommend supporting the patient. With this type of phobia, you should never leave a person alone. It is not recommended to self-medicate; psychologists advise immediately contacting specialists. Before going to the doctor, you can take a herbal sedative.

Independent struggle with phobia

As self-help, it is recommended to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Read life-affirming books, listen to life-affirming songs, audio books. Watch positive films.
2. Play sports, walk, have active rest.
3. Develop an objective attitude towards fear. Study the statistics, information that refutes the likelihood of being buried alive.
4. Determine the purpose and meaning in life, be busy with it.
5. Find support in your loved ones.

It is important! If you cannot cope with the phobia on your own, then consult a psychologist. Taphophobia responds well to treatment if it is selected by a specialist and is carried out under his supervision.

Treatment of necrophobia

Deadly phobia is treatable . Overcoming fear can be achieved in several different ways, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of both. The use of exposure therapy gradually exposes the patient suffering from necrophobia to situations in which death appears. First in sessions with a psychologist, and then in real life situations. Over a period of time, depending on the severity of the problem, a therapist can help a person suffering from a fear of death to learn to realize that this is a natural part of a person's life journey and there is no need to be afraid. People who are afraid of death can help themselves by supplementing therapy sessions. For example, learning about death is the first step in overcoming fear. You can reconsider your view of eternal peace through religion, scientific books or films.

Remember that this is part of everyday life.

It is also helpful to remain calm when negative thoughts about leaving your life begin to appear. Finally, practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, and muscle relaxation when a person begins to experience attacks can help prevent emotional and physical symptoms. Drug treatment is generally aimed at combating panic attacks and fears. Patients are prescribed sedative and psychotropic medications.

For various types of phobias, the following medications are prescribed:

Tricyclic antidepressants are prescribed for the treatment of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These are “Moclobemide”, “Sertraline”, “Fluoxetine”, etc.;

Light tranquilizers from a number of benzodiazepines are prescribed when panic attacks occur. The most popular drugs are “Imipramine”, “Phenazepam”, “Alprazolam”;

In cases where treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system is required, beta blockers are prescribed. They help eliminate painful physiological symptoms. To reduce anxiety and panic symptoms, psycholeptic drugs are prescribed, in particular Buspirone.

The choice of drug for the treatment of panic disorders is made only by a certified specialist , depending on the complexity of the disease and the patient’s individual indications.

More than 50% of the world's population is susceptible to all kinds of phobias.

The word “I’m afraid” can be heard both from an ordinary person and from a celebrity. But in most cases, you can cope with any fear, you just need to put some effort into it. Specialists in the treatment of necrophobia are armed with modern and time-tested techniques that help people discover and overcome the main causes of the fear of death.

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Consequences and danger of neglected phobia

Constant tension leads to depression. With low stress tolerance, in just two days the phobia can reach a dangerous stage. A person goes from a state of mild anxiety to a state of deep depression and intense anxiety.

The patient is tormented by the fear of falling asleep and not waking up, as well as the fear that no one will help. This is how the fear of loneliness is born, which in this case is a consequence of the fear of death. In advanced stages, the patient can only fall asleep in the presence of someone. These measures, like sleeping in an unnatural position, are aimed at reducing anxiety and creating a feeling of security. However, the opposite effect is achieved: anxiety increases, the patient creates additional problems for himself and other people.

It is important! Obsessive thoughts and actions prevent a person from working, living, and building family relationships. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to complications: hallucinations, neuroses, nervous breakdowns, blindness, paranoia. Without treatment, the taphophobe's condition will constantly worsen.