Research shows people who suffer from loss of meaning die earlier than those who maintain purpose. We can help people find meaning again by nurturing their “spirit”.
We come into this world, grow and flourish and then decay and die.
Jakob Nilsson-Ehle/Flickr
If presented with a client who has death anxiety, we ask them to tell us what exactly they fear about death. Once we have this information, there are several approaches to treating fear of death.
A sign banning selfie sticks in an Osaka train station in Japan.
Reuters/Thomas White
In 2015 more people around the world died while taking selfies than were killed by sharks. Many tourist landmarks have banned the taking of selfies and selfie sticks to prevent untimely accidents.
It’s important to have age-appropriate dialogue with children about death.
Micah. H/Unsplash
Children’s perceptions of death vary with developmental stages. Understanding these is key to helping them normalise their thoughts and feelings when someone they know dies.
Some people focus their fear of death on smaller and more manageable threats.
Pimthida/Flickr
We manage our fear of death by creating a sense of permanence and meaning in life. But for some people, death anxiety results in pathological coping mechanisms, such as being afraid of spiders.
DeLillo’s latest novel dwells on the implications of accelerating technology – including the practice of freezing dead bodies in the hope that one day, they could become immortal.
You don’t have to be a physician or anatomist to be curious about how bodies work. Exhibits of dead human specimens have been around for quite a while – capitalizing on our fascination with death.
After a selfie-snapping man was mauled to death by a bear, a psychologist wonders why people feel so compelled to capture and share images of themselves.
A bus explodes on Lambeth Bridge in London during filming for Jackie Chan’s new film The Foreigner.
Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Many onlookers were shocked when a bus blew up on a London bridge for a film stunt, but at least no one was hurt. There is a long history of serious accidents and fatalities on set.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford