Death Anxiety: What It Is, Why It Happen...

Are you struggling with a fear of death or constantly thinking about your own mortality? In this episode of The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast, Clinical Psychologist Dr Marianne Trent explores death anxiety also known as thanatophobia and why some people experience an intense fear of dying or non-existence.

We discuss how childhood experiences, trauma, attachment, and even parenting styles can contribute to anxiety around death. You'll also learn about how therapy can help, including evidence-based approaches like Terror Management Theory, Existential Therapy, and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT).

Whether you’re a mental health professional, a student, or someone experiencing these fears yourself, this episode offers practical insight, psychological understanding, and compassionate support for navigating fear of death. #deathanxiety #thanatophobia

Highlights

• 00:00 – Introduction: Why talk about death anxiety?
• 02:03 – What is death anxiety, and how does it present?
• 04:21 – Childhood experiences and early realisations of mortality
• 07:30 – The connection between trauma and fear of death
• 09:52 – Avoidance behaviours and obsessive checking
• 11:40 – Personal reflections: losing loved ones at a young age
• 13:55 – Parenting styles and how they shape our relationship with death
• 16:50 – Death anxiety in OCD, health anxiety, and phobias
• 19:18 – Cultural influences and how we learn to fear death
• 21:00 – When death anxiety spikes: ageing, parenthood, and illness
• 23:43 – The idea of legacy: wanting to leave something behind
• 26:04 – What helps? An overview of therapeutic approaches
• 28:30 – How Compassion-Focused Therapy can soothe existential fear
• 30:14 – What not to say to someone experiencing death anxiety
• 32:10 – Supporting yourself and others through gentle curiosity
• 34:00 – Wrapping up: You’re not alone in feeling this way

📚 Book Titles Mentioned and Associated Authors

• The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins https://amzn.to/3GCq2aU (Referenced while discussing the newest prequel focusing on Haymitch. https://amzn.to/44rcDvG)
• The Grief Collective – by Dr Marianne Trent https://amzn.to/40dLqtH
• Love’s Executioner – Irvin D. Yalom https://amzn.to/3GwE5io (Described as formative reading during clinical training.)
• Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death – Irvin D. Yalom https://amzn.to/3Ik7igW (Explicitly named as relevant to death anxiety.)
• A Matter of Death and Life – Irvin D. Yalom and Marilyn Yalom https://amzn.to/4kviGnq
• The Gift Of Therapy - Irvin Yalom https://amzn.to/4lRbenX Mentioned in relation to Yalom’s reflections after his wife’s passing.)

Links:Dr Marianne Trent (00:00):

What if I told you that your fear of death might be quietly shaping your choices, your relationships, even your worldview? In today's episode, we are diving into the psychology of death, anxiety, what it is, how often it crops up, and what happens when it starts to interfere with daily life. Whether you've ever had a passing fear of dying or you...