Interesting Phobias ”“ Death-Related Fears

There are many different fears that one may harbor, and for some, they actually have a fear of phobias ”“ which is called phobophobia. These people face intense anxiety and persistent fear. Oftentimes, they will experience a panic attack. In this article, you will encounter a handful of interesting fears that involve death.

Fear of Graves

Graves are scary in itself because they signify death. However, some people have an intense fear of graves, or being put in one while they are still alive. Called taphophobia or taphephobia, it was not uncommon for people to fear being laid to rest without being fully dead. Before modern medicine, it was not unheard of that someone would be declared dead when they were really alive. Because of this, George Washington made his attendants promise not to bury him for two days while on his deathbed in 1799.

Fear of the Dead Things

If you absolutely cannot stand the sight or mention of something dead, then you might have necrophobia, which goes beyond the common dread of seeing a corpse. Objects associated with death, such as coffins, hearses, tombstones and grave markers will also send shivers up and down your back. Some cultural groups have a fear of the dead in the sense that they believe spirits of the deceased have the ability to return to haunt the living. The phobia can cause an individual to experience shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, dry mouth, nausea and shaking. Their fears can multiply if they come in contact with a dead animal or have to attend a funeral. Some people develop the phobia after being forced to go to a funeral when they were young or more horrifically ”“ witnessing the death of someone. There are some people that experience the phobia after seeing a scary movie or other unsettling subjects of media. If you are simply fearful of dying, then you exhibit the signs of thanotophobia.

Fear of the Afterlife

Stigiophobia (stygiophobia or hadephobia) is the fear of Hell ”“ a term that is derived from the River Styx where souls were transported into the underworld. People with this phobia possess a great fear of death that outweighs their belief that they will have a rewarding afterlife. It is understandable to have a fear of Hell, but there are also some people that have uranophobia (or ouranophobia), which is the fear of Heaven.

Fear of the Number 666

The number 666 is a popular feature in horror films and scary literature, and has been associated with Satan or the Anti-Christ, and is referred to the Number of the Beast in the Biblical verse Revelation 13:18. Because of this, many fear and avoid the number. A fear of the number is called hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. In 1979, when Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy moved to their home in Los Angeles, their address read 666 St. Cloud Road, but had it changed to 668 St. Cloud Road to avoid the connection with 666. The number is the root of many superstitions. If you have a fear of the number, then it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to travel on the following highways: Florida State Road 666, County Route 666 (in Atlantic County, New Jersey), Ohio State Route 666, and Pennsylvania Route 666.