I am obsessed with death...

Not sure what it is, if it's natural, an obsession, or my greatest fear.

I find myself looking at video clips of people dying on the internet over and over again, i'd replay the same clip at the moment of the persons death over and over and over again, and i try imagine, how, why, what must go through your head to do that.

What must death be like, what must it feel like ?

Does your brain have some sort of defense mechanism for such an occasion, do you leave your body/mind when death is immenent ?

Or are you fully concious untill your last breath.


How can someone stand on train tracks, arms spread out, not flinching an inch seconds before the train hits them ?


wtf...

Wow, not sure if it is 'healthy', but you raise some interesting questions. I will think about those for a while and get back to you when I conclude my pondering.

reply to post by SkitzoFrenic


I would imagine that, when faced with imminent death, you would be very very aware of it. And it will either terrify (if you havn't already accepted death) or you will welcome the experence.
We only get to do it ONCE, don't make it something to fear my friend.
Accept within your heart that every person who you know and love IS going to die, 'cos they are, they are ALL going to die. That isn't a lie, it's a 100% garauntee!
And guess what, you are too.
Accept it today, dwell on it if you must, but it isn't something to fear and you don't need to mourn for the dead either. They're gone and you knew they were going to go, 'cos EVERYONE goes.
Regardless of when, where and how, EVERY man faces death alone.
I, for one, am kinda looking forward to the experience, I just hope it doesn't hurt too much.

Originally posted by NathanNewZealand
reply to post by SkitzoFrenic

 

I would imagine that, when faced with imminent death, you would be very very aware of it. And it will either terrify (if you havn't already accepted death) or you will welcome the experence.
We only get to do it ONCE, don't make it something to fear my friend.
Accept within your heart that every person who you know and love IS going to die, 'cos they are, they are ALL going to die. That isn't a lie, it's a 100% garauntee!
And guess what, you are too.
Accept it today, dwell on it if you must, but it isn't something to fear and you don't need to mourn for the dead either. They're gone and you knew they were going to go, 'cos EVERYONE goes.
Regardless of when, where and how, EVERY man faces death alone.
I, for one, am kinda looking forward to the experience, I just hope it doesn't hurt too much.

quoted for pure truth.
I agree with you on everything that you said, summed up well.

Being interested in death all things about death is one thing.

But wanting to watch people die ... bud, that's not normal or healthy.

And if there is any kind of sexual turnon by it .... ?????
(dont' answer that outloud. Just consider it.. )

I really think you should speak to a mental health professional.

That's not a slam.

That's just helpful advice from someone with a psychology degree. (me)

i was terrified of dying for years.
uncertainty? pain? what happens next?


I've got over it now though, because I know theres not a damn thing I can do about it. I'll die one day, don't know when or how, all I can do is try to be a good person and hope that I go somewhere nice afterwards.

I had a near-death experience once - wont go into the details, all I'll say is that after the initial thoughts of "S##t! Am I dying?!" I felt completely peaceful and at one with everything - kinda like Arthur Dent when he picked up the card that said Stavro Mueller Beta.

I was almost gutted to be back tbh. I've got one of them weirdly curious minds like that.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I have to reply to that.

And the answer is no, none whatsoever.

I do understand, and in many ways accept the fact we all die.

But sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my own mortality, and it freaks me out a bit sometimes.

Not knowing what happens after is the scariest of all i think.

reply to post by SkitzoFrenic


That I understand.

It's kinda like someone threw us into a board game and we dont' know the rules or what the end goal of the game is. Ya' know?

I am also very interested in 'death' things ... cemetaries, NDE stories, ghost hunting, and the rest. I even have a strong desire to help those who are going to die soon. To help them move along easier. I have sat with a few friends in their final days and talked with them about their lives and what is coming. But I can't say that I want to watch people - strangers or friends - in their final death agonies.

Honestly though .. you might want to talk to a minister or rabbi or a mental health professional. There is no shame in that. It can be very helpful.

Why don't you work as a volunteer in a hospice in order to understand more about dying?

Being able to empathise with the dying may make your obsession a little healthier by understanding the importance of life.

Originally posted by SkitzoFrenic
Does your brain have some sort of defense mechanism for such an occasion, do you leave your body/mind when death is immenent ?

Or are you fully concious untill your last breath.

How can someone stand on train tracks, arms spread out, not flinching an inch seconds before the train hits them ?
wtf...

It really depends on the method and situation. I am sure those dying long drawn out diseases and heavily dosed on morphine probably do leave their mind/body at times.

Other situations can leave one conscious and gushing with adrenaline. The ones that stare at an oncoming train without flinching? Could be shock if it were accidental, or acceptance if it were suicide, or drugs or maybe schizophrenia that sees a happy butterfly approaching instead of the train, or just pure denial or maybe frozen fear. So many scenarios, there is no ONE answer.

Plus the brain does have many defense mechanisms. Often massive sudden trauma does NOT cause immediate pain (i.e. people cut themselves badly, or are shot or stabbed and don't realize it until they see the blood gushing).

Originally posted by FlyersFan
I really think you should speak to a mental health professional.
That's just helpful advice from someone with a psychology degree. (me)

If the OP does in fact have an erotic attraction to death, counseling is not going to help. That sort of thing typically strikes young and lasts for a lifetime (like many other sexual fixations). No amount of counseling will change it, unless of course the person starts to hate themselves because of it, or believe it means they have a "destiny to fulfill" because of it, now that is unheatlhy and possibly dangerous, but also pretty rare.

I would ask the op how old they are. It is not unusual for teenagers or young adults to take on a fascination with death and all things death related, probably just a phase, a way of coming to grips with mortality. We are pretty isolated from it in our modern world, generations past were not so fascinated by it because they saw it and accepted it in their everyday life.

Whatever it is, I would not worry about it. It is not that unusual and plenty of otherwise fun and productive people enjoy watching that stuff. Maybe the masses typically don't, but who cares about what the masses think.




[edit on 28-5-2009 by Sonya610]

Originally posted by SkitzoFrenic
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

I have to reply to that.

And the answer is no, none whatsoever.

I do understand, and in many ways accept the fact we all die.

But sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my own mortality, and it freaks me out a bit sometimes.

Not knowing what happens after is the scariest of all i think.

Well this is all too coincidental. Ya'll didn't watch Dr. Phil yesterday now did ya? About the woman is was so afraid and obsessed about dying so much that she read obituaries online everyday and even contacted the families of young people who passed away to find out why and how?
Sorry, just had to ask...

Originally posted by SkitzoFrenic

Does your brain have some sort of defense mechanism for such an occasion, do you leave your body/mind when death is immenent ?

Yes. It is called Fear. Heard of the fight or flight response?
What do you think Adrenaline is, and why they inject it into people's hearts in attempts to revive them?
Our brain is totally active in avoiding death at all times, not just in extreme scenarios that may be inspired by the video's you watch. Even when you sleep your brain monitors the situation to maintain life. That is why people with sleep apnea constantly wake up, because the brain senses things are wrong and a person wakes up in order to remedy the problem.

Or are you fully concious untill your last breath.

Conscious or not, your brain will do absolutely all it can to keep you alive. Consciousness is obviously an advantage...lol. I would imagine you may be able to be conscious post the "last breath" for a short period. Hold your breath for a minute.

How can someone stand on train tracks, arms spread out, not flinching an inch seconds before the train hits them ?

I don't know? I believe however, that there would be some flinching.
In some circumstances drugs and alcohol would help with the flinching and the decision to stand in front of a train. I would also wager that mental health issues would be a factor altering what we could consider to be the normal behaviour of the brain.



I would not worry about being obsessed with death, as death is obsessed with you. Right now millions of your cells are dying. You body is in an inevitabl cycle of decay that will result in the breakdown of all systems, resulting in your death. Your ability to repair yourself is dying. Your ability to defend yourself, is dying. Your ability to think, reason and sense things, is dying. Slowly, so we call it age.
You are dying.
Make sure it is worth it, the life bit. Because it is all you have. Dying is a given, so don't sweat it.
Watching how people live is far more interesting than watching how some die, I have found.

reply to post by SkitzoFrenic


I think its a normal thing to think about, not to watch over and over again tho. Death is something sacred and personal and should not be exploited like it is online. Snuff videos and videos of accidents are just another way the web "feeds the mob".

Dont buy into it, sometimes my mortality freaks me out too, I hope there is something past this life, I hope I get to see my grandfather again to tell him he has had the most impact on my life, more than any other person. I didnt' get to tell him when he was alive.

I think dying is gonna suck and be uber painfull, but its something you gotta go through, don't fear the reaper!

Hello ATSers. I'm new here, it's my first post and English is not my mother tongue so please pardon my mistakes :-)

Fear of death is absolutely normal (isn't it call "survival instinct" ?)

Fears are irrational thoughts. Emotions. To overcome you fear of death, you have to analyse death. To approach it with logic.

What is feared in the fear of death ? Suffering ? The idea that the world will continue without you ? Fear of being judged ?

- Suffering : Suffering is not death. You may fear to suffer, but actually death will be the end of suffering.
So death should not be feared as pain.

- The idea that the world will continue without you : Two cases are possible. Either the soul continues to exists and you will continue to exist with the world. Either such a thing as soul doesn't exists and death is the end of your identity. So you won't "feel" like the world continues without you. You won't "feel" anymore. Furthermore, you will always continue to exist in this world, AS this world ; through your children, through your atoms shattered accross the globe.
So death should not be feared as "ceasing to exist"

- Fear of being judged : This is probably the main reason someone should actually fear death. When you die, you will have to face your past life. Your actions on this Earth will be put in perspective, either by a judging God, either by the concept of karma, either by yourself (remorse, guilt, ...). Many religions and philosophies revolve around this idea, more than the concept of life after death. To overcome this, you should live your life to make yourself proud of it. To not face remorse, guilt, to not live through what you have done to others.
So if you feel you have done "reasonably well" with your life, death/judgment/remorse should not be feared. Otherwise it is time to change ;-)

Edit : Oh and don't believe a "quick death" will allow you to skip that stage of the journey. That your brain will be death before. When you reach the realm of death, there will be no more thing such as "time", so even the microseconds of your death will be enough to experience it, believe me.

Finally, and probably the most important, fear of death is also fear of the unknown. Hopefully for humans, there exist possibities to experience the realm of death while living. It is called "Ego Death". Reasearch about it and you will discover it is possible to acheive that state. Either via meditation (some call it "enlightment"), that road is long and tedious, but very rewarding. Either via entheogens, such as '___', salvia and others, which is a catapult to ego death but if you haven't done your homeworks before, it may be too much to handle for your mind (like a catapult, there are no brakes, no wheel :-) ).

What I can tell you about death is that I was like you. I feared it because I knew nothing about it. Then I found that death is actually very well documented through history (not surprising as humans die since their origin ?). Reads like the tibetan book of death and NDE experiences will teach you universal truths about death, set aside the cultural differences. And one day I experienced ego death. I didn't see my life, past actions, etc (It wasn't my time yet. I guess it's a privilege for the final moment), but I experienced what is "to cease to exist". It's not like there's nothing. It's more like "you" isn't important anymore. "You" are everything, and eveything is you. It cannot be translated with words, but "I" was dead, and I wasn't. I guess that's what death is (thats what many report it to be).

Since then, I'm not affraid to die anymore. I'm just affraid to feel remorse that day. So I live my life to the best I can (one other common experiences with NDE).

Peace ;-) (Death isn't such a big deal. Every living organism experience it :-) one day or another. It's immortality which is hell)


[edit on 28-5-2009 by SpaceGoatsFarts]

Originally posted by SkitzoFrenic
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

I have to reply to that.

And the answer is no, none whatsoever.

I do understand, and in many ways accept the fact we all die.

But sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my own mortality, and it freaks me out a bit sometimes.

Not knowing what happens after is the scariest of all i think.

Not knowing would be scary but there is a fix for that it's called Jesus Christ. The Bible tells you that once you accept Him as Savior, you get a "peace that surpasses all understanding" and it's true. I wouldn't lie to you about a thing like that. Give it a try what have you got to lose except a terrible phobia?

Originally posted by SpaceGoatsFarts
And one day I experienced ego death. I didn't see my life, past actions, etc (It wasn't my time yet. I guess it's a privilege for the final moment), but I experienced what is "to cease to exist". It's not like there's nothing. It's more like "you" isn't important anymore. "You" are everything, and eveything is you. It cannot be translated with words, but "I" was dead, and I wasn't. I guess that's what death is (thats what many report it to be).

Since then, I'm not affraid to die anymore. I'm just affraid to feel remorse that day. So I live my life to the best I can (one other common experiences with NDE).

Excellent post. Many good points.

Also a very good description of ego death/lifting of the veil. Unfortunately that experience tends to be spontaneious and relatively rare for the majority of humans (at least it seems to be).

You are afraid to feel remorse that day? Wow...when I think of stuff like that, what is left behind undone etc...I expect to just laugh at the previous worries at that moment, and realize that the moment it happens I will "remember" that it is all good and none of it matters. I expect it will be like the "ego death" experience, utter bliss. What was done or undone won't matter in the slightest.



[edit on 28-5-2009 by Sonya610]

When you die, the force that bonds your soul to your body stops and the soul slips away from the body and begins to drift. The Old Testiment calls it "flying away". There are two types of soul. The damned and the forgiven. The damned soul bears the weight of all the evil it has done, and like two magnets that repell each other, it is repulsive to God and is pushed away into darkness. That soul then sinks into a place called hell where it will stay until it is called forth to be judged. Then there is the soul that is forgiven of all evil. This soul had found Christ and has taken His nature as it's own. Like two magnets that attract each other, it is drawn into the presence of God and into His light. Wherever Christ is, that soul will be there also. This my view and I know that it is not shared by many, and that's ok. I'm not here to prove my point but to just give it.

So there is no oooh... and aaah... about death, it just is. I watched my father die from a sickness he had. I was there when it happened. He just closed his eyes and slipped away. No bells, no whistles, and no dark shadows... just a closing of the eyes and an end to a physical existence in this world.