News from the morgue

October 31, ---- / 2 ¢
Delivering Death Right to Your Doorstep

goth webmaster makes death shrine, public unfazed

Spike professes a sincere interest in all parts of death, from rot to requiescat in pacem. "I suppose it's tied in with my love of horror, and all that," the webmaster coughs as they rifle through the fridge. "It's about catharsis through learning and imagining in a safe environment."

In a sea of differences, split apart from each other by the distance of the globe, death is a unifier. We all must die, no matter how hateful the idea is. To the webmaster, it was an incredibly horrific idea only too recently, causing insomnia and preemptive grief. I express my condolences as the ragged creature offers me a scone.

Part of the path through the terror was study of the natural world, of which death is no small part. "Death reminds us that though our lives are individual, our existence is collective," Spike says. "It's a hard pill to swallow, but it can be gratifying in a way. Death is not the end -- because nothing ever ends." ∎

"toe tags make great bookmarks," local crone posits

As part of a project to raise literacy in the community, Mz. Barrows has asked us to print the Rotary Book Club's list for this year. "Don't be shy! We serve coffee, tea, and spirits 24/7 -- even if you haven't read, stop in to listen!"

  1. Count The Dead: Coroners, Quants, and the Birth of Death as We Know It, by Stephen Berry
  2. Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries, by Greg Melville
  3. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty
  4. The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime, by Judith Flanders
  5. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time, by John Kelly
  6. All that Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes, by Sue Black

The list may be ongoing depending on the speed of the book club's progress. ∎

Cat Won't Stop letting ghosts into the house

Q: I adopted my new cat, Lady Grey, from a shelter last month. So far there had been no complaints -- Lady is litter-trained, plays well with my raccoon, and barely scratches the furniture. Imagine my surprise when I come home to find my new cat being pet by unseen hands! Since that day (last week) the house has been a revolving door of spirits both corporeal and otherwise. Haxanne, how do I get my home back to normal levels of ghoulishness? Do I need to give up Lady to someone more suited for her skills? - Tabby or Not Tabby, 23


A: Well, Tabby, here is the good news. Your problem is both solvable and endearing. When cats trail spirits back home, it's usually a sign of affection and respect -- they don't believe you can summon on your own, and so they provide in their feline way. No, you do not need to give up Lady Grey, but she may need to give up the outdoor cat lifestyle. If that's untenable, you may have to consider moving further from the cemetery -- or getting used to impromptu tombmates.

[Haxanne Manx is a retired cat behaviorist and medium. Queries and concerns may be directed to News at the Morgue or to Manx directly at her P.O. Box in town (667).]

Thanatophobia, or the universal fear

Memento Mori: Remember you must die.

Since (almost) the very beginning, humans have learned to fear death. It's evolutionary and necessary in order to avoid death. We usually dismiss excess of the fear with our quickest, load-bearing tool of Outright Denial and Distraction. When that 'it' worms it's way through the armor, we refer to the phenomenon as thanatophobia, more colloquially known as death anxiety.

The term itself was coined by Sigmund Freud in 1915, who claimed it hid deeper childhood fears and insecurities. It took 60 years for another psychiastrist, Ernest Becker, to publish his own take in his book The Denial of Death. Becker argued that, rather than death being a cover for stronger fear, all other fears and phobias had their root in the fear of death. Since then, there has been the added the concept of "regret theory".

There are different components of fear of death on a symbolic level, and different causes for concern. Reading through the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), published in a paper by D.I. Templer in the 1970s, can give one a better idea of the scope of topics. The 15 point questionnaire covers concepts from the existential to the personal: the fear of one's consciousness ending and the fear of leaving behind dependents after death are both included. The DAS is still a helpful tool to pinpoint the source of one's thanatophobia, though it is also a subject of scholarly critique for having a Western bias.

Thanatophobia is a case of a rational, universal fear pushed to the extreme. Like most phobic disorders, it can be treated with a mix of cognitive behavioral therapy and anti-anxiety and/or anti-depression medication. These aren't a guaranteed cure, and mostly aid in recognizing/mitigating overwhelming anxiety responses. Distraction, used in healthy and aware doses, can be a helpful tool to tolerate distress caused by death anxiety. The good news is that statistically, cases of thanatophobia tend to decrease with age -- if this is a current struggle of yours, you will get through it.

If therapy is unavailable or unfavorable to you, the best route may be a mixture of reading, gentle immersion therapy, and cultivating a more death positive attitude. Our editors have listed a few helpful documents and links below.

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Est. 2025.
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