What happens after death?

[Mr.Obvious]

If it is a void after you die, you'll experience it as much as you did before you were born.
Dying is terrifying. Death is not.
Welcome to our little band of heathens.

[Brian37]

Hello,

I'm going through therapy to help me cope with my thanatophobia (fear of death). I'm terrified of hospitals, doctors, sharp things, guns, gore. I'm constantly living in fear. I'm in sophomore high, and I'm taking a Health II class. I live with 3 smokers that smoke in the house, and now I'm afraid to get lung cancer because a book told me I could. The likelihood is really low because I avoid the smoke, but I can't help it. People tell me to believe in that God will be there for me, and everything will be okay. There's a part of me that is so terrified of this idea of the 'void,' and the so-called 'nothingness,' that it's tearing me apart and I don't know what to do about it.

I want to believe in life after death, but there's no evidence. I want to believe in heaven, but there's no evidence. Maybe I just need someone to talk to. I'm new to this forum, and a friend would be really great right now. 

Thank you!

I'd love to date Angelina Jolie, but that ain't going to happen anytime soon.

What happens after death? NOTHING..

Do you worry about the death of a cockroach? Do you worry about the pre life of a bacteria? Do you worry about the life of a spider 5 million years after it dies?

Humans like all other life are finite, there is not anything after death just like you did not exist 4 billion years ago.

You dont have to be fatalistic knowing that, you don't have to be sad knowing the ride ends.

You go to a movie and it ends, but you still go. You go to a music concert and it plays a last song, but you still go. You go to a sporting event and one team wins and one team loses but you still go. You  get a pet cat or pet dog, it lives for a while, you enjoy it, it dies, you mourn for a while, and you get another pet. 

You'll always have ups and downs in life and the ride still ends no matter what. But you can still enjoy life and be good and do good.

Your desire to want to be forever is just that, normal but still a false perception reflecting evolutionary drive to continue. 

The only thing that scares me about death would be losing my lucid state, and or prolonged pain. Fearing those I leave behind missing me and I missing them. But no, in cosmic time, I do not care to be forever nor do I worry about what life was like 4 billion or 13.8 billion years ago.

ENJOY what you have now, because there is no do over.

[bennyboy]

If it is a void after you die, you'll experience it as much as you did before you were born.
Dying is terrifying. Death is not.
Welcome to our little band of heathens.

This doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not afraid of a truck driving away from me.  But the one coming head-on with horns blaring is scary.

[Mr.Obvious]

If it is a void after you die, you'll experience it as much as you did before you were born.
Dying is terrifying. Death is not.
Welcome to our little band of heathens.

This doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not afraid of a truck driving away from me.  But the one coming head-on with horns blaring is scary.

Sorry, your metaphor is lost on me.

[Joods]

The suggestion to post an introduction was so that we could give you a proper welcome and get to know you a little bit.

I hope you can find some answers here. Even if you can't, I hope you make some friends along your journey.

Also - kudos for being therapy. It takes a lot to admit that you are getting help to a bunch of strangers.

[GUBU]

Hello,

I'm going through therapy to help me cope with my thanatophobia (fear of death). I'm terrified of hospitals, doctors, sharp things, guns, gore. I'm constantly living in fear. I'm in sophomore high, and I'm taking a Health II class. I live with 3 smokers that smoke in the house, and now I'm afraid to get lung cancer because a book told me I could. The likelihood is really low because I avoid the smoke, but I can't help it. People tell me to believe in that God will be there for me, and everything will be okay. There's a part of me that is so terrified of this idea of the 'void,' and the so-called 'nothingness,' that it's tearing me apart and I don't know what to do about it.

I want to believe in life after death, but there's no evidence. I want to believe in heaven, but there's no evidence. Maybe I just need someone to talk to. I'm new to this forum, and a friend would be really great right now. 

Thank you!

After you die, you become an ex-parrot. That is the beginning and end of it.

[brewer]

If your lucky you'll get to continue to feed another life form(s). 

Don't fear the void, the nothingness, you won't be able to perceive it. 

Welcome.

[zebo-the-fat]

After death you rot or burn.
Since you can only be either alive or dead, before I was alive I must have been dead, didn't cause me any problem at the time!

I have no fear at all about death, the process of dying is another matter though.

[Shell B]

Hello, fish person. Welcome to the forums. I don't know much about fear of death. It's one of the few things I don't actually have any fear of (unless you count fear of suicide, which I understand is a weird fear), but I know all about anxiety. It's a pretty regular state for me. Therapy is good. I hope your therapist talks to you about "radical acceptance." It takes practice, but helps a LOT.

As for the nothingness after death, I find it really comforting. Nothing in life ends with such finality. We're left dealing with memories and the aftermath of virtually everything we do, except when we die. Then, it honestly doesn't matter anymore. You can go and know there's fucking nothing you can do about it. Take the ride.

[mlmooney89]

I just see it like going into a dreamless sleep. When your mind shuts down you won't know it and really what you don't know can't hurt you.

---

If it is a void after you die, you'll experience it as much as you did before you were born.
Dying is terrifying. Death is not.
Welcome to our little band of heathens.

This doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not afraid of a truck driving away from me.  But the one coming head-on with horns blaring is scary.

He is saying that in reality the hardest part is dying because you are conscious for it. It can hurt and be prolonged. Death itself you don't feel and can't have any thoughts about so it's not really logical to be afraid of that part. That's like being upset you weren't around to be conscious in a time before you were born. At least that is what I gathered from it and from my own feelings on the matter.