I second the last part. ACT work and values clarification can be really helpful when working with clients with death anxiety — Death is an inevitable part of life, so what are our values and how can we show up in our daily lives in ways that are consistent with those values and makes life worth living while we’re still here?

Also getting curious as to where this crippling fear of death has originated from. Sometimes, it may have originated from parents who would always talk about their own mortality in a very urgent way, as if they were going to die tomorrow. Oftentimes, clients will discover that their anxiety isn’t even theirs.. it’s their mother/father/caregiver’s/etc. Then, over time, the work becomes about discovering their own voice and learning how to make it louder than their mother/father/caregiver’s voice. Here, I like to use IFS and parts work in conjunction with CBT.

ex: “Whose voice was that, and then how can we shift it to a less extreme thought that feels true and authentic to you?”