Writer Leah Chillery talks to Caroline Dent , an end of life doula and specialist in Thanatophobia (fear of death). They have a frank and honest conversation about their experiences of OCD and other mental health challenges which may have a link to a fear of death. Their chat explores their childhood fears and their fascinating pathways towards a deeper self-understanding. This is a companion episode to the play Fixing Eileen.

Content information

This episode includes references to OCD, end of life and fear of death.

About Caroline Dent

Caroline suffered from Thanatophobia (fear of death) from a very young age, and in her attempt to recover from it, she has explored metaphysics, psychology, personal growth and various spiritual teachings.

Having overcome her fears, she began to volunteer with suicidal people, dying people, bereaved people, and trained to work as an end of life doula, supporting people at the end of life.

Caroline is involved with the Death Cafe movement, and she started hosting her own death cafe in 2015. More recently she has started hosting online Thanatophobia Cafés, similar to Death Cafes, where people living with Thanatophobia can share their feelings with each other in a safe and welcoming space.

Links

Credits

  • Produced by She Wants a Dog (Kate Chapman and Pippa Frith)
  • Assistant Producer Daljinder Johal
  • Sound design by Iain Armstrong
  • Sound editing by Fraser Youngson
  • Partner: Nottingham Playhouse
  • Supported by Arts Council England

Download a transcript of this conversation