We feel sorrow and pain when we lose someone extraordinary in our life. To whom can we share this grief and pain? Our family and friends are the first answer which comes to our minds. But nobody has that much time to listen to our memories of the deceased and our pain. Thanatology helps us in these situations.
Thanatology is an academic discipline that examines death from many perspectives: ethical, sorrowful, mental, medicinal, physical, and spiritual. People in this profession offer mental support to those who have lost a close person and share their misery. This profession has evolved in recent times and is helping many people worldwide.
It is a practice of studying death. Thanatology roots from the worship of the Greek God Thanatos. This is a relatively positive concept that studies the demise of people and the reason behind them. Death has always been a complicated concept for humans. It is very difficult to understand death. But with an academic discipline, and that’s what Thanatology is all about.
Origin of Thanatology
Before wars, deaths were restricted to home affairs. There were no offices or authorities that could issue death certificates or help the families with the loss. But as time passed, different wars around the world started.
It is easy to take care of the dead body at home, but it was nearly impossible to inform the families about the death. So here comes an arrangement for proper data accommodation. Deaths were given recognition, and authorities were established to issue proof of death.
The emotions recorded of the aggrieved families were different. Thanatology took the foothold during this time and emerged as an academic discipline. It started researching about death and the psychology of people suffering losses.
Present Status of Thanatology
Today, the world has changed completely, and so has death’s concept. Thanatology today is a vast field. Death impacts social cultures differently on a different level, so the scope of this profession has expanded.
This profession is inclusive and covers various fields. But one thing is common in every segment that these professionals read about human death and humans’ reaction to such ends.
Different Categories of Thanatologist
The work of a Thanatologist expands from music to personal counseling. Let us have a look at the differences in Thanatology:
- Biological Thanatologists: These people often do medical examinations of dead bodies.
- Psychological Thanatologists: They are mental therapists and counselors. They are trained to examine emotions caused by death.
- Medical Thanatologists: They typically focus on debates regarding suicide and euthanasia. These are hot topics that are debated in parliaments and on other platforms.
- Music Thanatologists: They play the harp around the death beds. The families of dead persons are also present there. The soothing music gives peace to the people who are emotionally damaged.
The different types of Thanatologists help people differently. But they all help the families of a deceased person in one way. The main intention is to share the grief, study the emotions, and at last help them to overcome the loss.
There are many theories about death and an explanation of how it takes place. But there is concrete evidence. Therefore it is hard to understand death, and it takes time to overcome the loss. This profession is a noble one as it helps people recover from the loss mentally.
Today people have started talking about mental health after the global pandemic. The demand for Thanatologists increased rapidly during this period, and therefore it emerged as a top profession.
How Much Does a Thanatologist Earn?
Well, this question does not have an appropriate answer. The awareness about this profession is increasing, and so is its demand. When people start knowing about something like this, they prefer to take the services. This profession works on the spread of word of mouth.
The demand is increasing, and with this, the earnings of professionals are also ascending. However, it is inevitable that people associated with this profession earn a good amount of money and lead a good life.
Conclusion
Finally, we can say that Thanatology is a healer. It heals the mind of the person suffering from a personal loss. We know that material loss can be recovered, but a human’s loss cannot be recovered. We all have to face this challenge once in our life when we lose someone close to us. The professionals of this profession are trained with a disciplined study to help people get back their mental stability. Thanatology is more than just talking about deaths. It is a practice that preserves life.
