Strong and Vital No 4

Repor tage

A Useful «Death Experience»

South Korea is a country with a record it can hardly be proud of. In contrast to the global downward trend in most countries around the world (2000-2019), the suicide rate in the Far Eastern country has almost doubled in the last two decades. South Korea has ranked first among OECD countries in suicide rates for more than ten years in a row, one of the highest in the world. With 26 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, suicide was the sixth most com mon cause of death in 2022 (statista), with most people who took their lives being over 80 years old. Experts believe that the country’s extremely competitive atmosphere is responsible for so many cases of depres sion and suicide. The social pressure for success is enor mous. Many young South Koreans have high expecta tions in terms of education and employment, but these have been dashed by the economic slowdown and the associated rise in unemployment. Despite this, they do not want to disappoint their parents. Self-esteem is con stantly challenged, while dissatisfaction and depression are always lurking. For some, the answer to this existential crisis lies in an innovative type of therapy: the so-called «death experi ence». Contrary to what the term suggests, this is a com pletely non-invasive treatment method for suicidal pati ents that somehow mimics the process of actual death. Death preparation centres have been opened for this purpose. Participants come from all walks of life, inclu ding teenagers struggling with pressure at school, elderly parents who feel lonely, and the elderly who fear beco ming a financial burden on their families. The ceremony is dedicated to all who sufferer without restrictions. Elderly and terminally ill people are also supposed to take part, apparently intending to prepare for death in a kind of rehearsal. Those who wish to have a simulated death can write their will or a farewell letter to their loved ones and read their last words aloud to the group attending the funeral ser vice. Then all the death candidates put on white robes and sit down in wooden coffins arranged in rows, where they listen to a short talk by a former funeral director. He tells them that they should accept their problems as part of life and try to find joy even in the most difficult situa tions.

Then they lie down in the coffin and close their eyes to have a funeral portrait taken. When the «hour of death» approaches, they are told that it is now time to «go to the other side». The lid is closed. They are left alone in the dark for about ten minutes and confronted with the idea of nothingness in the afterlife. They are encouraged to use this time to reflect on life from an outsider’s perspective. When they finally emerge from their coffins, they supposedly feel refreshed and liberated. The faked death experience apparently helps them to appreciate life more afterwards, despite the dif ficulties involved. Their intention to take their own lives is cancelled. they are told. Most «resurrected» people actually report that they feel very relaxed and positive afterwards. With these prerequisites, regaining existential motivation is no longer an illusion. There are now several companies throughout South Korea that offer such simulated funeral services. The Hyowon Healing Center in Seoul, which also carries out real funerals, is one of the best known. Its bizarre activity arose in response to the problem of suicides in South Korea and has now been running for around ten years. The business is flourishing, and there is apparently no shortage of interested parties who are going through a life crisis. «Once you become conscious of death, and experience it, you undertake a new approach to life.» Hundreds of people, from teenagers to retirees, take part in such large-scale «living funerals» every year. Confronting death in order to (re)appreciate life is not a new concept. One of the purposes of this experience is to reflect on how much pain a potential suicide would inflict on their loved ones if they chose to end their lives. . »You have seen what death feels like. You are alive and you have to fight»,

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STRONG and VITAL No. 4 - 2024