fear


Being buried alive is right at the top on most people’s list of the worst ways to die.

The irrational fear even has its own name: taphophobia.

Yet in Moscow, Russians are reportedly queuing up for the chance to dig their own graves and be sent six feet under for a bizarre new treatment to cure their fear of death.

Adverts have appeared across social media platforms urging people to give the ordeal a try.

And it is not just taphophobia the unorthodox treatment can conquer, according to organiser Sergey Volkov, who claims it is a great cure for claustrophobia too.

A rather unnerving video captures one of his sessions from the viewpoint of the volunteer in the ground.

It shows three men with shovels throwing dirt into a grave as a person lies in it.

Concerns have been levelled against the practice, however, with complaints to the police questioning the safety and validity of his methods.

One criticism came from a girl shocked that Mr Volkov is not a doctor or a licensed professional, calling his methods amateurish.

She added there appeared to be no doctors or other medical professionals on hand in case something went wrong.

The price for such a procedure is reportedly 3000 RUB (35 GBP), a considerable sum for many Russians.

Although a healthy fear of death is not necessarily a bad thing, extreme and often irrational thoughts about dying, known as thanatophobia, can be an obstacle to daily life with sufferers refusing to leave their home.