One of the areas I love helping people with is spiritual transition of their changing believes, otherwise known as Deconstruction. I empower people to do that, and to do it well. My observation is that one of the most terrifying aspects of changing beliefs or losing faith is the fear of Hell.

I drew this cartoon, "Literal Hell" to communicate that.

Anxiety and a fear of hell

What is Stygiophobia?

Stygiophobia is the irrational fear of Hell or the afterlife, particularly the fear of eternal punishment or condemnation. This fear manifests itself in very real ways including anxiety, panic attacks and even depression. Although stygiophobia can stem from a variety of sources, for those who know my work, it most likely comes from an experience in a very strict religious setting, often in childhood. 

Why Being Terrified of Hell Is So Difficult To Shake

If you've been raised your whole life to believe in a literal Hell after death, it is so enmeshed in your brain that the belief itself is cellular. If your brain has been soaked in the belief that if you don't believe in Hell then you'll spend eternity there, how do you recover from that? It's very real. Not Hell, but the fear of it.

I remember finally deciding that Hell was a metaphor and not a literal place. I also remember lying in bed in the darkness of my room that night terrified that I’d made a terrible mistake.

A cold wave of fear swept over me.
What if I’m going to Hell because I don’t believe in it anymore?
What a mindf*ck that was.
But that’s a lot of what theology is.

It’s a tool used to control us, to make us behave, conform, fall in line, and stay in place.

This is one of my many cartoons about the fear of hell.

How To Overcome A Fear Of Hell

Of course we’re going to feel fear when we transgress those boundaries because that’s exactly what we’re supposed to feel when we do. That’s what they were designed for!  People often ask me how to get over this hell anxiety. I say give it time.  

I've worked with enough people now to know that given a listening ear, a gracious and spacious space to question their religious beliefs and vent, as well as time, people recover and achieve peace of mind where they are no longer anxious about Hell. It becomes a non-issue of no concern.

We can grow to understand that the idea of Hell was useful for a while to keep us in line and to keep us perpetually afraid of punishment for our disobedience and faithlessness. You see, time is a mental construct, and concepts like eternity and afterlife are parts of this construct. This is where fear and suffering thrive.

All there is is now. Always. And this is where there is peace.

Related Leaving Religion and Questioning Beliefs Resources

I Used to Make Worship Music and Now I'm Triggered by My Guitar
My Story: From Churched Christian to Unchurched Cartoonist
Yes, It’s Okay to Google “Leaving my Religion”
The Art Of Finding Yourself After Leaving Your Religion
5 Stages Of The Deconstruction Of Your Beliefs