Against stress: Russians are digging their own grave

Life coach Svetlana Pilatova from Leningrad organizes funerals. What is it all about? The point is that patients are cut off from their environment, so that they can process problems. “It’s a practice of self-burial,” Pilatova explains. Further: “People can be buried in coffins or directly in the ground. I’ve been buried in a coffin before, but it’s not that hard. You can fall asleep in a coffin.

The “graves” are dug on the banks of the Ladoga River, where participants – men and women – bury each other. Of course with oxygen supply.

Takes between 20 minutes and three hours
The whole procedure takes about an hour, although some take longer – and the longest self-burial lasted three hours and twenty minutes. “It made me realize how good it is to live on this planet. How beautiful and precious is the time here”, Alexander describes his experiences underground.

However, others, such as Natalia, were not so enthusiastic: “The grave is made of cold, heavy, damp earth. I didn’t like that. You gasp, you feel like you are being strangled.”

Psychiatrist Felix Banshchikov explains the scientific reasoning behind this: “When a person is cut off from external factors perceived by the senses, he is faced with his problems, neuroses, fears, etc. He can then feel alone,” he explains .

Psychiatrist warns of trauma
“However, in some cases it can also serve a psychotherapeutic purpose and, at best, even solve some emotional problems.” However, he warns that it’s not for everyone. “For those who are not as resilient, such a situation can cause a lot of psychological trauma.”

By the way, this kind of “funeral therapy” is not a purely Russian phenomenon. It is also used in other countries.