Letting Go of the Fear of Death

In this talk, we explore death not as a morbid topic, but as the most honest teacher we have. Not just physical death, but the small, daily deaths we experience when expectations collapse, relationships end, plans fail, or the image of who we thought we were no longer fits.
Letting go is not positive thinking. It is not resignation. It is not “acceptance” in the polite sense. It is the nervous system learning, again and again, that it can survive the death of a story.

We’ll look at why the mind treats endings like threats, why emotions feel unbearable when something is slipping away, and why resisting these inner deaths actually amplifies suffering. Using stories, images, and emotion-based exercises, we’ll see how repeatedly allowing endings dissolves fear rather than feeds it.

The paradox is simple and disturbing: the more willing you are to die psychologically, the more alive you feel. When you stop fighting endings, life stops feeling fragile.

This talk is not about becoming fearless. It’s about discovering that fear loses its grip when it is finally allowed to complete itself.

About Lecturer
Dillon Freed is a neuroscience and psychology instructor teaching Mind, Brain, and Behavior at Baruch College and Brain and Behavior at John Jay College. He conducts graduate research in cognitive neuroscience at the CUNY Graduate Center and is preparing for doctoral work.

His work focuses on emotion, fear, consciousness, and the mechanisms of psychological letting go. Drawing from neuroscience, philosophy, and lived experience, Dillon explores how suffering is amplified by resistance to internal states and how allowing emotions to complete themselves reduces distress.

He lectures and leads workshops on letting go, consciousness, and emotional regulation, using stories, humor, and direct experiential methods rather than belief systems or motivational frameworks.

More at **DillonFreed.com**