Do you ever wonder what would happen if you were hiking on a cliff and jumped off the edge? Did you ever think about jerking your steering wheel into a wall or passing car? The French call it “l’appel du vide”. We call it “the call of the void” or HPP (High Place Phenomenon). Believe it or not this unsettling urge is common.
Photo from Ego Tod | Ego Death. By Francis J Holloway.
According to Healthline, people with more sensitivity to anxiety are more likely to experience this. Personally, I have had moments of the dark lure. Standing on a platform, and wondering what it would be like if I jump on the tracks. The scariest one is driving on a freeway bridge and thinking about driving off the edge. Since anxieties have been higher in the last year, I would conclude that my call of the void’s have come more often. But, I remind myself this is normal.
Photo from Besessen | Obsession. By Amie Nicole.
Psychologists explain it as the confirmation of the will to live. You pick up a knife to slice vegetables, and you have a rush of feelings telling you to slice your skin. Your brain backs up, tells you no, and you put the knife down. Of course you would not do that! According to Oddfeed.net, this theory is called “vertigo of possibility”. It means you feel great power in knowing you chose to live.
Thrusting yourself into oblivion is a frightful idea, and yet we can find comfort in knowing that perhaps there is just a dark curiosity flying around our thoughts. In the end, it is a defense mechanism. It is your fear that keeps you safe. Have you experienced this phenomena?
