So, nyctophobia is obsessive irrational fear of darkness or night, which increases with time. The distinctive feature of fear of the dark is the fact that a person suffering from it is afraid not so much of darkness itself as of unexpected (and potentially dangerous) things that could happen in this dark environment. Up to 10% of the world population – both children and adults – suffer from this condition.
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What are the causes of the disorder? Nyctophobia is, in all probability, due in no small part to genetics. You see, very long ago, in prehistoric times, darkness meant danger to humans. In the dark, vision becomes poor, rendering the person vulnerable. Attacks of predators or enemies under cover of darkness are sudden and, consequently, deadly.
In this fashion, fear of darkness is rather normal in small children. As those children grow up, this fear usually disappears or weakens – in most of them. But in some of them, it persists.
Another cause of the condition may be linking dark environments with some terrifying images or ideas that can be both conscious and unconscious.
Symptoms of phobia of the dark include:
- Fear;
- Intense anxiety;
- Excessive sweating;
- Dizziness;
- Trembling;
- Losing control of the situation, etc.
What can be done to get rid of this nasty condition? To fight the phobia in children, the following measures are recommended:
- Reassuring and hugging;
- Limiting TV watching;
- Reading kind-hearted fairytales;
- Maintaining positive emotional disposition;
- Holding up some older children (who have already overcome the phobia) as a model;
- Giving the child a glass of warm milk;
- Giving him/her his/her favorite stuffed animal;
- Turning on a night lamp;
- Turning on some pleasant calming music.
As for fighting nyctophobia in adults, here’s what can be done:
- Before going to bed, think about your dream, imagining that it came true. Those fantasies will give you self-confidence;
- You can also imagine the situation that provoked this fear. Get into a comfortable position, relax and delve into memories. Experiencing the phobia anew, recode it into something positive (link some other feelings with the images in question). It should be done repeatedly, so that the positive feelings and images are recorded in the unconscious mind;
- If it seems to you that you see ghosts or other supernatural things, it is recommended that you go toward them. A careful examination of the room you are in and feeling each object with your fingers will give confidence and remove fear. Answer yourself: what exactly are you afraid of? Describe your fear in detail so that you can understand it. Compare real threats with imaginary ones. Nothing threatens you when the light is turned on – then why there will be something dangerous in the dark? Write down your apprehensions and read them. Try to draw you fear and think: what am I afraid of in the darkness? Then imagine the most horrible things that can happen. And then analyze – can they actually happen? How real is it? Making sure that there are no threats around you, go to bed, thinking of something pleasant – because your fear was provoked by some unpleasant thoughts.
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