Fear of darkness

In one black-black city there is a black-black house, in this black-black house there is a black-black room ... And an ice-cold soul: "give my heart". Do you remember the horror story from childhood? For someone - it's a funny childish joke, but with someone such terrible stories remain for life. Fear of darkness is the most common phobia. You make any noise startle, are you sure that in the dark corner you are trapped by a wicked creature? Believe me, you are not alone in your horror. Almost every second person experiences similar fears.

Fear of darkness is embedded in us from birth, it's a kind of self-preservation instinct. But panic fear, which has grown into a mania of persecution, interferes with the normal life of a person. This phobia was endowed with several names, among which no-one is the most common. There are also: ahluofobia, skotophobia or ecluophobia.

Causes of fear of darkness

Fear of darkness, the reasons that take our consciousness, can be divided into: 

• physiological aspects - the production of the hormone melatonin (responsible for the stability of the emotional state) stops at night; 
• psychological moments - a person before going to bed scrolls the events of the current day with his stresses, experiences, failures, re-experiences them (here and the dream passes, and fears come to life, and mental disorders will not keep you waiting); 
• subconscious fear since the time of primitive mankind;

Fear in the dark is caused by fear of loneliness or death, severe experiences experienced in childhood (even if the adult does not remember them). Very often phobias are inherited from parents to children. Or maybe you just have a wild fantasy, which can be developed terribly by the horror film, seen for a dream to come. Some doctors believe that fears arise because of a lack of mineral substances in the body that support the balance of the emotional background. Whatever it was, a person needs to learn to cope with the fear of darkness himself and be able to properly avoid such situations in children.

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Fear of darkness in children

The rich imagination of babies creates many phobias. Fear of darkness in children arises also through the fault of the parents themselves, at every opportunity, frightening them Baba Yaga or an evil gnome hiding in the dark. A child can not always distinguish reality from fantasy, and darkness is perceived by them as evil. Monsters in the closets, under the beds, etc., also settle.

Parents need to help children cope with the fear of the dark. You should remember the following: 

• be sure to listen to a frightened child and help to understand the cause of his fears; 
• Do not expel a frightened child from your room, it needs to be reassured and encouraged; 
• are in the nursery longer, until the child falls asleep. Your presence will give him courage, a sense of security and help to cope with this phobia; 
• explain how you can overcome fear. To do this, the kid must talk to an imaginary monster, and in the end to say that he is not afraid of him.

It is not necessary to assure the children that there are no monsters. In such a situation, the child will feel incomprehensible, rejected, humiliated. Parents who shame their children for fear of the dark, call a coward, risk exacerbating the situation with additional stress. This attitude can only drive fear deeper. Children will be silent about their experiences, traumatizing the soul, which will lead to the development of complexes of inferiority and new phobias. Leave for the night a night light, a muffled light, so that the child feels relaxed and confident. Do not turn off the light after the baby has fallen asleep. Do not save on electricity, because a child can wake up from another nightmare.

Only the warm, calm, sensible, attentive, caring attitude of parents depends on the psycho-emotional health of the baby.

Psychologists offer several tricks so that the fear of darkness does not persecute your child: 

• if the child is afraid of evil spirits, evil spirits, some monsters, then select in the room an object that, as it were, frightens them off; 
• inspire the child with the feeling: your home is your protection.

Fear of darkness in children can be prevented:

• Do not bully the child with terrible stories; 
• at the slightest prank, do not suggest that an evil uncle will come and take it; 
• Limit the viewing of horror films, participation in games where monsters appear; 
• Do not read or tell terrible stories, especially at night.

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Fear of darkness in adults

It is believed that defeating children's fears is much easier than solving similar problems in adulthood. Consciousness is able to transform the fear of darkness in adults and it will already be about the perception of a potential threat that lurks in a dark alley or on a dark street.

Signs of this phobia are: physical and psychological discomfort, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, profuse sweating, freezing limbs. It can lead to hallucinations, mental disorders.

Fear of darkness in adults is associated with increased anxiety. The brain constantly receives signals about possible threats from outside. These experiences eventually become nothing. It should be noted that in the adult age such experiences at first remain invisible. But the aggravation arose unexpectedly! Fear of darkness can strengthen the reflex responses of the body.

Adults with this phobia are recommended: 

• take regular walks; 
• more often go to nature; 
• help active, mobile sports (it is desirable that they are liked); 
• use herbal decoctions, teas recommended by a doctor; 
• to resort to the help of a psychotherapist when it is impossible to defeat fear yourself.

Do not try to cheat yourself by falling asleep while the light is on. This will not help, experts say. It is better to convince oneself of the thought that there is no threat in the darkness. Remember the outline of your room and imagine it with your eyes closed before going to bed. In case of fear of dark streets, take along a fellow traveler, choose the lighted routes. This will help to cope with the fear of darkness.

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How to get rid of fear of the dark?

How to get rid of fear of darkness, if the fear does not associate you with a specific situation? Have enough patience. If necessary, seek help from a psychotherapist. Try using the following template, which can save you from oppressive fear.

It is known that most of the fears of childhood. We are told that it's embarrassing to be a coward, that fear is abnormal and you need to get rid of it at any cost. So there is shame, anger, discontent with yourself. First of all, formulate your attitude to phobia. What settings pop up in your head? Then you should determine what specifically scares you in the dark. You can get a collective image of uncertainty, uncertainty, threat of attack, etc. Most often it is a physical threat to health and a sense of uncertainty, which entails new fears and feelings. And the more such "skeletons in the closet" you find, the better.

Your personal, negative qualities that you do not want to take in yourself, are transferred to the object of fear. Suppressed anger and aggression are transformed into various phobias. Give the darkness a few qualities and try them on yourself. If there is joy, revival, embarrassment, shame, this mechanism must be damaged. Realize yourself in the dark. Think about what you are meant for, how you treat yourself, what needs you have? Then go back to your body and analyze: 

• what feelings and emotions appear; 
• how you relate to the darkness; 
• so you want to tell her or take it.

Change places until the time, until you establish a dialogue that can reconcile you with the object of fear.

Work on your fears, comprehend experiences, come up with new effective techniques in the fight against phobia, and she will certainly back down.

Treating fear of the dark

The fear of the darkness in children passes when you feel completely safe. To achieve this, look around the entire room with the things in it by the light of the chandelier before going to bed. Divert the child with a calm, kind book without witches and bloodthirsty monsters. Watch for the quality of television.

If you can not eradicate the causes of fear yourself, contact a specialist. Experienced psychotherapists have methods that learn to face fears face to face and not experience tormenting experiences at the same time.

Pleasant, relaxing music has its curative effect on adults with this phobia. Read something interesting, remember the pleasant, warming moments of life. At night you can drink a soothing herbal decoction, warm milk with honey. Teach yourself not to analyze the past day.

It is generally not recommended two hours before sleep - watching TV, eating, playing with children in active games, indulging, excessive laughing, cursing, etc. The evening should be devoted to rest, relaxation, positive emotions.

Fears, including fear of darkness, are inherent in us by nature for the purpose of self-preservation. Without this, we would have died out long ago. Change your attitude to fears, make friends with them. Imagine the object of phobia as something sweet and pleasant.