Why we are afraid of the dark and how to overcome it – Online Psychologists

He fear of the darkalso known as scotophobiais the irrational fear and end to darkness. This phobic disorder It is classified within the anxiety disorders and people who suffer from it show symptoms such as a extreme anxiety and a irrational fear to this stimulus. This fear leads them to avoid dark situations and places and they may even experience discomfort just thinking about it. The feeling of panic that invades these people is not due to the absence of light, but to the dangers that that person believes are hidden in the darkness. The causes that trigger this irrational fear It can be a observational learning due to trauma or horror books and movies that are related to the absence of light.

Anyone can develop fear of the dark If you make a misinterpretation of any situation or stimulus related to darkness or due to any circumstance the fear as something evolutionary becomes entrenched and is not successfully overcome. Although it usually develops in people with anxious traits or who feel fearful. But what it creates and keeps the phobia It is not a specific personality profile, but rather a person's reaction.

How we get used to sleeping during childhood can be a source of that fear, that is, if a child has fear of the dark He will delay his bedtime, he will not want to sleep alone or if he agrees to sleep he will do so with the light on. Fear of the dark is one of the most common fears In fact, it is considered a developmental fear that usually disappears on its own when children reach about 8-9 years of age. This phobia It can appear for several reasons, some of them may be: due to a traumatic experience, for example when the child has been punished in a dark room, he or she is more likely to develop this type of phobia. Another cause is the images seen in a horror movie, since in this type of movie the appearance of ghosts or monsters usually occur at night and in the dark. Another reason why it can develop fear of the dark It is learning by observation.

In most cases the fear of darkness is associated with claustrophobiasince whoever feels this irrational fear of the dark, not being able to see anything makes them feel trapped and that trying to escape from that place will be impossible.

In adults, especially the elderly, The fear of death is often associated with the fear of darkness.since the moment of going to sleep is used to reflect on the proximity of death and this reflection occurs in the darkness.

When a person is suffering from a fear attack You are having unpleasant sensations associated with the fear response and are fueled by it catastrophic thoughts that invade the person at those moments. To control all this, the best thing is to change the focus of attention, that is, if the person focuses his attention on the Anxious symptoms The only thing that will happen is that whatever feelings you may be experiencing at that moment will only intensify them. This change of focus must be accompanied by deep breathing and reassuring messages.

Like any other phobiahe fear of the darkif it persists over time and its intensity is overwhelming, it can have a great impact on the daily life of the person who suffers from it, since the individual feels depressed, anxious and very nervous most of the time. When this happens, it is the ideal time to ask for help from a online psychologist.