Each at least once in his life had to experience an inexplicable feeling of anxiety in an unlockable room. Some unnecessarly exaggerate the danger of darkness, and then the fear gradually develops into a phobia. To begin treatment, it is necessary to understand the features of the appearance of fear in the evening and night.
Description of phobia
The panic fear of the dark is called Naphobia. The word is translated from Greek as "fear of the night" (from Greek. Nyktos - "Night" and Phobos - "Fear"). Scotophobia (from Greek. Skotos - "Darkness"), ahluophobia and ecophobia - synonymous terms meaning an insurmountable fear of the dark time of the day.
Most often, the disease is manifested in children. The world of the night is associated with mystery, imaginary images, nightmare. Subsequently, most of the kids are horrified before the onset of the night decreases and passes at all. But it happens that over the years, nodobia is only enhanced. The pathological fear of darkness suffers 10% of the population of the globe.
The peculiarity of this phobia is that All-consuming horror causes not darkness itself, but the lack of illumination. Concerning occurs due to the inability to get information about the surrounding space. The unknown makes the rich imagination of man hard to work. In fantasies, terrible, non-existent phenomena and objects appear.
A person suffering from scotophobia is incredible fear, even being in a completely safe one's own apartment. More often, people suffer from high intelligence, non-standard thinking and strong imagination.
Such people are endowed with hyperemology, increased sensitivity. They are wounded, vulnerable and prone to the bright experience of any emotions.
Often, people in full darkness have discomfort from the possibility of encounter with some subject and nothing more. Phobia is different from ordinary fear that anxiety gradually increases and goes into panic horror. With the approach of darkness, the following symptoms are sometimes observed at the human phobia:
- tachycardia;
- discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract, stomach spasms;
- frequent urges for urination;
- difficulty inhale;
- Strong headache;
- sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure;
- dizziness;
- increased sweating;
- chill in the whole body;
- chills, inner trembling, tremor hands;
- anxiety;
- faint condition;
- hysterics;
- Stuttering, circulating and speech slowing;
- dry mouth, voice loss;
- reduction or increase of muscle tone;
- weakness in cropped legs;
- neurotic state;
- paranoia.
At the emotional level, phobia can manifest themselves in a shallow dream and tormenting nightmares. A man wakes up sharply in a cold sweat. In this moment, he is unable to immediately understand what happened. From fright and despair, physical activity and an irresistible desire to escape somewhere. Subsequently develops suspicion and nervousness.
The benefits and harm of the birth of dark
Phobia can benefit: a man who fears darkness is not inclined to risks. Attentiveness and caution is manifested not only at the time of finding in the dark room, but also everywhere. Extreme Sports and Drug Use does not attract nubbits. Such people have a well-developed instinct of self-preservation.
However, these are all the advantages. The pathological condition of fear often negatively affects the quality of life. Nightmalls interfere in everyday life. Studies, fatigue and lethargy do not give a person to focus and lead to absentia. There is a chance to earn neurosis obsessive states, not related to dark time of day.
A man is afraid to move along the street in the evening. The unlucky room brings the patient to stressful state. Regular fears, experiences, emotional shocks are harmful to the body. It is possible to exacerbate hidden diseases. The result of constant nervous overvoltage can be the development of diabetes, arthrosis, oncology.
The likelihood of stroke and heart attack, violation of the cardiovascular and digestive system, is high. This may contribute to early death.
Causes of occurrence
Dark fear can occur for several reasons.
- The genetic code is inherited. Ancient people experienced horror before the advent of the total darkness due to a possible attack on them enemy tribe or predatory animals. And at the modern person, a sense of self-preservation gives a signal to the brain about the approximation of the most dangerous time of the day - night.
- Vision in the dark drops sharply, the person begins to feel his complete helplessness and defenselessness . Due to the umby of visual acuity, the worsening of the smell, at night the danger of an accident appears.
- Almost all children are horrified in front of darkness. Anxiety in the dark begins due to the lack of a mother. Children's fears can grow into neurosis. This is facilitated by all sorts of terrible stories about the terrible night inhabitants and the child's teaching to fall asleep one with the light off.
- There are parents who themselves inspire the baby horror before the night of the night. Manipulating the child, they program him on the fear of darkness. Being intimidating children with fabulous and mythical characters causes those strong excitement, fear of staying one in an unlit room appears. The fear of unclean power, ghosts, sometimes fear is enhanced due to the emergence of sounds of unknown origin.
- Excessive parental care It contributes to the occurrence of cowardiness and insecurity, which contributes to the emergence of a strong alarm.
- Incomplete family Causes a little man with a sense of insecurity.
- In adults, nofobia is a rooting of children's fears Therefore, it is very important to eliminate the disease at an early stage. Most often, the fear of the pitch of darkness progresses over the years. There is a possibility of its transformation into a mental disorder.
- Fearing to stay in the dark one can cause abnormal fantasies. Imagination is designed to distort some things indoors. Stormy fantasy contributes to the creation of terrible paintings.
- Many reflects excessive impressionability from the evening viewing of the criminal chronicle, detective or horror movie . With weak lighting, and even a small blackout, the monsters, imaginary images begin to be mounted too susceptible.
- Some darkness is associated with non-existence . The fear of death arises because of its frequent offensive in the dark. In this case, psychologists work on the eradication of fear of leaving of life.
- The feeling of loneliness causes the need for the presence of a number of beloved person. The proximity of the living soul will instill peace of mind and peace.
- Stresses, nervousness, conflicts also often provoke phobia. Facilities at work, lack of stable earnings, diseases of loved ones distort the mechanism of instinct of self-preservation. A feeling of insecurity appears. The baby, a teenager, and even a person in a solid age is able to experience the fear of the pitch of darkness due to the starting differences with close people.
- Lack in the body of trace elements caused by the restriction of food during a diet , worsens the emotional human health and affects the emergence of nightmares.
- Psychological trauma It may stay for many years after an unpleasant incident that occurred in an unlit place or evening on the street. According to statistical data, only 20% of the robbery subjected in the dark eventually get rid of phobia.
Women who experienced sexual violence cannot overcome fear of darkness throughout their subsequent life.
How does fear manifest?
Feature phobia - avoiding dark places. The apartment of people suffering from the phobia is covered on all sides: light included everywhere. Unlockable room signals danger. In the dark, ordinary subjects are perceived a little different. Drawn terrible paintings. Any rustle scares and causes a strong panic.
Sometimes the fictional images begin to swim in front of the eyes, as in reality. The processes in the subconscious mind are so violated that pseudogalucinations arise. The inability to distinguish imaginary creepy pictures from reality can cause a serious mental disorder. Some have destructive behavior: escape or wild cry.
Sometimes adults just in case before bedtime leave a flashlight next to them. There are people who prefer to fall asleep under the sound of the TV. Someone is afraid to see the shadow of deceased relatives, someone depresses the sense of unknown. All sorts of violets, rustling do not allow to sleep calmly. Some strongly listen to the scraper and peer into the darkness. Others, on the contrary, try to firmly squeeze their eyes and cover your ears with a blanket.
For the scotophobes of the largest tragedy, there is a sudden disconnection of the light or failure of electrical appliances. In this case, they are in advance with candles, lanterns and a mobile phone with a bright screen. In the absence of an additional source of light, such people are fleeing. If it is impossible to find a lit part, they begin to panic, shout, call for help.
As a child, nodufobia proceeds much easier than in adulthood. It is impossible to allow the strengthening of the children's phobia and give it to transform into a serious illness. From the small years it is necessary to customize the child to a positive way, in every possible way to help maintain a good kid mood.
Fabric and mythical characters are often becoming fabulous and mythical characters. Kids are very difficult to fall asleep due to intimidation by their monsters and stories. It is necessary to explain to a small little man that in the real life of these mandes do not exist. They are the fruit of someone's stormy fantasy. Impressive children should not watch TV overnight.
Testing an incredible horror, the child cries, wakes up parents at night. In no case cannot be scolded and called a coward. It is necessary to hug a baby, soothe, support. If the little man is too afraid, you can turn it on the night lamp or leave an open door in his room.
Ignore children's nightmares can not.
Methods of treatment
Modern psychology offers a lot of interesting methods for extrusion of phobia with positive emotions.
It is necessary to deal with the disease to begin with the appearance of the first symptoms. Children's fears will overcome much easier. Than an adult man, the harder to get rid of the disease. Baby It is important to feel tenderness, love, parental care. Hugging and kissing a mother or father can be the best medicine from all fears.
Most of all the child is afraid in the darkness of the unknown. You can stick the luminous stars and crescents throughout the room. It is very important before going to sleep the child first close your eyes. After that, it is necessary to get rid of lighting with the words: "I turn off the light."
A good therapeutic agent is a soft toy or a pet. Let the child sleep with his favorite. In order to avoid the development of infantality or excessive superstitiousness in the future, some psychologists recommend to remove the "defender", as soon as the sharp necessity disappears.
We must definitely find out the baby who or what exactly it is afraid in the dark. After that, you should draw an awesome object lit by the bright sun and a light bulb. From a piece of paper, you need to make a boat, which the child himself will send to swim on the river.
Sometimes the child does not need extraneous help. By 8-10 years, phobia itself passes. As prevention, the baby can be suggested to the touch to search for something in a dark room. At the same time, you need to lead a fun conversation with him, joke, laugh. When fear appears, a lantern can be offered. He must feel his full safety in the absence of light.
You can move along with the child from the lit room into a dark room. The action must be repeated several times. You can arrange a game with turning on and off the light, while you need to focus the attention of the child not on lighting and darkness, but on songs, cotton in your hands, bouncing, fun words.
Children's psyche plastic. It is easily treatable. Medicines will not be needed. Phobia is easily eliminated with creative techniques. Talegotherapy, classes with sand, special games make the child survive their fears, make sure there is no threat. The stories of the baby about the experienced their own horrors associated with the dark time of the day, can also help him cope with his phobia.
In adults treatment, acquired fear is easier.
In this case, you need to give a person the opportunity to throw out my emotions and cleanse from the experiences. Art therapy, symbolrama and some other techniques are aimed at correcting the situation. Timely appeal to the psychotherapist guarantees the complete elimination of this phobia.
If the fear of darkness does not cause strong inconvenience, that is, the probability of self-election from it. You can overcome the phobia as follows.
- Gradually reduce the brightness of the lighting, thereby silent itself from the light. First you need to adapt yourself to twilight. Then, when increasing darkness, it is necessary to find the moment of the occurrence of fear. It is necessary to look at this fear from the side, analyze objects or phenomenon that cause horror. It is necessary to understand where the image arose in my head, survive it. Fear is gradually dissipated.
- It is necessary to figure out exactly what it looks threatening at night in imagination and throw this challenge.
- During the day, it is possible to periodically relax for the occurrence of the full relaxation at night. You need to learn to control your body. Breath gymnastics, based on the duration of the exhalation, promotes relaxation. First you need to measure, fully delay your breath. In antiquity, they did that not notice predators. Calm and long exhalation is made with a score in mind to 8-10.
- Usually the fear of the dark appears when a person turns out to be in an unlit room alone. You can invite some time a close man, and to be with him before the onset of darkness, and then stay there alone.
- It is important to look at the darkness completely on the other side: the night time allows a person to enjoy deep sleep and rest.
When leaving the situation, due to control, you need to seek help from a qualified specialist. Sleep with light light does not solve the problem. He only pulls her decision. It should be remembered: the darker room, the deeper the dream.
It is difficult to adjust the fear of darkness, which arose due to the personal characteristics of the individual. An adult person should not be ashamed of the fear of darkness, because healthy sleep improves vital activity.
A qualified psychotherapist will help reveal the cause of phobia, advises and prescribe comprehensive treatment.
Medical treatment is possible during the exacerbation period, to remove some symptoms. Drugs will not help completely overcome the phobia. Soothing drugs and antidepressants protect against the occurrence of severe depression, but do not solve the problem. In addition, drugs are addictive.
Psychotherapist can offer hypnotic sessions. The phobia suffering is immersed in the trance for a while. The inclusion of the subconscious makes it possible to replace the terrible thoughts by recognizing the unjustification of the fear of the dark time of day. This method will be relevant only for those specimens that hypnosis well tolerate.
The hypnologist corrects the psyche, "puts it" to the right direction. At the end of the course of hypnosis, fears are scattered, phobia is supplanted with positive thoughts:
- does not arise a sharp reaction to the night approach;
- A person understands that there is nothing terrible in the dark;
- mental state is gradually restored;
- The fear of the appearance of mysterious shadows and unknown phenomena in an unlockable room disappears.
The result of therapy is very long. However, each client needs to "choose his own key", and the task of the psychotherapist becomes the help of the patient. Otherwise, neurasthenia is only enhanced, the likelihood of the formation of passing phobias that are not associated with the fear of darkness occurs. If this happened, the psychotherapist prescribes different drugs.
There are special trainings, training to relax, bring their breath to normal and control their emotions. Initially, a person suffering from a phobia must answer a number of questions:
- When did I be afraid of my fantasies?
- What can happen if I fall asleep with the light off?
- Why do I feel alarm and how to eliminate it?
- Why am I afraid exactly this imaginary being?
- What happens to me if I fall?
- Can I independently overcome fear?
Before bed, you need to visualize your dream, remember the pleasant moments of life. All your thoughts must be sent to a positive direction. It would be nice in a convenient position, with closed eyes and to calm music to recode negative associations to positive. Preferably at these moments to represent the state of the azure sea, crumbly golden sand, blue sky, green bushes and trees, beautiful flowers.
Before bedtime, you can walk on a dark bedroom, to add all objects to convince in your full safety.
