are you afraid of the dark? beause i am...

Seriosly im not sure if i actually would be diegnosed with the phobia of scared of the dark but I am really scared of being in the dark on my own.


Is anyone else?

This usually is associated with the childhood years, but it can happen at any age my friend. What do you do to overcome it currently? Actually, that's a silly question because you obviously just flick the light switch, right? What if you used a dimmer light instead of the main light? Then, after a while, use an even dimmer light (if possible). Eventualy, you might be able yo sleep with no light. To obtain lights of differnent luminosity, just buy ones with different W (wattage) values. The usual ones are 100W, 60W, and 40W.

I'm not normally afraid of the dark. But sometimes when I'm in my house alone and I happen to flick a light off and it's completely dark, my mind instantly begins to think about the weirdest things. Like someone is in my house, someone or something is about to attack me. Sometimes my mind even instantly thinks about the oddest creatures that I've never seen or heard of before. Really twisted creatures and are coming to get me. It's weird, and doesn't happen often, but yeah...

Okay, I used to have the same fears such that I dreaded walking up the stairs at night when going to bed. I used to imagine that there was some guy behin me with a knife. I overcame it by constantly thinking logicaly about it (i.e. - there REALLY is nobody there, and it's all in my head), but also by talking. For example, when going o bed, I used to talk to myself, saying things such as: 'I know you're behind me but you can F off because I'm tired of being afraid of you'. Whenever I did that, the fear was taken away and I actually laughed instead.

Something to try.

Kevin

Afraid of the dark? Hmm...it's dark when I lay in bed at night, and all the thoughts that I try to suppress during the day come rushing at me because I have no more distractions. Sometimes the thoughts are so demanding and intense that I end up crying myself to sleep. So I guess depending on what kind of night it's going to be, yes I am.

Leave the thoughts in thin air or something... ...Don't let them fester in your mind. When you go to bed, your mind should be empty because you are safe, tucked under your sheets. Really, don't start crying in yourbed - That's the safest place that you can ever be on Earth.

Kevin

I don't feel that way. And actually, the safest place I've ever felt is in the dark (in a mesa sweat lodge), so it's rather ironic that I would be afraid of it at times.

Then it's a matter of familiarity: The bed is familiar to you, and everything else - from how you go to bed to the room that the bed is in itself - is familiar to you. Whenever you do these same routines of getting into bed, tinking about these thoughts, etc, - well - the same thing will happen: You'll cry. What if you changed things around?; like moving the bed to a new spot of bringing some flowers into your room. just change the 'scenery'

Kevin

I tried bringing plants into my room and the cat ate them

No, I meant - like - changing the location of the bed, although that cat story is rather interesting! Which plant was it? You could also try switching furniture around, changing curtains, painting the walls a brighter colour, bringing in extra lamps, etc. Just do a complete makeover to 'erase' the old room (in both the physical AND mental sense).

Kevin