What is Nyctophobia?
Nyctophobia is the extreme fear of the dark. People with this phobia go beyond just the normal feeling of uneasiness in the dark, it absolutely terrifies them! It is like a childhood fear that has never gone away. The meaning of the word comes from the Greek word 'nyctus ' which translates to the darkness or the night , and 'phobos', which means to dread or to fear.
Interesting Fact:
Nyctophobia is strongly connected to insomnia. A study performed on college students revealed that almost half of the participants also suffered from Nyctophobia. Further studies into the links of these two disorders is being undertaken. This phobia has many other non clinical names to describe it as well that include: Achluophobia, Scotophobia and Lygophobia.
Causes:
Though many people might think the fear of the dark is innate, this is not the case. It is still a learned fear, usually when we are very small as we cannot see clearly what is happening in the dark. It is one of the most common fears that children suffer from however, most grow out of it. However, if something traumatic happened to a child that involved the dark, this is a strong reason the fear can linger into adulthood. For example, if a child was locked in a dark place for a time and was unable to get out.
Unfortunately, a lot of abuse happens in the dark to avoid detection and this is also a strong reason the phobia can develop in both children and adults.Films and other forms of entertainment play a big role as the whole genre of horror usually takes place when it is dark. When we cannot see clearly, we feel more vulnerable as we are more likely to be caught by surprise which is a great scare tactic. Scary films can have a lasting impact on a child into adulthood.
The media also contributes with any story of terror happening within the dark, from muggings to animal assaults, the news loves to sensationalize scary news stories as they tend to sell well. This can all contribute to a person developing Nyctophobia.
Unfortunately, a lot of abuse happens in the dark to avoid detection and this is also a strong reason the phobia can develop in both children and adults.Films and other forms of entertainment play a big role as the whole genre of horror usually takes place when it is dark. When we cannot see clearly, we feel more vulnerable as we are more likely to be caught by surprise which is a great scare tactic. Scary films can have a lasting impact on a child into adulthood.
The media also contributes with any story of terror happening within the dark, from muggings to animal assaults, the news loves to sensationalize scary news stories as they tend to sell well. This can all contribute to a person developing Nyctophobia.
Symptoms:
The symptoms vary from childhood to adulthood. Children suffering from this phobia will often be very clingy to their parents, suck their thumbs and insist on sleeping with some sort of light on or with parents themselves. Both children and adults with Nyctophobia will exhibit signs of terror and panic when in the dark.
Symptoms can include:
People suffering with this phobia can often suffer from insomnia, either from sleeping with the light on and/or could suffer from regular night terrors and nightmares that constantly wake them up. They might constantly look under beds and in closets to make sure 'everything is okay.' It will not be uncommon for them to look tired and struggle to engage with life in a focused way due to exhaustion. This can lead people suffering from Nyctophobia to have depression and become isolated.
Someone suffering from Nyctophobia might have also a fear of death, Thanatophobia, and might be afraid of supernatural things like ghosts. They may come off extremely paranoid at times and never feel safe if it is not light around them, always worried that some sort of danger is lurking in every dark corner.
Symptoms can include:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Screaming
- Hysteria
- Hyperventilating
- Feeling of choking
- Fainting
- Trembling and/or sweating
- Crying
- Nausea or other gastrointestinal distress
People suffering with this phobia can often suffer from insomnia, either from sleeping with the light on and/or could suffer from regular night terrors and nightmares that constantly wake them up. They might constantly look under beds and in closets to make sure 'everything is okay.' It will not be uncommon for them to look tired and struggle to engage with life in a focused way due to exhaustion. This can lead people suffering from Nyctophobia to have depression and become isolated.
Someone suffering from Nyctophobia might have also a fear of death, Thanatophobia, and might be afraid of supernatural things like ghosts. They may come off extremely paranoid at times and never feel safe if it is not light around them, always worried that some sort of danger is lurking in every dark corner.
Why I Should Get Treated:
This fear is incredibly debilitating as we spend at least half of our life in the dark as night-time is an unavoidable natural part of our 24 hour daily cycle. This fear will most likely affect your sleep and without good quality of sleep, a lot of life becomes very tiresome and no longer enjoyable. More than that, important employment opportunities could be compromised or lost because of an inability to perform as needed due to lack of sleep. It could even risk your health physically as when you are tired you do not think clearly and could accidentally do something to injure yourself in a life altering way or even bring about death itself.
Many beautiful experiences are during the night and traveling to desired and needed destinations might have to happen during the night-time hours. If you are unable to cope then both pleasurable and essential situations might be missed at great costs and regrets. This fear could so severely restrict what you do with your life that your world could become very small and isolated, missing out on many important life experiences.
Many beautiful experiences are during the night and traveling to desired and needed destinations might have to happen during the night-time hours. If you are unable to cope then both pleasurable and essential situations might be missed at great costs and regrets. This fear could so severely restrict what you do with your life that your world could become very small and isolated, missing out on many important life experiences.
Why See The Phobia Guru For Treatment
I am often able to help people break free of their phobia in just one session, using the scientifically proven power of hypnotherapy combined with NLP and an immersive therapy option. My therapy skillfully combines these techniques uniquely to create the most powerful, effective and quickest way to beat a phobia. You will be in the hands of a trained phobia expert who will help you transform your mind and liberate yourself from even the most extreme fears.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
If you have a fear of phobias and are ready to put that fear in your past then either take my free phobia test or request a free phone consultation with me. Alternatively click the button below to learn about my new 7 Day Phobia Removal System.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
If you have a fear of phobias and are ready to put that fear in your past then either take my free phobia test or request a free phone consultation with me. Alternatively click the button below to learn about my new 7 Day Phobia Removal System.