Nyctophobia is an intense fear of the dark that can cause physical symptoms and anxiety. It can be treated with hypnosis, talk therapy, and desensitization. The fear can be triggered by traumatic experiences and tends to emerge around the age of two. A night light may help at home, but seeking treatment is recommended for extreme cases.
Nyctophobia is an intense and irrational fear of the dark; the term “scotophobia” is also used to describe this condition. While many people are afraid of the dark, a nyctophobic has such an intense fear that it can cause a variety of physical symptoms in addition to general anxiety and stress. This condition can be both frustrating and crippling without being treated. Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options for nyctophobia, ranging from hypnosis to talk therapy, and there’s no reason to live in fear of the dark.
Being afraid of the dark is nothing to be ashamed of; humans have poor night vision, and it’s certainly understandable to be afraid of what you can’t see. It’s also common sense, in some cases, as learning to avoid the dark can help people avoid potentially scary situations in urban environments. However, people with nyctophobia are so afraid of the dark that they can become almost paralyzed by their fear, which can be very dangerous as well as very emotionally stressful.
Studies on nyctophobia suggest that the condition tends to emerge around the age of two, suggesting that fear of the dark is not necessarily innate in humans. A variety of things can trigger nyctophobia, ranging from intense nightmares that seem even more traumatizing when the victim wakes up in the dark to abandonment of children. While many children are afraid of the dark (and of monsters under the bed), a child with nyctophobia exhibits an intense fear that survives into adulthood.
Someone with nyctophobia experiences intense fear and anxiety around the idea of being alone in the dark. He or she may feel nauseous, start sweating or shaking, or even vomit because the fear is so intense. As often happens when we are afraid, even a nyctophobic can start to lose his grip on reality, scaring strange shapes in the dark and failing to cope with situations that are not normally scary.
One of the most obvious ways to deal with nyctophobia is to install a night light, but it only works at home. When the nyctophobia is extreme, it’s a good idea to seek treatment, so that the patient is able to cope with dark situations outside the home and later in life. Such treatment may focus on desensitization, slowly exposing the patient to dark conditions to ward off fear, and may also involve breathing exercises, hypnosis, talk therapy, medications, and other techniques. Someone who has a history of nyctophobia may also want to mention this before undergoing MRIs and other medical tests that involve being in dark environments.
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