Overcoming Fear of the Dark

Being afraid of the dark isn’t just for kids…

Do you remember when you were a kid how you would dread going to bed because it meant being all alone in your little bed in the darkness? Of course you absolutely had to have the closet door shut as you worried you might look in that direction and perhaps see red eyes staring back at you.

Maybe you had to check underneath your bed or behind your bedroom door to make sure the “boogieman” wasn’t hiding there, waiting to gobble you up!

At least you are an adult now and there is no need to worry anymore about sleeping with the lights on, or at least with a tiny little night light, or is there?

Some people never outgrow their fear of being in the dark. In fact, for some the older they become and “wiser“, you would think they would want it darker to have a great night sleep, but instead they are still intimidated by being in darkness, and seeing shadows cast across the walls.

People who are afraid of the darkness are not crazy, rather they possess a phobia known as “nyctophobia” which is more common in children, but also is experienced frequently by adults.

Just what causes nyctophobia, this intense fear of being alone in the darkness?

Often times it is triggered by one’s irrational or distorted thinking of what could or would happen when darkness falls.

This is usually learned in childhood from parents or adults who have their own fears of being in the dark. It could have come from watching one too many horror movies, or hearing one of many “campfire” stories that scared the heck out of them and continued to linger in their mind.

The most common explanation is the individual either experienced a traumatic experience while being alone in the dark whereby harm came to them either physically or psychologically, or they perceived that it could have happened to them.

Regardless, they experienced a conditioned response which left them literally fearful of the dark.

In order to overcome nyctophobia and learn to be calm and accepting of darkness, namely night time, people with this fear need to “un-condition” themselves to this irrational fear. Since it has persisted for many from the time they were children, they could not “outgrow” it on their own, so they require outside intervention to overcome this phobia.

This outside intervention that will bring quick and lasting results is hypnosis!

Hypnosis is excellent at helping one overcome their fear of the dark as it helps change irrational thinking and the memories one keeps from their past.

Through the help of a trained hypnotherapist, one can learn a new mindset which makes them feel not only worry-free about darkness, but also helps them to relax and feel comfortable about being in the dark. Old thoughts that were based in worry or fear are replaced with positive, relaxing thoughts.

What has been allowed to persist in the mind for years can be removed and changed or helped in one session of hypnosis. If you want to discuss working directly with us on your particular issue to see if we can help and advise you on a next step, then check out our Special Hypnosis Services Programs.

Alternatively, if you prefer a self-hypnosis product to Update your fear of the dark and get back those restless night hours then check out this hypnosis download session for fear of the dark here >>>

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES RELATED TO OVERCOMING FEARS:

How to Overcome Fear of Making Mistakes >>>

How to Overcome Fear of Fainting >>>

Library of Self-Hypnosis Downloads Products >>>

 
Peter Andrew Sacco Ph.D.
Staff Writer
Free At Last Hypnosis