Dark night, outside the window rustles wind, and branches of trees knock on a window. Their shadows already got into the room and walk on a wall, drawing terrible images. On the attic with each wind gust something abstrusely creaks and claps, again awakening from pulled hard was a sleepiness … These moments from the childhood forever will remain in memory, and will frighten us even in adulthood. Fear of darkness is a phobia, and the most widespread. It is a problem, nearly every second person. Even realizing that behind a dark corner of the apartment there is nobody, we involuntarily jump aside aside at any sound. The thing is that in our consciousness since the birth the fear of darkness is put. The nature created in us an instinct of self-preservation by which the darkness is perceived as potential threat. However if fear of darkness as a phobia prevents your existence, it can quite be eradicated. The main thing is to understand that represents this type of fear.
Many not accidentally ask a question - as fear of darkness is called. The thing is that at this phobia it is several names. The most widespread name – a niktofobiya. However you will not be mistaken if you fear of darkness call also by other names: scotophobia, akhluofobiya, ekluofobiya. The reasons of the fear arising in the dark a little. First, at night our orgasm ceases to produce hormone melatonin which is responsible for stability of an emotional state. Secondly all stresses and negative points endured in a day emerge at night and press on our mentality. Also one more reason consider fear which was felt before darkness still by primitive people. In their time the darkness really posed threat for life. However we live not in prehistoric times and are quite capable not only to cope independently with fear of darkness, but also to help not to be afraid to our future generation.
Fear of darkness at children
It is no secret that all our fears grow from the childhood. Kids for whom mother long time is the chief defender often are afraid to sleep some and ask for the room to parents. Besides, the rich children's imagination is capable to draw spiteful images of fantastic beings in outlines of objects and shadows. Therefore children often tell parents that under their bed or someone lives in a case. To help the child with this situation – the main task of any parent. For this purpose it is enough to follow several rules:
- first of all, it is necessary to listen to the child attentively. The kid needs to explain the reason of his fear. Having understood from where his fear undertakes, the child will gradually learn to cope with fear of darkness independently;
- if at night the child came running to your room – do not expel him. Give him support and calm. Putting the child to bed, as long as possible you are with him in one room. It will help it to feel your protection and quicker to cope with fears;
- teach the child to win against the fears. The best way the meeting with frightening images face to face will become. Let the child be not afraid to talk to a fear object. As practice, the kid who told the imagined monster once "showed I am not afraid of you", will arrive also with other pulyayushchy phenomena which meet in his life.
Fear of darkness at adults
If in the childhood you did not teach to struggle with fears, then in adulthood to resolve an issue how to get rid of fear of darkness it will be a little more difficult to solve. At the age of reason the fears change. For example, the same fear of darkness will be shown in fear to walk the dark street, and dark back streets where lamps do not burn, will pose in themselves potential threat. Treatment of fear of darkness at adults is rare when demands medicamentous intervention. If you are not able to cope independently with fear of darkness, then it is possible to appoint treatment by means of the psychotherapist. There are also options of independent fight against this phobia. Many people, it is terrible to them to sleep in the dark room, try to deceive themselves and leave included in light for the night. However psychologists claim that in this case the darkness phobia only becomes aggravated. It is much more useful to accustom itself to a thought that the darkness does not pose any threat. For example, you know how the room looks in the afternoon. To quash sensation of fear, it is enough to close eyes and to imagine this room in a daylight. To find those objects of an outline of which seem ugly at night and to convince itself that actually they do not pose any threat.
If it is terrible to you to walk the dark streets, try to avoid those places where lamps do not burn. And it is even better, take yourself the partner, and pass together with him across all places which frighten you. After several such walks walk some again. And you will notice that your fears became much less.
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