How would one overcome extreame fear of the Dark?

Question

This sounds ridiculas but I am 22 and terrified of the dark. I have always been afraid of the dark for as long as I can remember. What prompts my question is that tonight I turned all the lights off on my first floor and ran up the stairs. I got into my room and realized I had forgotten my cell phone in the den. SO I started flipping all the switches on my way down the hall when the hall light blew out so I ran to the next switch and turned it on and it blinked and turned off. I ran back into my room and loaded up my mag light (yes I am so scared of the dark I keep a mag light handy at all times) then I used the light to go down the stairs and tried fliking on my lamps and they wouldn't come on, so i paniked and locked my self in my room for like 20 min then I thought I'm 22 years old what the heck is wrong with me. I went down stairs with my flashlight and found a working light and when they came on I noticed all my lamps were unplugged, so I am more freaked out cause I live alone.

All of the answers I have gotten so far are great. I'm not expecting true medical advise just mearly the opiton of others. Thanks every one.

Answer 1

How sad!!
I added a few questions since I originally posted this....
I still am curious about how your parents dealt with this fear of yours. Did they insist on you sleeping in the dark?
>>OR were they understanding and allowed you to leave the lights on?
>>Do you need them on when you sleep?
>>Did they know?

Were any other members of your family afraid of the dark?
((it could be that you felt unsafe in the dark because someone close to you was afraid of the dark..... and you listened to all the reasons why he/she had to keep the lights on. This could have happened when you were very young, and so you just got used to them having the lights on and this made you feel safe. I think it would make anyone feel safe. And it was probably comforting to have this person in your life as well? (could this be fear by association?)

Not sure of the answers to any of those questions, but I have a few things in mind to help you cope with this:

1. Keep the lights on until you feel comfortable challenging the darkness. I wouldn't run from room to room in fear! Not ever!! Keep them on and walk comfortably thru your place.

>>((However, one thing could hinder some of this..... And that is if you are forced to cope with the dark.... (if the lights mysteriously fail on you, or there was never light there to begin with) then that could be a problem for you. IF THIS SHOULD EVER HAPPEN.... always have a light on you... like a little attachable (clip on) light. You gotta see where you're going. The fear that can come over you at a time like this could prevent you from dealing with the situation at hand (even if it is just walking to your car.)) ALLWAYS BE PREPARED!!

2. Maybe you could have a trusted friend move in with you to share expenses and for safety reasons. Why must you live alone anyway? Aren't two safer than one?

>> ANOTHER QUESTION: (please forgive me for asking so many questions) but....this soldier that you love... Is he a possibility for you now? I mean, you love him.... you know what i mean? Are you afraid that this fear of yours may bother someone that falls in love with you and wants to marry you...and then they too will have to cope with this fear of yours. (My suggestion would then be... FIND SOMEONE VERY UNDERSTANDING AND CARING.... NEVER SETTLE FOR AN IMPOSTER.

3. Stay safe and don't run yourself ragged trying to please others by conquering this fear before you're ready. You have time to work it out... You're young, and you really do deserve to live a life without this constant fear.

4. If you're concerned about the electric bills, just keep the lights off during the lightest parts of the day, and up until you're close to being uncomfortable, and then turn them on in every room that you plan to keep busy in. Turn them off when you are satisfied.

5. And Allllways keep a light on near by when you're sleeping, so if you do hear an unfamiliar noise, you'll have at least one light on to comfort you and to see what's in your sight range, if anything at all.

Don't worry what other people think about your fear.
It's your fear, and you can deal with it in your time....
not their time.

You will get more comfortable as time goes by as your level of comfort increases, because you want this more than anyone else does!! You will become stronger, unless, your constant battle with fear weakens you. Don't let that happen! Allways be prepared!

I say, take ownership of your fear, and deal with it your way!!

>>about your lamps being unplugged... have you had company lately? Did they seem to be worried about your fear? Were they trying to do you a favor by teaching you to accept the darkness? Were they trying to force you to deal with your fear? ((If they truly thought of the consequences of the fear this would cause you...(knowing that you didn't do this yourself) they wouldn't have done this to you!)) This is not how you help someone deal with fear!!

What's the big deal with keeping lights on where ever you go? After all, lights usually remain on in public areas if anyone is allowed to be walking around in those areas. Someone could get hurt if they turned them off before the people left.

I'll bet 1/2 the people you know have a fear of something too. After all, who wants to talk about fears? People keep them to themselves for the most part. It's no wonder that you don't know about them. Or it's possible that they had one as a child and has out grown it.

A pretty common fear is the fear of dying, or the fear of someone finding out what they did in their past. My solution to this is to trust in your heavenly Father. God the Almighty. ((sorry unbelievers)) God can see in the dark, He has power over death, and His forgiveness is worth more than anyone else's!
And... Believing that God is always with you....is another way of always being prepared.

But don't worry about a thing. You deserve to live safe!!
Life is too short to live in fear constantly.

Answer 2

How about watching your horror movies in the morning in a dark room or something so that you have more time to cope afterward. Maybe watch the movie with a friend. Also, each night close the closet door a little more than the night before (if the light is on). Keep reminding yourself that nothing is going to pop out at you and think about happy things like your birthday party or a funny moment. Remember that your life is not a horror movie! Also, walk straight into a dark room once or twice, but remember exactly where the light switch is in case you start to freak! Good Luck!

Answer 3

Try to think of it this way - dark room is just the same room when teh lights are on. Nothing changes in the environment to hurt when there are no lights (inside your home I mean - not in the unknown environment).

Start working on your fear as if it were an excercise. Take small steps. Go into a dark room with the lights turned on right outside the room. Take a deep breath and imagine that it is all the same as it were when the lights are on.

Answer 4

No doubt you died alone and in the dark in your previous life. You have this life now and there is nothing to be afraid of. I love the dark and never turn the lights on at night if I have to get out of bed. Just remember that there is nothing to fear but fear itself (Quoted by FDR).

I know that doesn't help much sweetie, but it's the best you're gonna get on Yahoo! Answers :)

Answer 5

I recommend progression...try staying in a room moderately dark for increasing periods of time or walking around a room moderately dark than as time passes make the rooms darker and darker (If you don't have a light dimmer this could be tricky) but you can just be in the room with the hall light on and slowly close the door further to make it more dark...

Answer 6

You should try and spend as much time as possible in the dark, even though that sounds weird, it will help the mind adjust you should sit there with someone else like a family member you feel safe with. You could also slowly dim a light until you feel very safe.

Answer 7

the are many factors leading to this. are you imagining things such as monster and relating them to the dark? try not to watch any horror movies. next time when this fear arises, take a deep breath and regulated your breaths, try 'seeing' yourself in a detached manner, examine and isolate the factors that resulted in fear, questioned the relevance of each of these factors.

fear= f(factor A.....+ factor Z)

as you go along this line of thinking, you will see that this fear is irrelevant.

Answer 8

hi,
as of fear of dark yes,u should definitely ask for medical help,either physician for mental health or hypnotherapist.They will certainly find the Ruth of Ur fear and cure it.About having all of ur lamps unplugged and living alone it is obvious some one had entered ur apartment so the only logical answer is to call the police. .......................Cheers

Answer 9

The best way to overcome fear of anything is to confront it head-on.

Answer 10

yes i did