Afraid of the Dark

Since I was small, I've had the ability to think up the most terrifying things possible - at any given momment. I attribute this to "creativity". However, it's always been a terrible detrement for LDing type experiences.

I almost ALWAYS fall asleep with the TV on (sleep mode in 30 minutes) because somehow, in someway, it keeps me from danger. I usually sleep turned to the wall with a blanket or pillow blocking my peripheral vision on the "cealing up" side.

I seem to fear fear-itself. I'm never afraid of monsters HURTING me. I'm afraid of SEEING or whitnessing things. The horror does not come from what they do - but from even experiencing them.

Unless it's in a really sunny or populated room - I find it exceedingly difficult to lay face-up, and have my eyes closed without either looking for ghosts from time to time or turning to the wall to evade whitnessing them.

Does anybody have a solution for me? Maybe a place where I could learn one?
I'd like to eventually get over this.

-Publius

I have the exact same problem, but I didn't realise it until I moved my bed into the middle of the room. Now I can barely get to sleep because I don't have my back to a wall.

Proper psychiatric help! :P

Use your imagination to think up ''some kind of body-guard unit'' surrounding you.

I know it worked for me, as what's in the dark, is not "REAL" like humans are, they should be from some kinda other world.

So I just imagine (even if I can't REALLY see them, like a hologram of sorts) a special unit that covers my back and front and stuff, and just imagine as if evil is already coming, and they're just slaying it.

Either that, or I just act like i'm talking to myself or to someone else in a natural way about stuff, and it keeps my mind off it as well.

3rd: My room is considered a save haven of magic for me, so nothing can penetrate there so I don't care if that room is totally dark :P

How about gradually reducing the amount of light in your room, little by little, until you're comfortable in the dark. Just like they do with people who have other fears - for example spiders - they make the person look at a picture of a spider, then make them hold a plastic spider, then bring in a live spider to look at, and eventually make the person touch it (ew).

You could gradually condition yourself to tolerate less and less light. But all the while telling yourself that your fear of fear isn't rational and think of something else to occupy your mind.

What I did when I was litle-r I would think of like a hammer or a bat floating around just breaking up everything I did not want to see in to like shards of glass or something like that. Later I found this anoying so I just let myself see and go crazy with what I saw it's pretty fun-awsome. Yea so my advice would be to embrace the werid terrifying things you see.

This worked for me; just pretend your blanket is this awesome magical barrier from all evils. I got to sleep well, if I was scared for whatever reason I just put the blanket over my body further. It's all in your head.

I like alpha-omega and trocious's ideas. ]

However, I'd take it a step further. Perhaps you could go to someone who knows about them and learn about your aura. Your aura can act as a semi-permeable shield, you can let go of any energy you want to, but it can be set so that it will only let in positive energy. (I guess its sort of like believing in magic) Once you're comfortable with the protctive power of your aura, you can do as armyhelmetman suggested and really check out what you're frightened of.

And there's nothing wrong with sleeping in the light.

I used to have a fear of the dark but then my lightbulb blew so I kinda got over it. The one thing that cures all lifes problems: neccessity.

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Originally posted by Publius
Since I was small, I've had the ability to think up the most terrifying things possible - at any given momment. I attribute this to "creativity". However, it's always been a terrible detrement for LDing type experiences.

I almost ALWAYS fall asleep with the TV on (sleep mode in 30 minutes) because somehow, in someway, it keeps me from danger. I usually sleep turned to the wall with a blanket or pillow blocking my peripheral vision on the "cealing up" side.

I seem to fear fear-itself. I'm never afraid of monsters HURTING me. I'm afraid of SEEING or whitnessing things. The horror does not come from what they do - but from even experiencing them.

Unless it's in a really sunny or populated room - I find it exceedingly difficult to lay face-up, and have my eyes closed without either looking for ghosts from time to time or turning to the wall to evade whitnessing them.

Does anybody have a solution for me? Maybe a place where I could learn one?
I'd like to eventually get over this.

-Publius

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You just described pretty much the same problem I have. It's weird. In the darkness, my mind seems even more able to create terrifying images and scenarios, so I always sleep with the TV on, too.
I find that if I'm in a situation where I have to sleep in complete darkness, it helps to close my eyes and play a scenario in my mind, something completely different that what you're experiencing at the moment. It can be a good memory, a favorite dream, or a fantasy. Before you know it your mind will be off the bad thoughts.

As far as I can tell, facing fear seems to be what gets rid of it. You know for a fact that what is there is just a product of your imagination, so what do you have to fear? Just face it! It wont hurt you, it might scare you, but when you realise that it can't hurt you (After facing and emerging fine) you will lose the fear.

As for me, I used to be afraid of the dark, spiders, high places, the usual stuff. I faced them all one at a time, I spent some time in the dark, until I was used to it, I am now comfortable in total darkness. I caught the biggest spider I could find (I live in England so it wasn't dangerous) and I kept it in my room until I was comfortable with it, this was my most recent one, and I have started to like spiders. I went on alot of roller coasters, I now love heights :D

I used to have this exact problem about a year ago, the way i got rid of it was thinking (whenever I got freaked out) "am I in a dream?" then i did a reality check which told me i wasn't. then I would think "monsters and terrifying beasts are the things of dreams, all there is in the real world is people and animals, and and I'm not afraid of either of them" then i would feel fine.

the only problem with this is that then you actually ARE dreaming you could get freaked out and wake.... the way to combat this is to get angry (in the dream) at whats making you afraid, then it will (not should but will) go away :)

Its Human instinct to fear teh dark for whatever reason. Thats why we are not nocturnal.

Someone already mentioned it, but I thought I'd re-interate it. My mom, when me and my siblings were young, used to be afraid of something happening to us, especially a stranger coming into the house at night. It caused her to lose sleep as well. But one day she came to the conclusion that she could either live with it, get some sleep, and cross that bridge if she came to it, or live her life being afraid.

I would take the advice of what's been said here, so far, especially about reality checking. Let us know if we can do anything else!

-Amé

heres an experience for you. When I was ten years old I woke up in the middle of the night. There was an apparation by my bed - dark. It moved closer and closer and closer to my bed.

Terrified I hid under the covers, shaking. I dreamt that night that Satan himself tried to marry me and make me have his kids. The experience was so horrible I couldn't talk about for another ten years. I was a christian at the time, and still am.

Truthfully I am still afraid of the dark, but..in healthy doses! Not in a paranoid sense. Dreams have taught me something very important!

For years I had nightmares about total darkness. In the nightmare, one by one the lights will go out in the house. I keep my nerves, believing its real. And just try to switch the lights back on. Nothing. Still, I keep my nerves and try to find a flashlight. Anything. But the lights continue to go out. The curtains are closed, theres no moonlight. Soon I can't see anything around me. I'm all alone in the room.

And once that happens I feel another being near me. And he ain't friendly. Some times those nightmares left me in tears - they were so real!

But I had a strange dream only a couple of months ago. The dream was pretty humurous, with dumb zombies tripping over their own feet - the dream was silly, not scary. But then suddenly, for no reason at all - I was transported to my room in the dream. All alone in the house. I go to my room and look at the window. There is a car parked outside. There is SOMETHING in the car. Its waiting for me to go to sleep......

I sit down on my bed. And a tape recorder starts to play, on its own. Now this dream felt real. How would you feel if a mechanical device just turned itself on? My heartbeat was racing. The lights in the living room went out. Then the hallway. It was happening! And I scream "No..not again. Not this time". The hell if I was gonna stay in my room and let the fear and darkness take me!!

Before the lights go out in my room - I jump out the window. I felt the demon in the car wanted to rape me - I felt as though he thought I was gonna hide under my covers vulnerable and cry. The hell I was! I flew towards that car, and I flew passed it. And I didn't look back.

In the dream it was night time. And the only thing that was nearby was a dark forest where the twigs and leaves were barely visible. It was just as dark as my room, but who the hell cares? Its not the dark im running from anymore. NO. Its being afraid and leaving myself vulnerable to fear. Waking up in tearns.I didnt fear the forest. I embraced it. I traveled further deeper and deeper into the forest where only bits of moonlight shone. I started to hear voices, and then music. It got louder and louder until I clearly made out a song. The song in my dream was being sung by forest spirits, or angels, take your pick. I couldnt see them, only hear them. The song was beautiful and very peaceful - it didn't matter how dark it was.

I woke up, and for the next five minutes I could still hear the song.

Lets just say, since then I havent been nearly as afraid of the dark or what comes in it. Demons and monsters aren't the only ones in the dark.

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Publius, you gotta conquer that fear! You can use dreams to conquer your fear. There isn't any "how to conquer your fear in dreams". No. Think about wanting to conquer your fear as you fall asleep.

PS. anyone else read sandman by neil gaiman? :mrgreen:

Man, if this was any other forum you'd all be getting bashed right now. You're all talking about it so casually. It's sort of funny to me for some reason.

Anyway, I used to be afraid of the dark. My sister's room used to be across from mine. I wouldn't go to sleep unless both our doors were open. Sometimes she'd close it and i'd cry at the door. I'm 20 now, I don't really get afraid anymore. The method i've learned to get over stuff like that isn't really what most would do, heh. My method is "oh well". I just kind of think that i don't care that there is a monster there or not. Well, as a kid i was totally paranoid about it. One day my friend asked his mom about ghosts or something, and she said that if he ever encountered one to say "in the name of Jesus i command you to leave". So i ended up saying that around 1000 times a day. I still say it to myself till this day. I don't even think about it. I don't really get scared of things these days, it's just a part of me now. I tend to have an "oh well" take on a lot of things these days, it works for a lot of things related to fear for me.

Is it me or is dreaming so awesome that even nightmares are welcome? I just love the "feel" when you're dreaming. No matter what i'm dreaming about.

Like others have said, it's all in your mind. You have to accept that.

I used to be really paranoid at night in the dark too. Either of ghosts, evil spirits, an actual person breaking into the house, etc. Any slight sound would terrify me, and I'd actually often become paralyzed with fear. I literally couldn't move a muscle. I could feel the fear running through my body, particularly in my heart and it was a horrible feeling. I used to imagine the invisible protection as well, either coming from the blanket, or through praying when I was in this paralyzed state.

The TV thing actually wouldn't work for me because then I'd be afraid if something was there, I wouldn't be able to hear it and plan some sort of escape, heh. But after being scared by so many sounds and such and having nothing actually ever be there, I've realized there really is no reason to be afraid. There just isn't! There are NO monsters. There's not a need for 'invisible' protection (that's all in your head too, afterall!). Somehow you just have to convince yourself that everything is perfectly fine and you are safe, whether the lights are on or not.

Your mind is currently convinced of the possibility of there being something to be afraid of. Just focus, calm yourself, and convince it otherwise. Have you ever actually seen a REAL monster? No. Repeat to yourself, "There is nothing to be afraid of, there's no need to worry! I can sleep perfectly fine." Try to make yourself happy. :) If you keep doing this, your mind should just grow to accept it and you won't even have to try anymore.

That's what worked for me. I wish I could give better help as to how to accomplish it! :?