Nyctophobia

Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of night or darkness that can cause intense symptoms of anxiety and depression. A fear becomes a phobia when it’s excessive, irrational, or impacts your day-to-day life. Being afraid of the dark often starts in childhood and is viewed as a normal part of development.

Nyctophobia is a phobia characterized by a severe fear of the dark. It is triggered by the brain’s disfigured perception of what would, or could happen when in a dark environment. It can also be temporarily triggered if the mind is unsteady or scared about recent events or ideas, or a partaking in content the brain considers a threat (examples could include indulging in horror content, witnessing vulgar actions, or having linked dark environments to prior events or ideas that disturb the mind). Normally, since humans are not nocturnal by nature, humans are usually a bit more cautious or alert at night than in the day, since the dark is a vastly different environment. Nyctophobia produces symptoms beyond the normal instinctive parameters, such as breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly or sensation of detachment from reality and death. Nyctophobia can be severely detrimental physically and mentally if these symptoms are not resolved. There are many types of therapies to help manage Nyctophobia. Exposure therapy can be very effective when exposing the person to darkness. With this method a therapist can help with relaxation strategies such as meditation. Another form of therapy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Therapists can help guide patients with behavior routines that are performed daily and nightly to reduce the symptoms associated with Nyctophobia. In severe cases, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication drugs can be effective to those dealing with symptoms that may not be manageable if therapy could not reduce the symptoms of Nyctophobia.

Despite its pervasive nature, there has been a lack of etiological research on the subject. Nyctophobia is generally observed in children but, according to J. Adrian Williams’ article “Indirect Hypnotic Therapy of Nyctophobia: A Case Report”, many clinics with pediatric patients have a great chance of having adults who have nyctophobia. The same article states that “the phobia has been known to be extremely disruptive to adult patients and… incapacitating”.

Symptoms

• trouble breathing.
• racing heart rate.
• chest tightness or pain.
• shaking, trembling, or tingling sensations.
• lightheadedness or dizziness.
• upset stomach.
• hot or cold flashes.
• sweating.

Risk factors

Fear of darkness and night often starts in childhood between the ages of 3 and 6. At this point, it may be a normal part of development. It’s also common at this age to fear:

• ghosts
• monsters
• sleeping alone
• strange noises

For many children, sleeping with a nightlight helps until they outgrow the fear. When the fear makes it impossible to sleep, causes severe anxiety, or continues into adulthood, it may be considered nyctophobia.

Additional risk factors include:

• An anxious caregiver. Some children learn to be fearful by seeing a parent’s anxiety over certain issues.
• An overprotective caregiver. Some may develop a generalized anxiety if they’re too dependent on a parent or caregiver, or if they feel helpless.
• Stressful events. Trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or injury, may also make a person more likely to develop a phobia.
• Genetics. Some adults and children are simply more susceptible to fears, possibly due to their genetics.

Treatment for Nyctophobia

The goal of therapy is to challenge fearful beliefs about the dark by replacing negative self-talk with more positive messages.

The rate of successful treatment for specific phobias like nyctophobia is about 90% and often accomplished through techniques drawn from the cognitive-behavioral school of therapy.

The treatment plan your therapist suggests for you or your child may include:

• Exposure to the dark in small, incremental, non-threatening doses in a process called desensitization
• One-on-one talk therapy, family therapy, or group therapy
• Learning relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing
• Anti-anxiety and antidepressant medication