Poll Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

[onebravegirl]

I like this question. Growing up if I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I would deliberately close my eyes and make myself find the bathroom by feeling along the walls etc. I tried to train myself to know the layout of my house so if I was ever to be attacked in the dark I would know where to run/stumble. I have done this most of my life.
I like the dark now. I figure that if someone ever tried to come into my house in the night, they can't see me and I can't see them. 50-50 odds.
It's dark, no one can see! But I at least know the layout of where I live.
O

 

[Grainne]

I love the dark. It was where I hid for my entire childhood...the only place my father couldn't find me. I had a little spot in my closet, way back behind the clothes and stuff, where I felt safe.

 

[Pixie]

I like the darkness because it is the only place I feel safe where people can't see me. To me, it is comforting to be able to hide under the cover of darkness. It hides me physically but also mentally/emotionally. I always leave the light off at night when I go outside for a smoke, which frustrates my carer as he doesn't understand why I need to sit in darkness...

Pixie

 

[Icy]

Darkness

My fear of the dark is PTSD related for the most part because some of my trauma took place in the middle of the night when I would find myself waking up "a victim". I try to make sure that there is a light on somewhere in the house which I can see from my bedroom at night, and thankfully the loving man that I am in a relationship with is understanding and doesn't ridicule me.

I like being able to see what's going on around me, it makes me feel somehow safer because I can locate an escape route. The darkness makes me feel too vulnerable.

 

[kaddy1]

I'm not afraid of the dark itself, but when I have nightmares and wake up then cannot see what's around me I get freaked out. I generally sleep with the Television on with the sound turned down. Sometimes I think it's the light flickering even with my eyes closed that is comforting.

 

[Waga]

Hi,

I am not afraid of the dark.

It was scary to me when I was a child, becasue I could see things moving and shades of things that shouldn't be there. I also believed that my toys are alive in the dark. So I was telling myself: "The dark is the same as brigth just the lights are off", and I was touching things that I was scared of, to find out that they weren't really there. Now I am OK with darkness.

However I am afraid of dark water and it is trauma related.

 

[cat]

Oddly enough my hyper vigilance is less of a problem at night, maybe it just because there tends to be fewer people about.

 

[naturalfirebrand]

Too Sensative

I deal with many aspects of living with my CPTSD but I hate being hyper sensative.

Light- give me a 40 watt bulb over 60. What I find too bright others say "put on some lights". Music too loud for me others have trouble hearing. This goes on in every part of me.

The worse part is jumping for no reason. Others appoogize for making me jump . I would rather it just be ignored, it is a reflex at this point that may never go away having it for decades.

The darkness is something that is getting harder to find. I turn of anything in my bedroom that illuminates. My husbands alarm cloak is out of my sight. It helps in letting that part of my brain some much needed time off.

I miss it when I can not have it. The worse torture of my life was visiting friends in Amsterdam during the summer soltice. It was llight from 4 am to midnight and the room I slept in had no curtains.

I do not believe Dante could come up with a better definition..

Linda

 

[gdf]

As I age, my night vision is less relaible so last few years I keep a soft nightlight on to see a few details in the house. For some reason, I feel safer in the dark, like whatever is out there would have a harder time finding me.

Gina

 

[Deleted member 8714]

I slept with my light on from the time I was 9 years old until I turned 52. What changed was that I learned that my father was my main perpetrator. My mother used to yell at me for sleeping with the light on at night. She'd never ask me why I did it though.

 

[ronin47]

I don't know if I'm necessarily afraid of the dark. However; I do know being outside in the dark and cold makes me feel bad. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It just doesn't feel good, emotionally I mean.

 

[SimplyComplex]

Ok, so I thought I was the only grown up afraid of the dark! I haven't been lately...first time in my life. I guess thanks to therapy. But up until a few months ago I was.