Poll Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

[Rob_Dog19]

I've recently come into a place where I feel ok in the dark. Not that I find comfort in it, but I also don't panic either...unless I'm in a lit area and it suddenly goes dark (some things never change)...I can even have my eyes open in the dark!!! It gets scary and I can only do it for so long, but I can still do it!!!! I'm proud

 

[Deleted member 10686]

i answered other... I'm afraid of the dark *sometimes* .. If we are talking a dark room, I actually usually find this comforting, door closed and locked and complete darkness. I guess the lack of any external stimulation helps to calm me.

As far as being unfamiliar places, or being outside in the dark, I am very afraid. I feel like someone is behind me, or going to pop out of nowhere and hurt me at any given moment. I also am terrified to drive at night because I can only see headlights behind me and not the shapes and details of the cars.

 

[Jlso111187]

I have to sleep with my tv on, I cant have it dark in my room and I cant sleep without sound. If my husband turns off the tv instantly I am up.

 

[Orglethorp]

I voted "other" because I'm not afraid of the dark in general, but I do have certain fears and fear/anxiety-related rituals regarding darkness in certain situations.

Generally speaking, I love the dark. When I'm sleeping, the dark is relaxing. If I'm sleeping during the daytime, I will do everything I can to be in the dark - even if that means sleeping with my head covered. I love taking walks at night. The only thing I truly dislike about power outages is the inconvenience it causes in the kitchen.

Now, here's where the selective fears and odd rituals come into play. I hate uncovered windows at night, because the darkness beyond the glass disturbs me. I don't know why. If I am in a dark room and the hallway beyond is also dark, then the door must be shut. If I get up to go to the washroom in the middle of the night, I must flick my light on when I get back to the bedroom just to make sure no one has snuck in while I was out.

When I'm walking outside at night I find that I don't enter a state of hyper vigilance unless/until I encounter loud or drunk men, solo individuals with their head/face concealed, or a group of teenagers (unless they're all female and being quiet).

I feel safer in the dark, but only as long as I know I'm alone in the dark.

 

[Jlso111187]

Orglethorp,

Your not afraid of the dark your afraid of what lies in the dark. I feel you there. I wont even go outside by myself because of it. I cant sleep in the dark because if someone comes in I can't see who it is.

 

[Changing4Best]

I had to vote OTHER because I don't know if my fear of the dark is PTSD related or not. This is due to the fact that my trauma was from age 6 months until about age 6 or so, when my parents discovered it and it was stopped. However, what I do recall of the trauma, was not commited during the night or in darkness, it was usually in the afternoons when the person who traumatized me was babysitting me.

I know from a very young age, maybe 4(?) I used to sneak down to my sister's bed and crawl in with her because I was so scared. I'm not sure what I was scared of though!

I still make sure there is no darkness in my house now. Nightlights, etc.

 

[Britt.f7]

My traumas occurred during the day time. The dark only sometimes scares me. I prefer to sleep in total darkness, but I do not like to go walking about a dark house. After the attack, in my teens, I slept in the hallway or in my sister's room...sometimes watching the door. Now, I prefer the lights off but I do not want my bedroom door closed. Probably because of my children.

 

[Changing4Best]

I used to always sneak down to my sister's bed after my parents both went to sleep. Both my sis and I liked to have nightlights in our rooms. And to this day I keep nightlights on in my home all the time, even during the day, lest I forget to turn them on when it gets dark.

 

[StarChild]

And to this day I keep nightlights on in my home

Hi Sheila
Yes me too like nightlights. But not because of fear of the dark, but to feel snug. I have a sweet ladybeetle, made of plastic. I just have to touch it, then it starts to project colored stars and a crescent on my ceiling. I can choose between gentle colors (blue, green, orange and purple). Or I can just touch it, and it will very slowly change the colors itself, about every 3 minutes. This lasts 45 minutes, then it stops

When I lay in bed, I so love to look at the ceiling and enjoy my soothing "night sky". I also gave such a ladybeetle as a gift to a few couples, when they have their first baby. And they all loved it! One couple even told me, that they took the ladybeetle and put it in their sleeping room because it creates an romantic atmosphere...

 

[Ayasha]

Yes...and no.

I do not like the dark, and trying to walk into a dark room always causes me to panic a bit. I have no clue if this is PTSD related or not because it has gone on so long.

There are times where I have no fear and I walk around outside at night. I don't know why.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

I don't like the dark. I can't sleep in complete darkness. I need some kind of light or the tv on with the sound down. Being in the dark makes me feel vulnerable. I'm not sure if it's related to any of my traumas. One of them took place at night though.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

No. The dark is mostly comforting---unless someone unexpectedly startles me because I can't see them!