Fear of the dark (scotophobia): what it is and how to overcome it

"Fear of the dark" is not only the title of an Iron Maiden song (Fear of Dark), but it is a phobic disorder that can cause great discomfort to the person suffering from it. It is also known as scotophobia, although it is frequently associated with fear of the night or nyctophobia.

In this article we review the main characteristics of this phenomenon and delve into its causes, symptoms and treatment.

What is the irrational fear of the dark

Scotophobia is the irrational and extreme fear of the dark. As a phobia, belongs to the group of anxiety disorders, and its main symptoms are extreme anxiety and irrational fear of the phobic stimulus. It involves avoiding situations and places where there is darkness, and the person can experience discomfort just thinking about it. Dark spaces without light are situations that can create a certain level of alertness or activation in the person, but do not necessarily create terror. Some people have panic attacks in these settings, so they tend to avoid any situation like this.

It is common to see children fearful of the dark, largely because of the images that can be seen in the movies, because at night and in the dark ghosts or monsters usually appear in stories fanciful. However, in the case of adults, this fear is not so frequent, and when it occurs, it should be treated by a specialist.

This pathology can have a great impact on the daily life of the person who suffers it, mainly because the individual tends to be depressed, anxious or very nervous all the time. Every day of our life darkens, so the discomfort manifests itself over and over again. Those affected often refuse to leave their home when it gets dark or are unable to sleep alone despite their age if they suffer from scotophobia.

What causes this phobia

The main cause of this phobia is irrational beliefs about the dark, and as I have already said, fueled by fantasy stories that often appear in books or movies, but also by beliefs popular.

However, most phobias usually develop due to a traumatic experience in childhood, and it occurs by a type of associative learning called classical conditioning. This type of conditioning was studied for the first time by the American psychologist John watson, which made a little boy named Albert learn to be afraid of a white rat that he used to adore.

You can visualize this experiment in the video shown below:

Phobias can also develop for other reasons. One of them is by vicarious conditioning, which is a type of observational learning. We explain it to you in our article: "Vicarious Conditioning: How Does This Kind of Learning Work?”.

Some authors also affirm that people are biologically predisposed to suffer this type of fear, because this emotion has an adaptive function that has allowed the human species to have survived the passage of the centuries. For this reason, irrational fear is complex and sometimes difficult to overcome, as it does not respond to logical arguments. It is a primitive and non-cognitive association.

Symptoms of Scotophobia

This phobia causes a series of symptoms that can be cognitive, behavioral or physical and physiological.

Cognitive symptoms include fear, distress, anxiety, confusion, irrational beliefs, or inattention. Regarding behavioral symptoms, the person tends to avoid the phobic stimulus in an attempt to reduce the discomfort.

Among the physical and physiological symptoms, the following stand out:

• Dry mouth
• Muscle tension
• Extreme sweating
• Increased respiration
• Suffocation
• Shortness of breath
• Lack of hunger
• Stomachache
• Headache

Treatment

Despite being disabling and creating great discomfort, this phobia has a cure. Psychologists deal with irrational fears on a daily basis and, according to research, psychological therapy has a high degree of effectiveness in the treatment of these anxiety disorders.

There are different therapeutic schools and different methodologies to deal with psychological problems, but to treat the Phobias is highly successful in cognitive behavioral therapy, which uses techniques from both cognitive therapy and therapy. conduct.

Some of the most used for this type of disorder are the relaxation techniques and exposure techniques. However, the technique par excellence, the one that is most effective, is systematic desensitization.

This technique combines relaxation and exposure techniques, and helps the patient by gradually exposing themselves to the phobic stimulus while learning tools to cope in the best possible way the situations to which fear.

Other treatments

However, there are other forms of treatment that are used and with great results: hypnosis, the Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy wave Acceptance and commitment therapy are some examples. These last two belong to what is known as third generation therapies, which emphasize the relationship that the patient has with his problem, the context and acceptance.

Drug treatment is also used, but only in severe cases, and always in combination with psychological therapy to ensure that the results are maintained in the long term.

Apps to treat phobias

The emergence of new technologies in recent decades has also affected the treatment of phobias. In fact, virtual reality and augmented reality are ideal for the patient to expose himself to the phobic stimulus without the need to have it in front of him. In addition, the exhibition takes place in a controlled environment.

But the treatment of phobias has even reached smartphones, as there are different applications that aim to help people overcome their irrational fears.

• You can learn more about these applications in our article: "8 apps to treat phobias and fears from your smartphone”