I'm a rational adult that's still afraid of the dark. Crazy, no?

I’m afraid of zombies, but I think that’s a rational phobia… I mean they do eat brains.

I close the closet doors and my bedroom door. Then I worry I should have the bedroom door open so that I can see something if it is there. I worry less when my boyfriend is over, but when I’m alone there is an oppressive darkness that makes it difficult for me to sleep. Sometimes, even when he is over, I have trouble with the dark. I twitch, “seeing things” out of the corner of my eyes or open and shut doors until I’m happy.

I think we’re all a little bit afraid of what is there that we can’t see. I think that having a loving husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, or just friend with you can help more than anyone might think, and I think sometimes being afraid of the dark is about being alone as much as it is about not being alone.

But mostly, I don’t think you are strange or weird or that this fear is immature. Don’t worry, you probably don’t need help unless you are terrified of the dark.

Everyone is afraid of something.

No, I get freaked in the dark after a little while too. Mostly because a) I was the victim of attempted murder as a child, and b) I watch way too much true crime TV.

@ poofandmook- Wow. That’s horrible and facinating. Please elaborate if you are comfortable doing so.

And If not then shame on me for being grossly interested!

No, I’m absolutely terrified of the dark, and I’m 20 (is that adult?). It’s totally irrational, and I’ll just flip out if I’m by myself in the dark for even a couple moments. I don’t feel bothered by it (as in I see no need to have a psychologist or whatever)—it’s not as if it hinders me (except for an occasional loss of sleep, but there’s always tea in the morning to make up for that). It’s kind of bred into people, I think, since there really used to be reasons to be afraid of the night—some people can ‘rationally’ overcome it, but for those of us who don’t… well, it’s just a question of degree. But yeah, you’re not alone! I wouldn’t worry about it.

I just wonder what I’ll do with my kids when they come to me for comfort… ‘go ask your father’?

@Galicia: When I was 8, I was staying at the summer place my grandmother had in the Poconos. I went to my little friend down the street to ask if he wanted to play Frisbee. His father’s girlfriend’s son was there, and he got mad that I didn’t ask him to play, and so he shot me with a .22 rifle that the father had left there, unattended, unlocked, and loaded, after just teaching them how to use it that morning, while he and the girlfriend were doing laundry at the clubhouse.

He said in court, now 12, that he was trying to kill me. He aimed at my heart, closed his eyes, and turned his head. The turning of his head moved the gun slightly so that the bullet struck my wrist instead of my heart, because I was twirling the Frisbee on my finger when he fired.

I’ve had some pretty bad experiences, so I’m still a little leary but it’s mostly the darkness outside of my own house.

I’m still afraid of these little bastards, and I also live in the Pacific Northwest – the serial killer capital of the world.

@ poofandmook- Wow. That’s, well… I believe that can only happen in PA. I’m from Hazleton so I think you know what I’m talking about. ;)

@Galicia: There are some scaaaaary people out in Podunk.

I’m still afraid of heights because a nasty fall when I was a kid, so your fear of the dark isn’t so irational to me.

Have you always had this fear? Or did something happen that suddenly instigated an unusual wariness of the dark?

I went spelunking in a cave in Belize and we turned out our lights deep in the bowels of the cave – now that’s dark!

I was pretty freaked by a story our guide told us in Linville Caverns in North Carolina, though. The story goes that two young men were exploring in the 1800’s and ran out of lantern fuel while deep in the cave. What took them 2 hours to get into took them three days to get out of. The only reason that they survived is that they followed the course of an underground stream that began in the cave and flowed out through what had become the entrance of the cave. They crawled in that cold, cold, three inches of water for three days to find their way out. Creepy!

@syz That is a really creepy story. I think I would go completely insane if something like that happened to me!

@Sloane2024— I have always been afraid of the dark. When I was younger my family lived in Nevada for a couple of years and we resided in some of the most haunted places I’d ever want to be. When I was younger I was really sensitive to this stuff and it freaked me out so much that I used to sleep with my sheet covering my face with this small hole for me to breathe. That was until Stephen Kings’s movie Cat’s Eye where that green nugget goblin came out of the wall and tried to steal that kid’s breath. I made my cat sleep in my room for awhile.

Wow… Yeah, I’d pretty much be terrified of the dark if I were you, too….. I think it’s totally and completely rational for you to be as afraid as you are given your past history with things that could potentially “emanate” from dim, dreary, and dreadful places. I wouldn’t think too much about it unless it REALLY starts to prominently interfere with your daily activities; if this begins to happen, I’d seek professional help…. but that’s just me. :)

It’s not irrational, it’s Vashta Nerada.

I totes used to sleep all cocooned up with only a hole to breathe through, I was convinced It would take my fingers and toes, Chucky would stab me, and Freddy Krueger would slice off my ears. My blanket was a shield to all of them. It’s a wonder I ever slept.

@poof: Holy shit.

I’m afraid of the dark too… I have reasons why. I know what they are, I just don’t know how to get over them. I think Freud has a theory on this… I looked it up once but I forgot what it was. I know, I’m helpful.

I need to have my closet doors in my bedroom closed, you never know what is lurking in there at night. I will admit it I have a night light in the hallway just for some light out there. I’m a bit more relaxed about the dark and being afraid of it when my boyfriend is over.

aha!

I think fear of the dark makes sense evolutionarily – the dark is the unknown, and if you’re in a wild place outside in the dark, there could be predators, or who knows what else. So human survival would have been aided by an instinctual fear of dark spaces.

Just like with a lot of other psychological things, fear of the dark is only a problem if it interferes significantly with your daily life.

dang it, that was the wrong link. Sorry guys. Now I have to find it again.

lurve to asmonet for the doctor who reference

You are not alone. I leave lots of lights on all the time, inside and outside the house. We’re resigned to high utility bills. My consolation is, the blockwatch police said the two best crime deterrents are lights and a barking dog.

I also fear the dark, sometimes. Something has to trigger it, like a horror movie or thought. Don’t mean to get you going tonight Galicia. I suggest doing what I do: find a source of power within yourself that can help you through it should the fear start. Like, thinking that whatever it is, you will be more powerful. Or, if you believe in God, that God would never let anything hurt you. Or calling on the power of the Ring. or leave the lights on..

Hey! What we need is a toll-free number that we can call and get a comforting, soothing voice at the other end. Maybe there’s one already out there. Anyone know?

Oh, and an episode of Sliders with a witch doctor made m think someone was going to drill a hole in my skull as I slept and siphon out my brain.

I still tuck in the edges of my blanket, but it’s not really a fear thing, just a comfort thing.

Being scared of the dark is natural. :)

I have a nifty night light in my bedroom and the long halls in my house. The ones that have the sensor that when it’s dark it turns on. Yep; you aren’t alone. I have a bad habit of sleeping with the tv on as well… It helps me sleep because when I was young and my grandmother lived with us shed watch telenovellas all night long and it’d somehow help me go to sleep- that tv glare when the whole house is dark.

Poof: Don’t think I would have wanted to play Frisbee with him either.
Glad he looked away.

Me too. Thanks Nimis.

In a hotel room I am. I leave the bathroom light on always (with the bathroom door slightly closed). I figure I don’t know who ELSE has a key. I also block the hotel room door with a chair.

One night, before I did this kind of stuff, I was in a hotel room. I had the chain on the door. In the middle of the night I hear the sound of someone trying to open my door hard and fast. Because of the chain, whoever it was didn’t get in and it made a big “BANG”. I hollared “Who is it?!” The response was “Hotel Security – Please lock your door”.

DID I leave it unlocked except for the chain and hotel security was checking? Probably not.

@Mr_M: I work in a hotel. Always use the chain or bolt. ALWAYS.

And I put a chair against the door!

But DO tell.

We’ve had people banging on doors, connecting doors, looking for their children, hookers running from johns, you name it. Two weeks ago our security guard had a woman run over him with her car. On purpose. People are crazy.

Generally, it’s someone trying to get in to the wrong room by mistake, it happens more than you’d think – but not enough that you should be paranoid about it, people who are dyslexic and mix up numbers. Usually if the door opens and it’s a magnetic key lock it’s security or an accident by the front desk. In the two years I’ve worked at this hotel (a four diamond very nice one) not one guest has been interrupted by someone intending to do harm.

You should also note the policy with wake up calls is the same in virtually every hotel. If you don’t respond after 4–5 calls, we will send security. As a precaution for your safety. You requested a call, if you’re not present for it, we assume you is dedz.

To give you an idea, I work in a hotel with 518 rooms, once every 3–4 months we get this accident. Most of the time the guest stumbles into a vacant room, only about half the time is it a room rented out and even then, people are usually not in there. If it happens to you, ask to speak to the hotel manager, tell them you’re upset, but understand mistakes happen and would like to know what they can do for you. Nine times out of ten if you aren’t an asshole, you’ll get a free bottle of wine and a cheese or fruit platter or in place of that they might offer to knock off some charges. :) But be exceedingly nice to the operator, and just as polite to the manager. The operator is your fist line of defense. And speaking as one myself, I’m a fuckload more inclined to help Mr. Rogers than I am to help Satan himself who calls me an incompetent child.

@asmonet – (great answer!) C’mon! You mean you don’t like being berated by someone for something that you had no control over? I can’t understand why! ;)

++++

Seriously, I hate the dark, but I can’t sleep with a light on…what kind of weird thing is that? Closet doors must be closed and nothing under the bed. (yep…still have fears about that, too.)

I am too Scared of the dark. I’ll be 22 next Friday and not too sure why I am. I think it may have something to do with horrible things from my past, but not too sure. I read somewhere that people sensetive to paranormal activity are often afraid of the dark. I can sleep fine if my boyfriend is there, but if he isn’t then I have a terrible time sleeping and get scared.

It must be because of the ‘not knowing what could be in the dark’ factor, or not, I am not that sure. Any how, you are not crazy. I know a few who are scared of it too. **smiles**

i used to be afraid of the dark as a kid, but one day i just stopped and now i love the dark! i know its weird but midnight is my favorite time of the day and i love to take walks at night! but i live in a town with 20,000 people and live in a family oriented neighborhood.

Well Iam a teenager, I never had a bad experinces in the darkness but in my eye i see shadows and it scarys me have to death so…... Is there anyone like me?

@ Galicia: thank you for asking this question! :)

I am terrified of the dark. Always have been. I remember screaming from my dark room as a child until I could taste blood in my throat. Unlike a lot of the answers I’ve read on here, my fear of the dark has nothing to do with robbers/rapists/killers/etc.. not only do I “see” (but am I REALLY seeing??) people/shadows in my room, but I hear them and feel their presence as well. Even having the light off in a dark room for more than a few seconds drives me to tears.

I don’t think any of my fear has anything to do with something traumatic that happened (because thankfully, nothing ever did).. I’m pretty sure it just stems from my ridiculously overactive imagination. Still sucks though.

I’m almost 18 and intensely afraid of the dark. The thing is, I can sit and watch a horror movie or something and it doesn’t scare me but the dark does. I’ve tried to just watch something funny before I go to bed or listen to something relaxing.
I watched a movie once where they said “there’s nothing there in the dark that isn’t there in the light” even though there are tons of things that COULD still be there…I just have this overwhelming feeling that something is going to jump out and scare me or something is going to get me -we have a humongous backyard and a full basement so it is pretty scary down there…there are a lot of places for someone or something to hide but I keep this from my dad because he wouldn’t understand…so I end up getting to sleep at like 5 am because I’m too scared to turn off the lights. sigh

Even “grown ups” are allowed to be afraid of something.
I’m allowed of too many things to list here. Don’t worry <3

I am 29 years old and I’m terrified of the dark. I have to sleep with the TV on every night. I have tried turning it off, but then I just lay there and “see” things. I will actually have a panic attack. It’s actually gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. I’m not sure exactly why, but thankfully I have a loving husband who doesn’t mind the TV being on and can sleep through it. I can live with it, but I think I may have passed it on to my children. I mean how can I make them turn off the TV if I can’t or how can I comfort their fears about the dark when I’m probably more scared then they are. Has anyone found any good tips for working through this?

It might be irrational but way normal. I’m the same way. I have to close the closet door or else I lay in bed staring inside it for hours making sure Nothings going to pop out and attack me. I also feel the need to look around my room multiple times before I’m comfortable enough to lay down. Even though I know nothing could have came into my room in the few seconds inbetween. And if I have to leave my room for any reason, I first turn on my bedroom light and any light between there and where I’m headed. And before I turn one light off I have to have at least one other light on. Until I’m back in my room. Where I again look around to make sure nothing has come in while I was out. And i freak out it i hear a little sound or see a shadow. But I’m sure you’re not nearly as irrational. Ha ha

Your fear is not irrational. I am afraid of the dark too. I see stuff on TV every once in a while, and then I think what if that happens at my house. I keep all the closet doors closed when I’m asleep for the night. I don’t walk into a room until the lights are turned on. If the blinds or shades are open during the day, I make sure they are closed before it gets dark out. Sometimes when I am going to sleep at night, I turn the bedroom light off, but I leave my TV on all night. In one place I lived, I would leave my bedroom light on all night. A few times the light blew out and I would wake up right as it happened. I would then go into the living room and sleep on the couch with that light on all night. I surely couldn’t change the bulb in the bedroom until the next day. Anyone find this strange?

Dude Im 26 years old 6 ft tall 280 lbs. full grown man I own a business i have a wife and 2 kids. Im STILL AFRAID OF THE DARK! Ridiculous right? Ive been teased all my life. no traumatic events i can remember. i totally do the light thing from room to room even now. Sometimes its fine. I used to go for runs in the middle of the night through wooded remote places with no fear at all. now i can barely walk from my truck to the door. i dont know whats changed for me but i want to understand more about it. i used to not be afraid to be alone in the dark miles away from people or light or anything. Now sometimes i dont like to walk from my bedroom to the kitchen. and i have to have the yard lights on and atleast some lamps throughout the house. and still i turn the light on before i go into a dark room. sometimes i even carry a flashlight in my own house. loaded firearms are always present and handy near my bed. and i also get the flicker of movement from the corner of my eyes or from doorways. and my imagination goes wild. I dont do drugs or drink alcohol and im starting to think someting is very wrong with me. or maybe its just instinct. a natural response to a real threat of not know whats there. anyways i dont know if i will get over it. but ill just learn to pay those $400+ light bills and live with it.

I am 52, and about 8 years ago, my husband and I were traveling all over, one night at my mother’s house I did my usual wake up at 12 a.m. and looked around to see where I was. Well, it was so dang dark, I thought I went blind and I panicked. Seriously…full blown panic. I was never a fearful child, so this was a shock to me, and because it kept happening. Once in a wall tent in the Idaho Wilderness, and recently in a Sweat Lodge….embarrassing to say the least, so I have no idea where it comes from. I am not one that checks the closet for creapers and monsters, and not afraid of people breaking into the house, so then…. where did this come from? I am an adult! ( really!) And, now that I know it MIGHT happen, if I know it is going to be dark I have a panic attack if I don’t have a solar light or night light in my stash.I am a pretty sober person as well…just have no idea where this evolved from.

I think they can feed on each other, @Wenger52.
I was never afraid of heights until I road the ride at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas. It shoots up up in the air, and for a bit your butt isn’t resting on the seat was the ride starts down. All buckled in and all, of course. It did not suit me! I’ve been afraid of heights ever since.

Hmm, that is interesting,ibstubro, so the shock of it all made you fearful of heights. I am glad to know I am not alone here with this weird phobia! Thank you ! And I won’t be riding the Stratosphere anytime soon!

That tiny little panic caught me off guard and I didn’t “deal with it” so it took on a life of it’s own. I can control it if I’m totally safe, like in a glass viewing room or otherwise enclosed, but I don’t even like looking at the view from a cliff if the ground isn’t in my peripheral vision.

This from the guy that said the most fantastic thing he ever saw was the view from the top of the Grand Canyon. :-/