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

A very common disorder in childhood but also suffered by some adults.

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

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

What is irrational fear of the dark?

Scotophobia is the irrational and extreme fear of the dark. As a phobia, it 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 may experience discomfort just thinking about it. Dark and unlit spaces are situations that can create a certain level of alertness or arousal in the person, but not necessarily create terror. Some people suffer panic attacks in these contexts, so they tend to avoid any situation like this.

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

This pathology can have a great impact on the daily life of the person who suffers from it, mainly because the individual tends to be depressed, anxious or very nervous all the time. It gets dark every day of our lives, so the discomfort manifests itself again and again. Those affected often refuse to leave their home after 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 lies in 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 popular beliefs.

However, most phobias most phobias usually develop because of a traumatic experience in childhood.and occurs by a type of associative learning called classical conditioning. This type of conditioning was first studied by the American psychologist John Watson, who had a young boy named Albert learn to be afraid of a white rat that he had previously adored.

You can view this experiment in the video below:

Phobias, in addition, can develop for other reasons. One of them is by vicarious conditioning, which is a type of learning by observation. We explain this in our article: "Vicarious conditioning: How does this type of learning work?

Some authors also affirm that people are biologically predisposed to suffer this type of fear, since this emotion has an adaptive function that has allowed the human species to survive the passing 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, non-cognitive association.

Symptoms of escotophobia

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 inattentiveness.. As for behavioral symptoms, the person tends to avoid the phobic stimulus in an attempt to reduce discomfort.

Physical and physiological symptoms include:

• Dry mouth
• Muscle tension
• Extreme sweating
• Increased breathing
• Hot flush
• Shortness of breath
• Lack of hunger
• Stomach pain
• Headache

Treatment

Despite being disabling and creating great discomfort, this phobia can be cured. Psychologists deal with irrational fears on a daily basis and, according to research, psychological therapy has a high degree of effectiveness in treating these fears, 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 cognitive behavioral therapy, which employs techniques from both cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy, is very successful in treating phobias.

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

This technique combines relaxation and exposure techniques, and helps the patient by gradually exposing him/herself to the phobic stimulus while learning tools to cope in the best possible way with the situations he/she fears.

Other treatments

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

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

Apps to treat phobias

The irruption 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 be exposed to the phobic stimulus without the need to have it in front of him. Moreover, the exposure 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".