Are you afraid of the dark?

[Saragrl]

I was watching an episode of criminal minds and one of the characters who seems to be based on Aspergers mentioned that he was afraid of the dark. I am very much afraid of the dark, not the dark itself, but being alone in it. I have not really given it to much thought the past few years because I have a cat who sleeps up against me every night. Before her, if I woke up in the middle of the night, I would freak out. I don't mean this lightly, I run to turn the light on, as if I don't something will kill me.

I have always had this fear, and I remember one night my mother tried to fix it by locking me in my room in the dark. That lasted like 5 mins as I freaked out more then that kid in the sixth sense. It is so bad that I truly feel like I could never life alone. Right now I only rent a room in a house, but in the past if I lived in a house with one other roommate and they left for the night I would barricade myself in my room and not turn the light off. I would only fall asleep from the exhaustion of being hyper vigilant.

Worst of all I can only sleep in darkness (not total but no lights on).

I don't know why I am this way, and it's not something that I would ever bring up in conversation with NT's. They seem to think of it as a childish fear. I wonder now if it could do with my Aspergers.

 

[DogwoodTree]

I used to be. Then I stopped watching scary movies or reading scary stories. Any time part of a show starts to include something that I can feel that icky-fear rising up inside, I turn it off, turn away, or leave the room, depending on the situation. I realized that watching all that stuff was just inviting fear into my life.

Now it's pretty rare that I get scared when it's dark. Usually there has to be something to set me off, like a noise or shadow that I can't explain. It takes a lot to get me really worked up these days over something like that. It also helps that DH and I took a handgun class and got our carry permits, so now I have a way to defend my household should someone try to break in.

 

[Randomperson]

Have you tried sleeping with the lights on using an eye covering sleeping mask? It would block the bulk of the light so you can sleep, but you would have the comfort of knowing a lamp was on and the room is not actually dark.

I myself work nights, this time of year it is dark well before I go to work and dark after I go home, the sun is out when I am sleeping so I use special curtains to get the room dark enough to sleep, but it is never pitch black.

 

[Voltekka_MK3]

The darkness soothes me. I like being alone in it, feels very peaceful,quiet and in a way, beautiful. It kind of fades everything and allows me to think in peace a lot better.

 

[Granta_Omega]

 

[AsheSkyler]

Like every kid in the 90s, I was obsessed with Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I haven't been the same since. (Especially after Scary Stories, those drawings will haunt me until I die...) I've gotten calmer as I've stopped reading them as often. I still regret getting rid of my collection and I'll get them all back someday, and undoubtedly reread them again and start all over again jumping at the least little leaf skittering across the pavement. Except for Slappy, screw that dummy! I'm not reading THAT again. Why does nobody in scary stories ever properly dispose of the villain!?

Although I have no interest in Stephen King or those of his level. I prefer the kid's stuff.

 

[Ereth]

I was when I was little. I was particularly afraid of the idea that vampires would come into my room and feed on me when I slept. But one night when I was five, I dreamed that I killed one when he came after me. That's when I discovered I could lucid dream, and I was never afraid of the dark after that.

 

[ExplosiveTMT]

I used to be afraid of the dark.
I would get so anxious and I would feel like I couldn't breathe, even though I could if I chilled down, lol!

 

[Harrison]

I was when I was little. I was particularly afraid of the idea that vampires would come into my room and feed on me when I slept. But one night when I was five, I dreamed that I killed one when he came after me. That's when I discovered I could lucid dream, and I was never afraid of the dark after that.

I swear that I had this, word for word except I was seven-ish, bizarre

I love the night now, and feel safer under moonlight than sunlit.

 

[Sev]

I'm not afraid of the dark, but I am of whats in it.

 

[Spiller]

if I woke up in the middle of the night, I would freak out. I don't mean this lightly, I run to turn the light on, as if I don't something will kill me.

Always when I was young & I had Ereth's fear of monsters getting me too!
Occasionally now, the overwhelming fear that something is right there in the dark, watching me.
I wonder if it's an anxiety related thing, or maybe I'm sensitive to whatever may be.. I'm open minded about most things.
I do know that, while I've sometimes been really scared, I've never been physically hurt & I've been told by mediums and psychics that spirits, or whatever really, can't harm us.
So I guess, over the years I've learned to control my fear.. mostly

I'm not afraid of the dark, but I am of whats in it.

Other Aspies?

 

[Ereth]

I'm not afraid of the dark, but I am of what's in it.

That tends to be the psychology behind fear of the dark, yes.

 

[StephF]

I like the philosophy of "Yea, tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall have no fear for I am the biggest s-o-b in the whole freaking valley"

Night time can be very nice, there is calmness as a lot of species go to sleep but others come out to forage. It can be very nice.

 

[photoaddict]

I'm not afraid of the dark, but I am of whats in it.

This is me. I can be in the dark in my house because I know exactly what's here. I have a lot of trouble being outside when it's dark because I never know what might be hidden there. It doesn't help that the town where I spent much of my growing up years had a problem with stray dogs. Many of the dogs were nasty and had no problem coming after you, especially when they had darkness to hide them. I still worry that a dog will pop out and get me, even though I know there isn't an issue with strays here. Funny thing is, I'm not actually afraid of dogs. I love them.

 

[OddGirl]

The dark doesn't bother me. I'm not afraid of being alone in it. I work nights, and am often found patrolling empty, unlit buildings at night. Doesn't bother me.
What I am afraid of is people. At work, I've been physically attacked twice and had a gun pulled on me by a methamphetamine dealer. It's the nuts and gun freaks out there that I worry about. Humans are far more unpredictable and frightening than anything else, in my experience.

 

[wyverary]

For me, context is everything. Darkness in general? Nah. There's always a candle to be lit (either literally or metaphorically).

However, when it's just past sundown, and I have to walk down my asphalt driveway to get the mail? Snakes around here like to hang out on black asphalt to soak up residual heat before they retire (i don't know where, but they do, apparently), and one or two of those snakes are poisonous. But on the subject of candles, my phone has a flashlight!

If it is dark, and there is no candle to be found, I just embrace it. It's a part of life. Maybe that's my inner Buddhist showing itself, heh.

 

[Judge]

The dark itself never bothered me as a child. But the dark in complete silence used to really get too me until I was a preteen. Reminds me of the relief I felt lying in bed as the furnace would cycle on.

 

[Cali Cat]

I've gone back and forth with fear of the dark over the years. Most of the time, it's been due to scary movies or books I've read. I try not to expose myself to those things if I know I'm going to be adversely affected. I haven't had any problems with that for a long time, but my cats are there to keep me company in bed, and to blame for any noises I might here during the night. Having a gun nearby helps, too, but you do need the light on to take a clear shot.

 

[Sarek]

I wasn't for a short few years in my life, but now I absolutely am, I was as a kid too. (My father for years would lock me in a dark room at night and force my mother to not come when I screamed and cried). I have really bad insomnia and got really bad panic attacks in the night while my husband slept. Now I have a night light.

 

[abby normal]

I remember as a kid, I'd hide under the covers and try to keep the brain monster at the foot of the bed [shouldn't have watched that cheesy old horror flick] at bay, I would make a little hole in the corner of the blankets so I could get fresh air to breathe. nowadays I sleep always with a blue light on, as blue is a spiritual color and keeps the boogymen at bay- also always have to have a brown noise source [in my case a HEPA filter running in the corner] going, cannot tolerate pure silence as my ears ring and I can hear my heart beating and the blood coursing through the capillaries in my head which disturbs my sleep.