Nyctophobia can be a debilitating phobia for some people and an extreme source of anxiety for others. Although doctors consider a fear of the dark to be a normal part of child development, most adults do not have this fear to a significant degree.
Turns out that fear is pretty normal—experts say being scared of the dark is actually a fairly common thing among adults. According to clinical psychologist John Mayer, Ph. D., author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, fear of the dark is “very common” among adults.
Nyctophobia is most common in children and typically impacts youth between the ages of 6-12. About 10% of the US population may have this fear as well.
1. Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
If your child is afraid of the dark, they're not alone. “It's very common in children and adolescents alike,” says Thomas Ollendick, a distinguished professor emeritus at the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech who has dedicated much of his career to understanding fears and phobias in children.
It is completely natural for your child to be somewhat afraid of the dark, but most children are able to move past their fears over time. For some children and teens, fears can turn into phobias that impact how they function in their everyday lives.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary, and ironically, it means the fear of long words.
1) Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Arachnophobia is the most common phobia – sometimes even a picture can induce feelings of panic. And lots of people who aren't phobic as such still avoid spiders if they can.
Mythophobia is the fear of myths, story or making false statements. Mythophobes would disbelieve every story. The word comes from the Greek mytho meaning "story", and phobos, meaning "fear".
Exposure therapy – spending more time in dark rooms in small, incremental doses to help desensitise. Talk therapy – simply sharing fears and discussing the rationale behind them. Relaxation techniques – deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
Usually, the fear of the dark hits home for kids around the ages of 2 or 3, when they're old enough to imagine, but not wise enough to distinguish fantasy from reality, Berman says. This gives the unknown an opportunity to turn scary.
Most people with nyctophobia get better with therapy. But the outlook depends on the severity of the phobia. People with severe nyctophobia and other anxiety disorders may need several types of therapy for the condition to improve. You or your child may need long-term therapy.
It's a widespread phobia, especially in children. Up to 45% of children experience phobia, and nyctophobia is one of the most common, particularly in children between 6 and 12. Many children outgrow nyctophobia, but some don't.
Children and adults suffer from a fear of the dark for a variety of reasons. For example, darkness impairs one's vision. Not being able to see as well "increases anxiety, uncertainty and tension and this can lead to fear of the dark in any age group," explained Dr.
More than 60 per cent of Australians fear public spaces or large crowds.
If your child was left-handed, you'd basically have to adopt them out to survive. Bibliophobia: a fear of books. The saddest phobia of them all.
2. Trypophobia: Fear of Circle Clusters. Although this common phobia could come off silly at first, many people have a very real struggle with trypophobia. There are many theories of what causes trypophobia, most of which point toward human evolution.
Simple phobias are fears about specific objects, animals, situations or activities. Some common examples include: dogs. spiders.
Trypophobia refers to disgust or fear of a pattern of holes. Seeing clusters of holes in foods, flowers and everyday items like sponges can trigger feelings of revulsion. Trypophobia is gaining recognition as an anxiety problem that can affect quality of life.
Neophobia challenges the human need for novelty with a fear of the unfamiliar. In its mildest forms, it may not even be recognizable as a fear.
Being afraid of the dark is a very common complaint among young children and one worth addressing. Helping a child overcome this fear can give them confidence that they can face other fears in the future. Some children develop a fear of the dark without any specific reason.
Stressful or traumatic events, genetics or children being around anxious or overprotective caregivers can increase the risk of being scared of the dark.