I see dead people (Well, not really)

Perhaps a tad off-topic, however I mentioned this to another person I know who struggles with some of the same stuff as me, and it turns out I'm not the only one who tend to scare the crap out of myself. I reckon this is what you can define as a fear of the dark, and just wondering if anyone else get this as well.

"Fear of the dark is not fear of the absence of light, but fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by the darkness."

When I'm alone, this can often happen to me. That it's dark usually just makes it more likely to happen though. Let me toss out a few examples:

Forgot something upstairs a few weeks ago, and went back to get it (after I had turned off all the lights). In the middle of the stairs I got this idea that when I got up I'd see the lights in the empty room besides the kitchen turn themselves on. Of course they didn't, and I even survived the trip back downstairs, but I did speed up a bit though, so can't say I was entirely unaffected by it.

Went to the toilet at night the other day, ehr.. night! Got the idea that when I looked into the mirror I'd see something horrifying behind me or on the other side or something. Of course, the mirror worked pretty much like it has done since the dawn of time, I was still a bit reluctant to look at it though.

I'm well aware these things sound stupid, wimpy and girly and all that jazz, so any insults better be damn creative or I'll go get my axe. In my mind though, they're the next best thing to 'real'. I mean, if I did see something in the mirror, or if something turned on lights inside a closed room, then I'd be bloody horrified, but having your imagination run wild like this can get fairly crappy at times.

I do remember that this was worse when I was younger though, I'd turn my face towards the wall and not turn around to face the room. I guess I knew there was nothing there, but hey, my imagination was having a field-trip!

I've pretty much quit watching horror movies, because they have a tendency to fuel the fire. Some things have a habit of just getting stored in the back of my head and come back to haunt me at the worst possible moments, and then usually with my brain joining in and giving it a personal twist.

Good news? I've become somewhat desensitized to these things now. The things I can conjure up in my imagination to scare myself can be fairly effective, but I force myself to discard them.

I should really uh.. get some sleep!

Heh, that kind of stuff happens to me all the time. Funny though, I've always just thought it was completely normal...

For example, when I'm alone at night and I want something in the kitchen when the lights are out I feel sort of creeped out. In my case, I think that sort of irrational fear has decreased, but that doesn't mean it's disappeared. However, since I know it's my imagination and that nothing's going to happen to me, I try to ignore them. I rarely can, and the thoughts are always there, but I just accept the fact that my imagination likes to run wild.

Every time you get that sort of stupid fear (I know firsthand that it's kind of stupid), try to recognize that it's just in your mind, and try to ignore it. I believe the more you do that, the easier it will become to discard those thoughts. And like you, I refrain from watching horror films, although this is mainly because I always think I'll get nightmares, although I don't remember ever having a movie-related nightmare.

In the end, I don't think this is really a problem. The brain is kind of funny, though... :wink:

I do that too.


Currently I'm scared to go to my car in the night time because I'm scared I'm going to see the mothman standing in my yard. I live in the appalacia, for chrissake. What would he be doing this far south?!

"Fear is a constant. Accepting it will make you stronger."
- King Leonidas from 300

Interesting. I feel better and more secure when it's night and in the dark.

I'm terrified of the dark, I always sleep with the hall light on and leave my door open a crack. When the power goes out I panic so I have the candles in a place where I can find them quickly if this does happen. I don't know what i'm afraid of really, I think I see shadows moving in the dark or ghosts or aliens...I believe in the paranormal and the unknown, I think anything can happen to me...

Went to the toilet at night the other day, ehr.. night! Got the idea that when I looked into the mirror I'd see something horrifying behind me or on the other side or something. Of course, the mirror worked pretty much like it has done since the dawn of time, I was still a bit reluctant to look at it though.

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I do that, too. But I have to look, because the longer I don't, the worse the fear becomes.
I have a worse fear of looking at a window when it's dark outside. I think I'll see something... but all there is is my reflection. And I'm even afraid that I'll see my reflection out of the corner of my eye and be afraid that it's something else. Like, I know it's only going to be me, but I think I'm going to forget or something...
If I'm in the house alone at bedtime, I have trouble getting the scary thoughts out of my mind.
If I think about something scary when I'm in bed, all sorts of things happen to my mind. I usually have to turn my light on and lie on my back because I think something will sneak up on me from behind.

I do the same thing pretty much, except I'm always afraid of aliens because I used to have this addiction to reading "true" alien abduction stories lol so they pretty much ruined me

freestylemonster said:

I do the same thing pretty much, except I'm always afraid of aliens because I used to have this addiction to reading "true" alien abduction stories lol so they pretty much ruined me

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Me too. I think if they sense me thinking about them they're going to know and abduct me

I actually really like the dark, and the cold as well. I feel more comfortable in it. Instead of feeling like something is going to jump out at me and scare me, I feel more hidden and safer in the darkness. I used to think that things would jump out and scare me as you do here. That doesn't sound illogical to me, it's just all in the mind.

Well actually, my eyes are just so extremely sensitive to light, so I never ever have any lights on because it often gives me a headache. So I've learned to see better in the darkness too, which has really helped with a fear of things. I'll take showers or do stuff in the complete darkness now. I grown to like it more. I like that it hides things, and doesn't show them for what they really are. It's more mysterious, and delicious

fear is totally normal. everybody has this to a minor degree, weather they say so or not. i kinda feel that way about SA too, but that's an entirely different story.

but yeah, hollywood's made us all a little afraid of the dark. and ghosts... or maybe that's just me. hmmm...