Nyctophobia

What is it? Nyctophobia can also be reffered to as Achluphobia, Lygophobia, or Scotophobia and they all refer to a fear of the dark. It is triggered by the mind’s disfigured perception of what would or could happen when in a dark environment. The fear of darkness is a psychologically-impacted feeling of being disposed from comfort to a fear-evoking state. They most often affect children but there have been occurances of adults in clinics of grown patients coming in feeling anxiety from their fear of the dark.
 * __Nyctophobia__**

What might cause this phobia? Nyctophbia is most often caused when children were never taught how to handle dark and fearful situations when they were young. If an adult suffers from this phobia, it is a sign that they haven't faced that fear as children and is most likely caused by a fearful experience.

How can it be treated? A common treatment for the fear of the dark is immersion therapy. A person can be placed in a controlled dark room and a psychologist can observe their reactions as behavioral therapeautic technique. A person can also be put in a virtual reality mask with complete darkness around them for the purpose of them getting used to the dark. If a person has an extreme amount of anxiety, medication can also be perscribed by a licensed doctor.

4. How can it affect a person's life? Children and adults can miss out on certain things in life that involve being in dark environments.