Well I am not sure what really works yet but, I just started a anxiety group about two weeks ago. We are just starting to learn about exposure therapy. My assignment for this week was to write all the possible scenarios for the different types of darkness. Then we rate our level of anxiety. So I did this. But I'm going to see how this works because just flooding seems to be a temporary solution. For the moment I feel I have conquered my fear but later I end up having a panic attack out of the blue and the fear gets triggered again. So maybe what I am looking at is trying to do is some exposure therapy. I know it takes a lot more time but in the long run things maybe a little more stable. Right now I have to sleep with a lamp on and the door locked at night. I have tried to just turn off the lights but I go into almost a seizure my fear is so much.
You are very intuitive - what you are describing can be a way to overcome anxiety. You can expose yourself to your fear gradually and systematically like with this program. You can also do something called "flooding" where you sort of throw yourself in to the exposure - like shutting off the lights. It is helpful to be armed with other coping mechanisms prior to this though. Relaxation techniques and ways to challenge your anxious thoughts would assist you in the exposure process. You can determine which route would be best for you - flooding or gradual exposure. What have you tried so far and what do you think you learned from those experiences?
What I have been doing with some of my other anxiety issues is just getting to the point of frustration and just like exposing myself to them head on. But this causes me kind of whiplash later on. It only gives me a temporary sense of conquering my fear. So am I just going about it all wrong? I mean I am afraid of the dark. So why can't I just turn off the lights? It would seem that if I just sat in the dark after a while my anxiety would go away, because we can't die from it.
