fear of window's at night anyone els dealing with

[mum2four]

I have a fear of window's after dark if thay aren't covered by roller shutter's or blind's then I start to freak out or I avoid the room till I the window's are covered or till i can convince my self I'm over reacting.

I know how the fear started it was after having my window smashed while I was living in flat at age 17. My depression when I was 20 really kicked the fear in to overdrive. I have control over the fear to point but mostly because I do everything to to ensure that I dont have the trigger of the black window's. I have tryed to over come this fear by chanlenging the thought I have and to some degree it work's I can handle small window like in bathroom's and I can handle window's while I'm looking at them for far longer than if I have my back turned. The feeling subside fairly quick when my partner is home but when I'm by my self it tend to stay put a one room.

[Karen]

Hi Mum2four

I get this to a certain degree. I don't feel safe when it is dark unless I have all the curtains closed and blinds down. I think it is living alone and fear that someone might try to break in and could be looking through the window.

Sounds like it was the window being smashed that started this for you, and if it is related to this memory some hypnotherapy would help you resolve this fear.


Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[mum2four]

Thank you for your responce.

My fear is not just some one might brack but it is also coneected to my window being smashed cause the the frist thought when I go near a window is like a flash image of some one face near the window and/or some one smashing the window and grabing my arm.

Thank you for your sugestion

[Karen]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">My fear is not just some one might brack but it is also coneected to my window being smashed cause the the frist thought when I go near a window is like a flash image of some one face near the window and/or some one smashing the window and grabing my arm.
<div align="right">Originally posted by mum2four - 24 September 2005 : 22:12:41</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Yes I also get thoughts like those, that there could be someone there trying to get in and they might grab me.

I used to get this much more where I lived before but less so in my current house. I think for me it is related to a previous incident and also to how safe I feel in the area I live.

At the moment I am in the process of moving and the area I move to is a big concern to me because of this. Not feeling safe at home just perpetuates anxiety and panic.

I do think some hypnotherapy or at least talking this through with a therapist would help you deal with your thoughts and feelings related to this previous incident. A therapist experienced in the Rewind Technique would be able to remove the anxiety associated with this memory in one session.


Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[mum2four]

The area's that I have lived in have played a big part in the fear's intensity and reacurrance as well other tirgger like car brack-in's ect. Which is what triggered the fear to become more intence cause I my car was brocken in to while I was home alone at night and the car was parked on the road I could see the car from my front door window's and if my blinds were up in my longe I would have had a clear view of the car. That happened about 6mth ago now. I no sooner feel like I have the fear undercontrol and then something like that happens again and the cycle starts again.

[bubblestar]

Hi mum2four

i no exactly what u mean!
in my kitchen we have no window covering, and if its dark and iv got to go in there i get feelings people are watching me even though my garden is enclosed and only fields behind me. i have to put the garden lights on so i can theres no1 there.
Even if the curtains are a crack open i have to shut it quickly, if i dont i get really freaked out some1 is there.
it a really horrible feeling.. not an anxiety feeling as such but a sudden overwhelming fear.
your not alone!
xx

[mum2four]

For sure it is more an over welming fear that most of the time will subside as soon as I can no longer see the black of night but when I'm on my own or I'm having a bad night it will set my anxiety right off and i have to turn on tv and radio's and lot's light's in the house so that i can any shadow's of any person that might come in to my house even thoe i know I have looked every window and door and I'm sure I would hear some sort of noise if thay brock in.

It's a feeling I really wish would just go away cause it not like i really think about it that much and i cant understand why it still bother's me after all this time but if I think about it and look back i know I have made progress with it cause there was time that my bed had to on the furthest wall from any window and i had to sleep on the side that was the furthest away from the window and my house was set up so that i my back was never to a window and as far from window's I posible and i still use to watch TV in my bed room cause it was the only room i felt same in when I had no other adult company. these day I can walk in to a room with uncovered window's and most of the time for at least a little while. I wont not eat cause I cant bare to enter the room or not drink ect I so I try to focus on the progress I have made but it still bug's me that the fear is still there.

Thank's for your message.

[Shay1213]

A couple of years ago I had this very SAME situation. I couldn't deal with windows...The worst part of it all was, I had at least 2 windows in everyroom of my house. I would sometimes sit on the floor low enough from the windows and hide, I even thought of hiding in the closet. I felt like people could see me, and that people were watching. I imagined horrible things happening. Like someone was about to shoot me from outside. I never quite understood why I had these thoughts, I never had any personal problems with the windows. Sometimes we create these things in our minds,and just scare ourselves half to death for no apparent reason. You obviously had a situation when you were 17 that caused this to happen. Which is very normal. You're frightened due to something happening. You'll be ok. These things do not happen often. You had one bad experience. and ever since then you've been ok. Sure its creepy with the windows at night. But don't let it run your life. Think of all the times you've been near a window and how many times you've been alright. If it comforts you, before it gets dark close the blinds/shades. But realize that you are ok. I'm sorry for the ramble...I hope I've helped somewhat. If you need anyone to talk to, I am here

~Shannon~

[mum2four]

Thank you for you post you weren't rambling it's just good to know other's have had the same fear at some point. I really would love to get to apoint were I can sit in room for how ever long with out feeling that need to cover to window's at all. I find it frusting that I'm ok till I turn my back on the window which is a improvment which I need to focus on more than focusing on what I still cant handle. It more anoying to me right now than anything cause a fue month ago I felt ready to make the next step in to world by getting my licence and a job and after the dealing with my son's teacher which really set my anxiety off again it really kinda hit me that I not as over it as I thought I had just been avoiding the thing's that could cause anxiety and maybe even panic cause I know my kids need me and I dont want to do that to them again. I finaly got to point where i could at least be in public with kids and just foucs on them and have fun with them. I want to get to apoint where I can relax and enjoy being around adult's as well and a point where I relax enjoy famliy and friend's and the biggest thing of all I want full comtrol over my thinking for the most pat I have control over my thinking but on day that I'm out of my comfort zone the unwant thought's can still in many situation start the anxiety off and while I have not had a huge panic reaction in many years I do find I have little ongoing nagging symptom that are proberly due to the excess adrenilin in my system.

I just dont know if I should ask about going back on med's or try to get past my issus's my self.

Thanks for you message.

[Sue K with 5]

I have a similar problem with doors, cant open them at night when I am on my own, or when everyone is in bed, and this can cause a slight problem when the dog needs the loo, I am getting better and I know how hard it can be to have such a fear, my advise is start to open the curtains a little each night and try to imagine two scenarios the worst case and the most obvious one whilst your doing that look out of the window and keep staring out of it until the fear starts to subside, dont stop looking until the anxiety and the panic start to fade and do this each night, wander into each room each night and do the same thing, now this might sound daft but thats what I did and it worked, I eventually opened the door and looked out without the need for a can of house polish and a rottweiller dog by my side

Its not easy but you have to face it to overcome it


Good luck


Sue with 5

scknight