Fear of ghosts - need help and advice!

[CrazyDiamond30]

Hi,

I feel ridiculous writing this but I need some advice. (please don't share any paranormal experiences, I'll worry for weeks 😩)

I'm nearly 31 years old - an adult - and I've been petrified of even the thought of ghosts since I can ever remember. There are loads of details I could share, but basically I've avoided any conversation about the paranormal and also avoided even leaving the bedroom at night. I sleep with my head completely under covers every night (even if totally sweating) even just as a habit now.

If I hear something (be it a story, or a noise that freaks me out - anything that triggers it really) it can affect me for weeks where I'm in a constant state of anxiousness and worry, and I have bad dreams and intrusive, vivid thoughts/imagery.

I've been particularly bad the last few weeks or so and I've noticed my hair has quickly started thinning - might be unrelated.

I've always been able to avoid having to face up to it head on really, but my daughter has recently moved to her own room since sleeping in our room since birth and it has set things off for me really badly. I don't mind getting up in the night (used to having no sleep now 😂) but going into a different, dark room and not being able to basically hide under covers has started to affect me in day to day life. I have anxiety before going to bed for hours now and every time the baby monitor goes off in the night I have a sheer flood of panic over my body.

Basically I need some help in how to combat this - I recently tried hypnotherapy which didn't really do much for me.

Advice very welcome 😩

I was really scared of ghosts as a child and I used to be too frightened to go to sleep. It was probably an overactive imagination and anxiety about changing schools that had nowhere else to go. It is debilitating though.

To be practical. Very low level lighting helps with the dark. Therapy or counselling could help with the anxiety. Maybe talk to your GP about medication.

A bit left field. I'm a priest and fairly often get called out to houses where people are uncomfortable. What we can do is bless a house. This is not an exorcism but prayers for peace. If you think it might help then talk to your local RC or CofE parish priest.

My hunch is that this isn't about ghosts but prayer is free.

@CrazyDiamond30 I also am scared of ghosts and don't believe in ghosts so I completely get it, it's an irrational fear. Mine is worse when I'm anxious about other things. I'm also scared of dinosaurs even though I know they're not around any more!

Sorry @CrazyDiamond30 I was definitely not mocking. I was taking you seriously.

The way you described your fear of ghosts at night implied you feared you would see or bump into a ghost in your house. If you truly believed your house was not haunted, why would you be sleeping hidden under your duvet and panicking if you have to get up at night and go to your DDs room in the dark?

Im not personally relating to it in any way. I was just giving advice based on you saying you believed in ghosts and your fear of them while in your home at night. I’m not going to say it is an irrational fear or that you look ridiculous, because I don’t think that.

@CrazyDiamond30 I would go with CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). It teaches you to challenge your thoughts and come up with different thoughts to counter them.

It won't get to the bottom of any childhood trauma, you'd need something like psychoanalytical therapy for that, but it doesn't sound like you need to go into all that if you already recognise that the trauma is there. CBT would just help with the immediate phobia, which sounds like the main issue.

That's a good idea about desensitisation. Marleys Ghosts was really good and really funny.