Modern man may experience many fears. Psychologists say that some of these fears are irrational. A fairly common manifestation of such irrational fear is the fear of elevators. Some people have an office or apartment on the upper floors, which is quite difficult to get to without a special lifting device. In this case, elevator phobia causes a person a lot of inconvenience. He cannot explain why he is afraid to take the elevator, but experts have identified several types of manifestations of phobia and developed methods for overcoming them.
Liftophobia refers to a person’s irrational fears
Manifestation of claustrophobia
According to experts, the fear of riding an elevator may be one of the manifestations of claustrophobia. This is what is called the fear of enclosed spaces. The reasons why this fear appears are numerous.
In this case, it is strictly contraindicated to make independent attempts to overcome your fear. There is no way to do this without the help of psychologists and psychotherapists.
You can overcome claustrophobia with the help of specialists
Treatment of claustrophobia
Regular conversations with an experienced specialist will help you cope with fears
How best to get rid of claustrophobia depends on the severity of psychopathology. For some people, it is enough to simply look at themselves from the outside and set a vector for further movement in order to leave the problem behind forever.
In difficult cases, a long course of psychotherapy will be required. Methods are selected according to the reasons for fear.
In addition, any phobic disorder depletes the nervous system and goes hand in hand with neurosis. Therefore, a person will need either medication or mastering relaxation techniques. If the nervous system remains constantly in tension, any method of treating a phobia is doomed to failure. The fact is that in a state of neurosis or severe stress, a person is not capable of critical thinking and changing his way of thinking, which could allow him to overcome fear forever. In this regard, it is recommended to trust a qualified psychotherapist in matters of treatment.
Psychotherapy
How to deal with claustrophobia depends on the reasons for its development. This also determines the methods of psychotherapy for successfully defeating fear. So, in case of conflicts with parents and childhood traumas, a person needs to work through the resentment, and here Gestalt therapy comes to the rescue.
Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy is the “gold standard” for treating phobias. It allows you to change your attitude towards the subject of fear or the situation in which the attack begins.
Another effective treatment method is gradual rapprochement with the object of fear. For example, if a person is afraid of the elevator, sooner or later he will have to enter the elevator and go up to the top floor. First, the situation is simulated in the psychotherapist's office and thoroughly discussed. Then the patient, together with the doctor, simply stands in front of the open elevator, and after a few more sessions, he goes up to the desired floor with the psychotherapist. When the patient is ready, he will have to make the trip himself to finally overcome the phobia.
Medications
People who have gotten rid of claustrophobia often benefit from medication in the initial stages. However, medications do not cure a phobia, but only relieve nervous tension and anxiety, allowing you to effectively interact with a psychotherapist.
Daytime tranquilizers and sedatives may be used to treat claustrophobia. The former eliminate anxiety, the latter normalize sleep and promote restoration of the nervous system.
Self help
Breathing exercises will teach you to keep your emotions under control during future attacks
Having figured out what the fear of enclosed spaces is called, you should know how you can get rid of this fear on your own.
First of all, you need to master relaxation techniques - breathing exercises, yoga, meditation. This is necessary in order to prepare your psyche for a change in the perception of enclosed spaces.
Then you should begin to gradually become closer to fear. The same scheme applies here as when traveling in an elevator with a psychotherapist - first you just need to stand at the door, then enter the elevator and immediately get out, then go up just one floor, etc. You can enlist the support of family and friends. If you feel increased anxiety, it is recommended to do breathing exercises.
Positive affirmations are quite successful in relieving mild forms of claustrophobia.
What could be the reason
Before solving such a problem, you need to understand what situation provoked the development of a fear of elevators. If this is the fear of getting stuck in an elevator, then it is important to determine what exactly scared you the most.
Finding out the root of evil is quite simple. Take a piece of paper and write down all your fears associated with the elevator, and next to it describe ways to solve the problem.
As an example, the following situations that could cause fear of using elevators are given:
- Inability to get out of a stuck device. Today this is not a problem at all - using a mobile phone, which everyone has, you can call for help or contact the appropriate services.
- Lack of lighting. People who don't want to stay in the dark can drive safely by taking a flashlight with them or using a phone with this function.
- The possibility of becoming a victim of an attack by entering an elevator with strangers. In this case, it is worth going up to the upper floors while talking on the phone, or with a small group of familiar people. In this case, strangers will not pose an imaginary threat.
There are some techniques that help you gradually gain control of yourself while riding in an elevator and get rid of fear, which can become a serious obstacle in life. Their effectiveness has been tested and proven: by many people. having such a problem, used these techniques.
The inability to get out of a stuck elevator may be the cause of a phobia.
Causes of phobia
Fear of elevators can be caused by psychological trauma received in the past. For example, a person has once gotten stuck in a lift or seen someone get pinched by a door. The appearance of a phobia can be influenced by horror films that contain scenes of violence in the elevator. A person may experience fear, fearing for his life. In this case, the cause of elevator phobia is the instinct of self-preservation.
The occurrence of a phobia can be influenced by the following far-fetched situations:
- the likelihood of becoming a victim of a stranger's attack;
- inability to get out of the lift in case of its sudden breakdown;
- fear of finding yourself in complete darkness;
- fear of falling into a mine if the metal cables break;
- fear of being pinched by elevator doors.
Fighting methods
An irrational feeling of fear of having to enter an elevator can manifest itself as panic attacks, like claustrophobia. In this case, deep, even breathing helps a lot. Full concentration on breathing rhythms and counting inhalations and exhalations helps to distract from the factor that causes a feeling of panic, restores clarity of thinking and allows you to quickly get rid of the oppressive feeling.
You need to smile before entering the lifting device. Even if it was just a mechanical action, the brain will decipher the sent signal. Gradually the panic will subside.
After the technique of dealing with panic has been mastered, it is necessary to begin to fight fear. Develop the habit of going through one floor using the elevator, then going up the stairs for two more floors. Over time, increase the time you spend on the device. Don't rush, work through each stage until the feeling of fear completely disappears. This is the only way to completely overcome the fear of going up to high floors in elevators.
Fear of using an elevator is classified by psychologists as an irrational phobia. You can overcome it gradually, using various methods of combating phobias, as well as controlling your emotional state.
Symptoms of a phobic disorder
People suffering from elevator phobia behave inappropriately when they see the object of their fear. They get nervous, lose their composure and sense of reality. A person subject to such fears avoids elevators and tries to climb to the required floor only by stairs. Some people have a panic attack while on the lift.
- rapid pulse;
- increased sweating;
- trembling in the limbs;
- increased blood pressure;
- difficulty breathing;
- dizziness;
- fainting.
Concept
It is impossible not to recognize the fact that the advent of a regular passenger elevator has made a person’s life a lot easier, especially considering the fact that multi-story buildings are commonplace. However, their appearance also had negative qualities - people began to develop a fear of elevators. The peculiarities of their operation and structure are a mystery to many and evoke fear and horror. In fact, phobias are endowed with similar symptoms, but this fear has not yet been identified as an independent diagnosis. But despite this, if you are wondering what the phobia of fear of elevators is called, then most ordinary people and doctors will say: elevator phobia.
And if a person often manages to avoid elevators, preferring to take the stairs, then in some cases he still has to be exposed to his fear. It should be remembered that a phobia is always accompanied by quite strong negative emotions, which in no case should be suppressed, since they can negatively affect the mental state. That is why, to overcome your fear of elevators, you should find out the triggers that cause your condition to worsen and try to overcome them.
Specialist help
There are cases when a phobia penetrates the subconscious and a person is unable to overcome his problems on his own. You should consult a psychologist. Having studied the nature and characteristics of your fear, the specialist selects appropriate therapy.
Group therapy against liftophobia
- individual conversations;
- group classes (patients first share their fears and then their successes in combating them);
- art therapy (recreating your feelings with the help of poetry, music, dance, as well as sublimating your fears onto canvas, clay or any other available objects);
- hypnosis (one of the most effective methods: by putting the patient into a trance state, the specialist pulls out information from the subconscious that the person would not be able to remember in a normal state, in the same way the real cause of the disease is determined, and the correct attitudes are gently suggested);
- drug therapy.
The presence of phobias has long become the norm. You need to realize that your fear is a disease that can deprive you of many of the joys of life and even destroy existing benefits. Don't ignore your fears.
A passenger elevator is an extremely useful and necessary device, and in our age of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers, it can be said to be irreplaceable. Nevertheless, its design and operating features inspire outright fear in some people. Can this be called a phobia? However, you will not find a separate diagnosis in medical reference books. Among people and doctors, the phobia is simply called elevator phobia.
