In the era of megacities and high-rise buildings, it is simply impossible to constantly be on the ground. But it’s one thing when you’re afraid to look down from the balcony, and quite another when you can’t stand on a chair to change a light bulb. When fear begins to interfere with everyday life, the question of how to stop being afraid of heights will certainly arise.
Acrophobia is an uncontrollable fear of heights. Main symptoms: rapid heartbeat, increased sweating and panic reactions, dizziness and nausea.
Victory over yourself
You can overcome an attack of aerophobia on your own only in mild and moderate forms. The principle of action is quite simple - you need to try to block the mechanism of fear. How to do it? Get rid of excess adrenaline! The fact is that the secretion of this hormone increases during stressful situations, causing vasoconstriction, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure and stimulation of the nervous system. The task of the aerophobe is to reduce this effect to a minimum. Sometimes taking a few deep breaths is enough. If this does not help, try to squeeze the armrests of the chair with your palms as hard as you can, simultaneously tensing and relaxing all the muscles of the body. And so on several times. You can walk back and forth around the salon.
Positive emotions also help overcome fear. Before the flight, it is useful to read popular science literature and watch feature films about aviation, famous flights, or try to make a model airplane with your own hands. The more positive information you collect, the greater your chances of overcoming aerophobia.
Many people mistakenly believe that drinking alcohol during a flight can relieve fear. But that's not true. And first of all, because in the air the human body is in conditions close to critical. Therefore, the reaction to alcohol may be completely different from what we are used to on earth, and the opposite - fear will intensify or panic attacks will begin.
Symptoms of the disease
In order to overcome acrophobia, you need to know the symptoms of the disease. There is a division of all signs into those that are of a psychological nature and somatic manifestations of phobia. Fear can also be classified as mild, moderate and panic. It depends on the severity of the disease.
Symptoms of a mild form of fear of heights:
- Slight increase in heart rate and respiration;
- Reluctance to go close to a source of danger, such as an open window.
It is important to understand that such a condition cannot be called a disease. The usual phrase “I’m not afraid of heights” can help here.
The psychological symptoms of a phobia are expressed differently. Most often, people who have a fear of heights in the acrophobia stage can observe:
- Uncontrollable panic;
- The presence of excitement even in sleep;
- Reluctance to rise to a certain height.
A person usually loses control of his behavior, which is expressed in a refusal to go. Often he simply sits down, taking a protective pose - covering his face and head with his hands, as if hugging himself, trying to protect himself from the world around him. An important feature of behavior is that a person does not make contact with those who want to help him, much less admit and say: I’m afraid of heights.
Symptoms of the problem:
- Cardiopalmus;
- Paleness of the skin;
- Tremor of the arms and/or legs;
- Sweating;
- Dilated pupils;
- Muscle hypertonicity.
Also quite often there is increased motor activity - movements of the arms and legs in order to further protect oneself from impending disaster, even if it is present only in the person’s imagination.
Proven means
Article on the topic
Phobias of great people. What were Dali, Gogol, Freud and Hitchcock afraid of? A severe form of aerophobia, regardless of the reasons for its occurrence, requires special correction and observation by a psychotherapist. According to medical statistics, up to 90% of aerophobes, after meeting with a psychiatrist, said goodbye to their fear once and for all. Usually the doctor suggests undergoing auto-training, and if necessary, prescribes drug therapy - a combination of sedatives, various beta-blockers and antidepressants that increase the release of serotonin. This hormone affects emotional stability and susceptibility to stress. If serotonin is normal, it is easier for a person to cope with feelings of fear.
“Cognitive” auto-training, aimed at understanding the causes of fear, helps to cope with fear and mild forms of aerophobia. Try to answer yourself a number of questions: what exactly worries you, when you first felt fear of flying, what caused it, how you differ from other air passengers who are not afraid, and, finally, how you usually cope with stress. Sometimes such self-analysis helps to cope with fear without the use of drug therapy.
Definition and states
Acrophobia is a panic fear of moving away from the earth. Life often involves climbs: stairs, multi-story buildings, funiculars, attractions, elevators. Many things familiar to society are potentially dangerous places for acrophobes.
Fear of heights causes many inconveniences. People with this disease experience severe stress, unable to go out onto the balcony or ride a glass elevator. Spatial discomfort is accompanied by:
- decreased body temperature;
- reduction in heart rate;
- nausea;
- dizziness.
Anyone who lives long enough with such a disorder becomes so resigned that he refuses any situations that provoke symptoms. He does not go to a specialist, does not solve the problem, but simply gives up his aspirations.
Understand your feelings
As already mentioned, fear of heights can vary. This is a normal reaction of our body, the so-called self-preservation instinct inherent in nature. Therefore, if a person is afraid to look from the roof of a high-rise building or jump with a parachute, then the resulting rush of adrenaline is a normal phenomenon. In principle, you don’t need to do anything here.
If a person becomes scared already on the balcony of the first floor of the house, and this manifests itself in vivid symptoms in the body (rapid heartbeat, breathing, trembling throughout the body, panic), then we can safely talk about an existing phobia.
You can live with it, avoiding the slightest elevations above the ground and completely eliminating provoking factors, but the quality of life is significantly reduced. For people with acrophobia, a simple walk on a Ferris wheel becomes torture, and the second step of a stepladder becomes a punishment that is almost impossible to overcome.
Having understood exactly what a person feels, you can try to rid him of his fear of heights. This requires a little patience. After all, fear that has been hidden in the body for years is not so easy to remove. This requires a lot of time, effort and desire on the part of the patient.
Treatment
People with acrophobia usually make one mistake: instead of wondering how to stop being afraid of heights, they, having experienced physical illness as a reaction to fear, go to the doctors. Just not those that are necessary.
For example, they visit cardiologists, gastroenterologists, and therapists. They undergo examinations, long lines, pay bills, etc. To finally find out that, in principle, everything is in order with your health.
A psychotherapist will help you get rid of your phobia. Cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis and gestalt therapy have proven themselves well in this topic.
It would also be a good idea to visit a psychiatrist. He will prescribe medications that will help restore sleep, improve your mood and relieve anxiety.
Causes
Experts cannot say exactly why people are afraid of heights. This may be the influence of several factors, for example, genetic predisposition along with negative experiences.
Therefore, in each case an individual approach is required, both in diagnosis and treatment.
But there are a number of reasons that are most common. So, the occurrence of a phobia can be triggered by:
- Brain damage due to injury or inflammatory or infectious diseases.
- Heredity. Predisposition to mental disorders is inherited. If a close relative has been diagnosed, then there is a high probability, for example, at a time of stress that he will not be able to cope with his feelings and, so to speak, will acquire a phobia.
- And speaking of stress. Life in tension, when a person often faces emotional upheavals, does not pass without a trace. This is especially true for workaholics who are trying to cope with deadlines. The body wastes colossal resources, which is why it suddenly fails.
- Alcohol or drug intoxication. Any kind of addiction, as dependence is called, changes not only the state of a person’s health, but also his perception of the surrounding reality, type of behavior and character.
- Negative experience. A fall from a height, even a small one, leaves an imprint on the memory. Both in adults and in children. It’s just that children mostly repress the cause of fear from their memory and when they grow up, they cannot rationally explain where it came from. It’s a little easier for mature people; they are able to tell what consequences this fall led to, how much it cost, and so on. Why do those around them treat them with great understanding?
- Parenting style. Authoritarian parents, prone to despotism and violence, both psychological and physical, form low self-esteem and a lot of fears in their children. Life in constant anxiety and worry is difficult, so the occurrence of acrophobia is not the worst thing that could happen.
- Personality type. Sometimes it happens that no stressful situations are needed; a person himself is so sensitive and anxious that he will react violently to any little thing. As if something irreparable had happened to him.
By the way, it happens that this type of phobia turns out to be congenital and not acquired. But usually it is also accompanied by a fear of sounds and light.
Experts say that this is an echo of the memory of our ancestors. Their fear of heights allowed them to survive, since the likelihood of falling from a cliff was quite high. Moreover, in the dark, fleeing from the predators that were hunting them.
Signs
In principle, an acraphobe experiences the same symptoms that occur with other phobias, even if it is a fear of horses or flowers in pots.
They will simply appear mainly when he thinks about falling, for example, from the stairs. Or he will find himself in conditions that usually cause him to have a panic attack.
Somatic manifestations
- My chest hurts and I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack. Which only intensifies the horror, since thoughts of imminent death do not calm you down and do not give you the opportunity to pull yourself together.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, which increases to maximum speed. The level of oxygen in the blood increases, from an excess of which a person can lose consciousness.
- Changes in the skin. That is, the skin either turns pale or, conversely, turns red.
- Tremor of the limbs and the whole body in general.
- Stomach upset, nausea, vomiting.
- It happens that you experience chills, despite, say, the high temperature in the room.
- Sleep disorders that cannot be overcome without sleeping pills. That is, an acrophobe will not be able to sleep until he takes the pill. Despite the fact that my eyes are closed and I have no strength. It happens that I suffer from nightmares, after which I am generally afraid to go back to bed.
- Frequent urge to go to the toilet, despite the fact that the urine is half empty.
Psychological
- Low self-esteem is both the cause and consequence of this type of mental disorder. It is impossible to feel confident in yourself and your abilities when anxiety is constantly present in the background. And it is unclear at what point a panic attack will appear.
- Aggressiveness. Anxiety, which accompanies almost every step, deprives one of the strength and resources to adequately respond to any stimuli. Why does a person respond with aggression to attempts to approach him or talk?
- Decreased cognitive abilities. Due to anxiety, a person is unable to concentrate on the task at hand. He easily forgets the necessary information, is unable to solve a simple problem and, in general, analyze some events in his life.
- Depression and tendency towards pessimism. Which is understandable. It is difficult to enjoy every day when you are quite limited in your actions. That is, an acrophobe cannot afford to go to the shopping center with friends or visit relatives, because they live in a multi-story building. And what is most depressing is choosing a job for the soul. After all, you only have to look for those that are on the first floor.
- Depression. Which is not so easy to deal with. A person loses interest in life and gets tired of constant unpleasant experiences. Stops taking care of his appearance, does not leave the house and loses his appetite. All this provokes thoughts of committing suicide, and in extreme cases, attempts that are completed successfully.
How to overcome acrophobia
There are several methods to get rid of the fear of heights. Experts identify several methods for treating height phobia.
- Drug treatment.
- Psychotherapeutic treatment.
- Self-medication.
Medication method
There are no special pills that relieve the symptoms of acrophobia. The cause of fear will not go away, remaining in the subconscious.
Antidepressants can only relieve nervousness and anxiety. Doctors recommend taking Diazepam or Midazolam in such cases.
Psychotherapeutic methods of struggle
Fear of heights is nervousness, you can get rid of it if you go to see a psychotherapist. He will tell you how to properly control and manage your emotions. There are special techniques for this.
- Cognitive behavioral treatment. Thoughts influence behavior. If you learn to control yourself, you can really overcome fear.
- Gestalt therapy also aims to control emotions. If you get rid of bad emotions, you can overcome fear.
- Hypnosis method. Correction of the internal state is carried out in a trance. The idea is instilled that fear of heights is an unreasonable phobia.
Methods of self-medication
How to overcome fear of heights at home? If a person is able to manage his behavior and feelings, he can overcome fear on his own. To do this you need to do meditation. Self-hypnosis also helps relieve nervous conditions. The technique helps well to fight fears. It is necessary to apply the method of mental vision.
The “face to face” technique also helps overcome fear of heights. You should not run away from danger, you need to take a good look at it. You are afraid of heights and live on the 5th floor. You need to go to the balcony and start self-hypnosis.
Repeat to yourself that there is nothing to be afraid of, and the fear will soon go away. At this moment, you should not look down, you need to focus on your thoughts. To overcome acrophobia, many recommend:
- go on excursions to high platforms (don’t look down for too long);
- go to the pool: to overcome emotions, start jumping from a springboard;
- tell people about your concerns;
- You need to train your fear by going on rides, etc.
Ski jumping will help you overcome fear
