Acrophobia (fear of heights) – what is it, benefits and harms

Doctors call a pathological fear of heights acrophobia. This psychological disease, which affects about 5 percent of the world's population, has become widespread due to the development of technology and science.

Technological progress has given people the opportunity to rise to previously unattainable heights and intensified pathology.

When a person experiences fear on the roof of a high-rise building or near a cliff, this cannot be considered acrophobia. After all, if it were not for this protective reaction of the body, it would not recoil from the edge and could easily fall down.

If you are afraid of being at high altitude, do not worry. The brain is just trying to send you a signal to mobilize your strength and be careful.

But when you feel dizzy, your hands are shaking and you start to feel sick on the 4th floor balcony, this may be a symptom of a disease. In this case, it is worth thinking about how to overcome your fear of heights. After all, if the disease continues to develop, you will begin to experience horror even in situations that do not threaten you with a fall.

Psychologists note that acrophobia often leads to thoughts of suicide, and patients often choose jumping from a skyscraper as a method.

Definition of acrophobia

Acrophobia is the fear of heights. The word comes from the Greek language. Akros means upper, and phobos means fear. Doctors do not consider this condition a serious illness because, in their opinion, it does not affect a person’s quality of life. Other phobias, such as fear of open areas and crowds of people, are considered more dangerous. Because of them, people find themselves imprisoned in their own home. They are unable to work normally or perform simple activities, such as going to the store for purchases.

With acrophobia the situation is simpler. Skydiving or climbing mountains are not vital activities. Fear of heights deprives a person of only some entertainment. These include hot air balloon rides, rides on cable cars, slides in a water park, etc. In addition, he will not be able to live on the upper floors.

Despite all this, fear of heights is much more serious than it seems. This is evidence that a person’s nervous system is impaired and there is also a risk of developing mental disorders.

Interesting! About 5% of the world's population suffers from acrophobia.

How can a doctor help?

An extreme degree of phobia is characterized by the fact that a person cannot calmly close his eyes. The edge of the world immediately appears, from where he must necessarily fall. This pathological fear of heights greatly interferes with life. Constant stress wears out the nervous system .

It is impossible to cope with this on your own, but psychologists can treat even the most severe phobias. The treatment takes place at the subconscious level, by immersing the patient in a hypnotic state. Hypnosis allows you to find the point where it all began. Living a difficult moment again, but with a favorable outcome, helps to overcome deep-seated fears.

This situation can lead to a panic reaction, so virtual reality is put to the service of doctors. It helps you feel the sensation of height without risking your life. Despite all the realism, the patient is still sure that this is not real, and is less afraid. Getting used to high-altitude views gradually transfers to the real world.

Types of acrophobia

There are several types of phobias associated with fear of heights:

• aerophobia - fear of flying;
• bathophobia - fear of sudden changes in depth or height;
• Illingophobia is the fear of feeling dizzy at altitude.

There is also climacophobia - the fear of climbing stairs.

What is fear of heights called?

Panic, pathological fear of heights is called acrophobia. This is a fairly common phobia that many people suffer from.

Acrophobia can cause a lot of trouble to a person, especially if his activities are related to life in a metropolis and the need to stay in high-rise buildings. People may be terrified of elevators that take them to high floors, stairs, or escalators. Without treatment, this phobia can progress and cause isolation, stress, and health problems.

Acrophobia and natural fear of heights - differences

There is hardly a person who will not experience discomfort while being on the edge of a high cliff or riding a Ferris wheel. And that's okay. If such feelings did not exist, people would die out due to reckless actions. But thanks to natural fear, you will step back from the edge of the roof of a high-rise building or the same cliff, so as not to fall from a height. In this case, you will not experience any unpleasant mental or physical symptoms.

With acrophobia things are different. Fear of heights seems to paralyze a person’s consciousness, depriving him of the ability to make adequate decisions or, for example, to escape from danger. Over time, fear intensifies. Discomfort appears at low, non-hazardous heights. Some people are even afraid to stand on a chair.

The second characteristic feature of acrophobia is an attempt to avoid situations in which unpleasant emotions may appear. An ordinary person will behave calmly if he is on a hill, riding in an elevator, or standing on a balcony on the upper floors. Those who have a fear of heights avoid such places.

Acrophobia lives in the subconscious, and it is completely illogical. A person cannot analyze the situation and understand that there is no danger for him. He does not realize that in order to fall he needs to take a step forward, and in order to avoid it he needs to step back. He's just terrified.

Fear that no one will save you

Sometimes the fear of heights is triggered by the fear that no one will help if you fall. This feeling occurs if the baby fell when no one was nearby, or it was provoked by adults. A loved one can help you cope with such fear. But to do this, you will have to do an exercise on trust and height every day.

1. The child must stand on a chair or ladder. In this case, the assistant must firmly hold its base. This way the baby will feel more confident while on the stepladder. The assistant will then simply stand nearby, but not support the base.
2. Support exercises. It is necessary for the child to turn his back to you, try to fall, and you need to catch him. This will build trust in him.
3. Go to scary places together, like a rooftop or a Ferris wheel. It is important that the baby feels that there is someone next to him who can, if something happens, support him.

Now you know how to get rid of your fear of heights. Remember that this process should not be instantaneous, it is important to gradually come to it, making small victories over yourself. If the fear arose as a result of a serious trauma in the past, then it is better to seek help from a psychotherapist who will teach you how to properly deal with your phobia.

Causes

It is impossible to say unequivocally what provokes the development of acrophobia. Psychiatrists and psychologists have not yet reached a consensus on this issue. But several reasons were still identified.

Innate fear

Scientists have proven that fear of heights is genetic. To do this, they conducted an interesting study. The floor surface was divided into two parts. The first one was made transparent. The second one was no different from the usual sex. They created the illusion of emptiness from below. Not a single child participating in the experiment wanted to stand on a transparent surface, even in cases where his parents persuaded him to do so.

Brain disorders

They occur after a person has had a viral or infectious disease. Risk factors also include excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Special personality constitution

There are people with increased sensitivity to everything that happens around them. They react sharply to any event, experience discomfort in bright lights, loud sounds, or the need to be near other people for a long time. They don't watch scenes of violence in films and are afraid of blood. There are about 10% of these on the planet.

A highly sensitive nervous system is one of the reasons for the development of acrophobia.

Traumatic situations from the past

Perhaps someone experienced stress associated with heights in early childhood. Often a person no longer remembers under what circumstances everything happened. But this information is imprinted in his subconscious.

Balance problems

The last reason that provokes the development of acrophobia is disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus.

Imaginary danger

It should be noted right away: in car accidents, which occur much more often, the likelihood of dying is thousands of times greater than in a plane crash. This is evidenced by dry statistics. An airplane passenger has a one in 45 million chance of crashing. Let's do the math: even if he flew every day, such a death could have overtaken him only after 123 thousand years.

Pilots go through several stages of training. They are people too and they want the number of takeoffs to equal the number of landings.

As for modern aircraft, they are very reliable and have several redundant systems. That is, if one fails, the other will start working, which will allow the plane to land safely at the nearest airport. Both the crew and ground services will make efforts to achieve this.

Of course, we have heard news more than once about plane crashes with many victims. Each case has its own reasons, often a coincidence. But all of them are carefully investigated, studied and measures are taken to ensure that this does not happen again.

Symptoms of acrophobia

Fear of heights manifests itself in two types of symptoms: somatic and mental.

Somatic

A person faces the following signs of pathology:

• shortness of breath at rest;
• tachycardia;
• dizziness;
• pale skin;
• nervous trembling;
• lump in throat;
• feeling of tightness in the chest, pain;
• excessive sweating;
• feeling of dry mouth;
• nausea;
• stomach upset;
• frequent urge to urinate;
• insomnia, long time falling asleep;
• waking up too early;
• nightmares, restless sleep.

When encountering the listed symptoms, many patients do not think at all that these are manifestations of acrophobia. Therefore, they go to the wrong doctors, undergo a bunch of examinations, but still cannot get the right treatment. As a result, the phobia intensifies, causing the development of other disorders or fears.

Mental

Mental symptoms include:

• excessive fussiness, haste;
• irritability, anger;
• aggressiveness;
• excessive stress;
• severe anxiety;
• constantly thinking about what might happen, such as falling;
• anxiety, bad feelings;
• problems with concentration;
• "empty head.

When fear reaches its peak, the patient's condition worsens. Due to spasm of blood vessels, dizziness appears, fainting, and loss of contact with reality are possible.

People who have more mental symptoms than physical symptoms are highly focused on their feelings and experiences. They often become depressed and refuse treatment, not believing in its effectiveness. Due to excessive suspiciousness, they are afraid of the side effects of medications prescribed by a doctor. Trying to avoid them, carefully read the annotations to them.

Expert advice

Here are eleven recommendations on how to act for aerophobes, given by specialists from the above-mentioned centers:

1. Keep stress to a minimum . Here's what you need to do to achieve this. Before your flight, be sure to get enough sleep. It is better to check in online at home by printing out your boarding passes. It is better not to take large luggage with you - you will have to stand in line for weighing with it; it is better to get by with hand luggage. Choose the most comfortable way to arrive at the airport.
2. It is important to choose comfortable seats on the plane, where turns and shakes will not be felt . In the Boeing 737-800 this is from rows 12 to 18, in the Airbus A320 - from 8 to 15. In any case, do not sit in the back - you will certainly get motion sickness there.
3. You need to dress comfortably for the trip , no buttoned collars or tight ties - clothes and shoes should be comfortable. It is advisable not to wear watches with a tight strap, narrow bracelets, or rings.
4. Grab a special neck pillow.
5. Don't be shy about telling your guides about your phobia . Quite often they are imbued with such a problem and can take you into the cockpit and introduce you to the crew. This, as psychologists say, will eliminate the depersonalization of those driving the plane and will provide an opportunity to gain confidence in their professionalism.
6. Get distracted and have fun . Nowadays they offer movies on planes, but you may not like them. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare in advance: download some interesting film, audiobook, or game to your smartphone or tablet. And don't forget to take your headphones with you!
7. Relax . To do this, you can breathe deeply, slowly count to ten to yourself, or chant mantras.
8. Find an interesting interlocutor . This, of course, is difficult, but maybe you will be lucky and your neighbor will distract you from your imagination-inducing fantasies with his stories. A flight attendant can be a good conversationalist.
9. Drink more . We are not talking about alcoholic beverages, although a glass of champagne in honor of the holiday would not hurt, but about juice or still water. The air in the cabin is dry, and this will help cope with thirst.
10. Restore blood circulation . To do this, you need to walk around the salon, bend over several times, and rise on your toes. If you are embarrassed to draw attention to your person in this way, then you can sit straight in a chair, straighten your shoulders and rotate your hands and feet.
11. For general development, inquire in advancehow airplanes are designed and fly, and their level of safety. That is, as already mentioned, to learn materiel.

Acrophobia in a child

In children, acrophobia can be congenital or acquired. In the second case, it develops if the child was dropped or he himself fell from a height. Sometimes fear is a consequence of overprotection on the part of parents.

Symptoms of the pathology are the same as in adults. Even at a low altitude, for example, in a high chair, the child experiences tachycardia, dizziness, and nausea. Sometimes body temperature rises.

It is easier for adults to control the negative emotions that arise in them. And it’s not always possible to do this. Imagine how much more difficult it is for a child whose psyche is still in the formative stage. In a panic, he cannot decide what to do next: stay in place or go down.

More about aerophobia

Man cannot fly, he was created that way by nature or God, but he has always dreamed of it. Since the invention of the hot air balloon, and then the airplane, he finally had such an opportunity: now he can fly anywhere. But, at the same time, some homo sapiens developed an uncontrollable fear of flying in a device specially adapted for this.

In fact, any person, due to the instinct of self-preservation, is afraid of the previously unknown and dangerous. Such anxiety usually arises before the first flight in life. While on an airplane, an air passenger experiences discomfort; the body reacts to the unusual environment and pressure difference with a headache or earache, and nausea. It becomes alarming when the airliner shakes when it enters a turbulence zone or it falls into an air pocket. Such anxiety is a protective reaction of the body, which passes over time or is not given much importance.

It’s another matter if the fear of flying is irrational, inexplicable; takeoff and landing, and even the flight itself, are “like death” for an aerophobe. He is frightened by the sound of the engine running, landing gear retracting and extending, wing mechanization, and everything described above. He is nervous, sweats, rubs his palms, tugs at his hair, reacts violently to everything that happens on board, and often tries to drown out his fears by getting drunk before the flight or starting scandals.

Such fear, literally panic, arises from an obsessive fear of death and the inability to keep the situation under control. The aerophobe experiences insurmountable horror, because he is firmly convinced that the plane can fall, since he is not in charge of all processes and nothing depends on him.

Aerophobia can develop in a person who has previously found himself in a real dangerous situation that arose during a flight. However, it can also be imaginary, far-fetched. People who are successful, intelligent, with a strong character, but with an anxious type of thinking are susceptible to this disorder. They are afraid to entrust their life to someone else, because they are used to being responsible for themselves, to control everything that happens. Such individuals do not understand the essence of the operation of aircraft systems and the processes that ensure its safety.

Sometimes aerophobia is accompanied by a fear of closed spaces and heights (claustrophobia and acrophobia, respectively). In this case, it is a symptom of these psychological problems.

The benefits and harms of fear of heights

Acrophobia brings both benefits and harm. Psychologists consider it a strengthened instinct of self-preservation, which prevents a person from thoughtlessly risking his health or life. He will never jump with a parachute, walk across a narrow bridge over an abyss, or ride dangerous rides. Such people do not have a craving for extreme sports. They don't need adrenaline. And this is a big plus. According to statistics, they are less likely than others to be injured due to falls.

The harm of fear of heights is expressed in the development of the above somatic and mental symptoms. No matter how hard a person tries to protect himself, sometimes he still has to deal with heights. At such moments he feels a lot of tension. His heart works overtime, and his blood vessels simply do not have time to respond to the rapidly changing volume of blood. As a result, blood pressure rises and stress develops. This leads to exhaustion, deterioration of immunity, and increased susceptibility to various diseases.

Treatment of fear of heights in adults

If acrophobia is severe, it can make a person's life significantly more difficult and requires treatment from a specialist. Without therapy, normal activities may become impossible.

Diagnostics

The basis of the diagnosis is a detailed discussion of all the existing symptoms that the patient has, with a detailed study of the medical history and life history. This allows you to find out where the phobia came from. In addition, the doctor can conduct a series of tests that will show the severity of the condition and the presence of additional problems - depression, panic attacks.

Modern methods of treatment

“The treatment of this phobia,” explains psychiatrist Alexander Pyatnitsky , “is carried out either by a psychotherapist or a clinical psychologist. Despite the fact that there is a general algorithm for helping with phobic disorders, each person is deeply individual, and therapy is tailored specifically to his personality. Conventionally, we can divide therapy into two stages. The first is work with thinking and emotions, in which we analyze various distortions of thinking, learn to work with emotions, and study self-regulation techniques. The second is gradual exposure, i.e. contact with the patient’s specific situation that causes the phobia.

The final stage of therapy for acrophobia is to come into contact with the source of fear. Photo: Pixabay

How to get rid of acrophobia

As with other phobias, the first step is to recognize the fear. And only after that start treatment. It is important that it be comprehensive.

Drug therapy

With the help of medications, you can at least temporarily muffle the symptoms. Most often, the doctor prescribes antidepressants, betaine inhibitors or benzodiazepines. They help cope with stress, relieve anxiety, and calm down.

But remember that medications do not eliminate acrophobia, since the cause of its occurrence is hidden deep in the subconscious.

Psychotherapy

A psychotherapist will help you find the root of the problem and eliminate acrophobia. Several methods have proven to be the most effective:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy. A psychotherapist will help you create attitudes aimed at combating the fear of heights, and will also teach you how to relax.
2. System arrangements. This technique involves putting the patient into a semi-trance state. At this moment, a change in his attitude towards the phobia occurs.
3. Hypnosis. The person falls into a state of suggestibility, during which the hypnotherapist corrects his behavior.
4. Desensitization. Special exercises are used to combat acrophobia.
5. Moreno method or psychodrama. The psychologist and the patient role-play possible dangerous and traumatic situations.

In some cases, body-oriented therapy is performed. It is aimed at studying the unconscious behavior of an individual, as well as the correct use of psychological defense methods.

Independent work

In addition to taking medication and working with a therapist or psychologist, it is recommended to follow a number of simple tips:

1. Don't try to overcome acrophobia in one day; get used to heights gradually. First, rise to the level at which minor discomfort appears. Listen to yourself. Reassure yourself that you are safe. Then go to the next level. And so on until you overcome fear. If possible, let a person you trust be with you at these moments.
2. Do some visualization. Imagine that you are a fearless person who is not afraid to jump with a parachute or climb to the roof of a high-rise building. Do this exercise every day. Remember that thoughts are material.
3. Face your fear of heights head on. For example, go out to the balcony and do meditation there. Go with your friends to a high observation deck. If you're afraid of dizziness, just don't look down at first.
4. Sign up for the pool. Learn to jump into the water from a low height and under the supervision of a trainer.
5. Don't hide from tall buildings. Visit friends and relatives who live on the upper floors.

Under no circumstances should you close yourself off. Talk about your fears, discuss them with people. Perhaps they too have encountered such problems. This will make it easier for you to cope with acrophobia.

What to do if your child has acrophobia

Preventing the development of acrophobia in children is easier than curing it. Therefore, try to get rid of overprotection. If your child wants to climb a tree, ladder or rope, don't stop him. Just control the process.

If your child is already afraid of heights, use the method of therapeutic fairy tales. Let the hero be brave and courageous, conquer mountain peaks without fear, fly on an airplane or jump with a parachute. Talk about it in a confident voice.

You can also simulate a situation in which the child will be a rescuer rushing to help someone. For clarity, lift your baby’s favorite toy to the top shelf.

Remember that the child’s psyche has not yet formed. This means that his behavior can be corrected. Properly selected methods will help either prevent the development of acrophobia or reduce its impact on life. If you cannot overcome it on your own, contact a specialist.

Let's understand the origins

The origins of acrophobia lie deep in the subconscious. Fear of heights is nothing more than an instinct of self-preservation . Heights are dangerous and can cause you to fall, crash, or get injured. But everything has reasonable limits. Panic at the thought of climbing one step on a stepladder can no longer be considered normal.

To effectively get rid of your fears, you need to understand the origins. There may be several options; often the cause has to be looked for in childhood:

• Some parents unintentionally foster fear. The child constantly hears that you can’t climb the slide yourself, you can’t climb trees, and you can fall from a rope ladder. At the same time, everything is seasoned with possible consequences. Imaginary dangers are so absorbed into the subconscious that it is difficult even for an adult to get rid of them;
• A real case of a fall from a height with consequences in the form of serious injury. The impressions are especially vivid on the child. Even if a person no longer remembers anything, it is impossible to overcome fear;
• Weak vestibular apparatus. In this case, the person suffering from acrophobia cannot really appreciate height;
• The tendency to phobias can be inherited, but whether it develops or not largely depends on upbringing. If a parent fails to cope with their fears, this affects the child.

If the cause is identified, fear is easier to control . The very awareness of the problem and the firm decision to get rid of it is already the beginning of the journey.

We turn to specialists for help on time!

Understanding the need to treat fears of heights is a fundamental part of successful recovery. And the sooner help is provided to such patients, the faster and easier it will be to help them. For patients with a phobia of heights, we offer individually selected complex therapy, combining medication and psychotherapeutic treatment.

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It is possible to cure a phobia of heights! Our clinic will provide you with all the conditions for complete treatment of fears of heights, come and get well!

The text was checked by medical experts: Head of the socio-psychological service of the Alkoklinik MC, psychiatrist-narcologist L.A. Serova.

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Why is such a phobia dangerous? First of all, the feeling of a person’s helplessness in front of the external manifestations of the environment. Being at heights may be a necessity due to the nature of your work or living conditions. And constantly being under stress due to a fear of heights leads to nervous disorders, sleep disturbances, a general deterioration in well-being, constant discomfort, and illness.