Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Recognizing and Dealing with Fear
• Method 2 of 4: Working on yourself
• Method 3 of 4: Medication for Acrophobia
• Method 4 of 4: Dangerous Myths
• Tips

According to experts, severe fear of heights, or acrophobia, affects up to 5% of the total population. Of course, almost everyone experiences a certain amount of excitement at the thought of a long, risky decline, but for some, the fear is too debilitating. If your fear of heights is so great that it interferes with your performance at school or work, or prevents you from enjoying your daily life, you are probably acrophobic. In this article, you will learn what this condition is and how to deal with it.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Recognizing and Dealing with Fear

1. 1 Identify what triggers the feeling of fear. You may need special treatment to combat your phobia, rather than just the general therapy that is indicated for anxiety disorders, because just the thought of height can cause you a lot of stress. You may also experience physiological reactions such as a fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, and sweating. In this case, you are indicated for treatment for the phobia and not for other types of anxiety disorders. If your fear of heights is less intense, you may be able to reduce the discomfort of heights with proper exercise. If your fear is so great that you cannot cope with it on your own, you will need psychotherapy or medication.
   • For example, did it happen that you turned down a job because you had to work on a high floor, or did not come to a meeting with important people because the meeting place was very high? If so, this may indicate a more serious problem (about a phobia or anxiety neurosis) than a fear of heights.
   • If you don't know how often the fear of heights has prevented you from doing what you wanted to do, sit down and make a list. Think of all the times when you were unable to do something you wanted or needed to do. The list on paper will help you better understand how much fear affects your life.
2. 2 Consider whether you might be physically harmed in situations in which you are afraid. By definition, a phobia is an irrational fear of something that most people don't consider dangerous. If your fear of heights is not very strong, you may need to turn to statistics. Most of the things that provoke fear of heights (skyscrapers, planes, roller coasters) are perfectly safe. These structures are specially designed to withstand loads. Remember that ordinary activities like flying an airplane or working on a high floor cannot harm you.
   • For example, on the flights of some companies, the probability of getting into a plane crash is only 1 in 20 million .. Compare this with the probability of a lightning hitting a person - this is 1 in 1 million ..
3. 3 Relax. A variety of self-awareness relaxation techniques (such as yoga or meditation) can help you combat the effects of fear and anxiety on your life. Sometimes it's enough to just do deep breathing exercises and think about situations that make you fearful. You can go to yoga classes. Relaxation exercises will help you understand how your emotions relate to physiological processes: breathing, heartbeat, sweating.
   • To control the physiological processes associated with phobias and anxiety, you should exercise regularly, get more sleep and eat right. To get started, just do very little: go for walks regularly or drink homemade fruit juices instead of fatty snacks.
4. 4 Try to avoid caffeine. Caffeine can increase the anxiety associated with acrophobia. Reducing or eliminating caffeine can help reduce symptoms. In addition, quitting caffeine will relieve you of excessive stress, and it will be easier for you to deal with your fear.
5. 5 Gradually start confronting yourself with your fear. Try to move slowly in the direction of fighting fear and find yourself more often at high altitudes. For example, first go to the balcony on the third floor. Then, hike up the high mountain and look down at the distance you've covered. When you get used to these sensations, increase the height. It is best to do this with someone else as you will need support, so bring a friend with you. Take pride in every achievement and don't give up. Over time, you may even decide to rope jump off a bridge to praise yourself for your successes.
   • Forcing yourself to do something that throws you off balance can be difficult. To push yourself to do this, you should create situations in which you will have to face fear. For example, if you're in an amusement park and your friend wants you to ride a ride with him, agree and buy yourself a ticket. You are more likely to decide on something if you take some action. To calm down, think about relaxation techniques.

Method 2 of 4: Working on yourself

1. 1 Know what you can and cannot. If you regularly turn down offers because of your fear of heights and have already tried to confront yourself with it, you may need long-term therapies. Study these options carefully - they may help you.
   • Various psychotherapy methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, are effective in combating acrophobia.
2. 2 Choose the therapist who is right for you. There are different schools of psychotherapy, from traditional to existential and alternative. The goal of psychotherapy is to help you gradually relieve fear safely and teach you how to control your anxiety. Therapy can be combined with medication, and it's up to you to decide which treatment to agree to. When choosing a doctor, the following factors should be considered:
   • Accreditation. Before you start attending sessions, read the information about the education of doctors and their certificates. Choose a physician who is qualified to work in this field and who has some experience in the treatment of phobias and anxiety disorders.
   • An experience. You should choose a psychotherapist who has worked long enough to help many people. If you have the opportunity, talk to the doctor's former patients. Ask how effective and comfortable the sessions were, and wonder if these people would recommend their doctor. If the therapist has little experience or cannot boast of healthy patients, it is better to look for someone else.
   • Method of treatment. Most good psychotherapists use modern techniques based on scientific evidence that have been evaluated in key publications on psychotherapy, but some people are more suited to holistic and alternative methods, which are also based on research.
3. 3 Make an appointment with a psychotherapist and talk about your problem. Once you have selected a doctor, make an appointment to determine if the specialist is right for you. Different psychotherapists approach fears in different ways, but almost everyone will ask you to describe fear, ask how long you have had it, what problems it causes, and so on. Be honest. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for your doctor to treat you.
   • Ask your therapist which methods of dealing with fear are effective and which are not.
4. 4 Learn techniques to control fear. You will surely be taught how to deal with fear. This may not relieve your anxiety, but it will make it more manageable. With the help of a therapist, you will learn to overcome fear and begin to understand your thoughts and feelings.Over time, you will be able to accept your fear and relate to it more calmly.
5. 5 Begin to gradually find yourself in more fearful situations. To reduce anxiety, some psychotherapists suggest gradually dealing with situations that provoke fear, starting with the simplest, so that over time the patient ceases to be susceptible to them. For example, to begin with, you can imagine that you are standing on the edge of a cliff. Then, when you can come to terms with it, look at the image taken from a high altitude. In recent years, psychotherapists have been able to use virtual reality in their work, which allows them to recreate certain situations and manage them.
   • When it is possible to achieve some success, the patient may be recommended to fly an airplane or any other action that initially caused a strong fear.
6. 6 Be prepared to work on your own. Many psychotherapists provide home reading literature and home exercises to help reinforce new techniques and techniques. You will need to work on your thoughts and apply strategies to deal with anxiety on a daily basis.
   • You may be asked to do breathing exercises, thought experiments, and more at home.

Method 3 of 4: Medication for Acrophobia

1. 1 Find a psychiatrist or other doctor who has had to prescribe drugs for phobias in the past. It is important to choose a professional who is familiar with your problem. If you do not know doctors who work with phobias, you should seek advice from a therapist - he will probably be able to advise you from a colleague.
   • Remember that medications will not solve your fearful psychological problems, but they will help you relax and calm down.
   • Try alternative and natural treatments. These include acupuncture, meditation, essential oils. Check with your doctor before trying this treatment.
2. 2 Talk to your doctor frankly. Communication is extremely important when choosing a treatment. If you describe your symptoms as clearly and clearly as possible, your doctor can make the right medication decision. Share your symptoms and let a psychiatrist help you.
3. 3 Review the information on medications. Not all doctors will be familiar with the full range of acrophobia medications, so you can research this information yourself. Discuss this information with your doctor - he will be able to evaluate this data. Many drugs have side effects, and if you decide that the potential benefits are not worth the risk, there is nothing wrong with that. As a rule, the following drugs are prescribed:
   • Antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) act on certain neurotransmitters that are responsible for mood.
   • Benzodiazepines are fast-acting psychoactive drugs that can be used to temporarily block anxiety. They are effective in the short term, but can be addictive.
   • Beta inhibitors interfere with the production of adrenaline. These drugs are commonly used to relieve symptoms of anxiety, such as tremors and a fast heartbeat.
4. 4 See your doctor about treatment for vision and vestibular disorders. The cause of acrophobia is clear, but research results indicate that there may be another reason, which is how the body interprets visual and spatial impulses from the visual system and vestibular apparatus. In some people, acrophobia results from the inability to perceive these impulses at altitudes, where the significance of this information increases. This can lead to a feeling of disorientation in space, dizziness and inability to assess the position of the limbs.
   • In this case, acrophobia is caused by physiological, not psychological factors, and it is important to discuss this with your doctor. You may be referred to a specialist who works with these disorders.
5. 5 Consider all possible treatment options. In some cases, especially when traditional methods do not help, you should also look at the so-called alternative methods. They are not suitable for everyone, but they can help in certain situations. These treatments include acupuncture; exercises to concentrate on thoughts and feelings that allow you to relax; a system of guided mental images that activates consciousness; decreased sensitivity to eye movement; restoration of biofeedback.
   • As with most unconventional treatments, you should first discuss this with a trusted doctor.

Method 4 of 4: Dangerous Myths

1. 1 Do not kick out a wedge with a wedge. Often times, people who are afraid of something are advised to do something that will terrify them. For someone who is afraid of heights, this action could be a roller coaster ride, skydiving, or being on the edge of a cliff. Recent research suggests that acrophobia is an innate rather than an acquired fear, so such actions do not have any positive consequences. Quite the opposite: it can increase fear.
   • The exact cause of acrophobia has not yet been established. Until a person has dealt with fear, it is not recommended to subject him to height tests without appropriate psychotherapy and medication.
2. 2 Don't put up with your fear of heights. If this interferes with your work, rest and doing your usual activities, you cannot turn a blind eye to this problem. Resigning yourself to it and just living with it is not the best strategy. If you try to hide this fear in yourself, it can lead to excessive stress and bad decisions.
   • You are stronger than you think. Don't be afraid to start treatment. Make an appointment with a therapist, psychiatrist, or other professional and start dealing with your fear.

Tips

• Try using the jump jumps at your local pool, starting at the bottom level and working your way up.
• Try to find other people who have acrophobia. Being in a community can provide some comfort, as well as show you new ways to deal with fear and concepts that you may not have been able to consider on your own.
• Looking around from a high floor, try to enjoy the view.
• Relaxing is sometimes harder than it sounds, but when dealing with fear, relaxing is very important - at least give it a try. Breathe deeply. Think of something nice or beautiful.
• If you are on a balcony or in an open area where you can fall, do not bend over or look down. This will cause anxiety and increase the likelihood of an accident. Instead, grab the handrails and try to focus on feeling stable and secure.
• Talk to people who work at heights every day: window cleaners, construction workers, lumberjacks, electricians, rock climbers, crane drivers, and more.
• Follow these simple exercises to help you gradually get used to the height:
  • Climb the tree without belay.
  • Climb up the rope ladder with soft pillows down. Try to climb a little higher each time.
  • Hang from a rope tied to a large tree. If possible, jump from it into the water.
• One way to overcome fear is to imagine that you are standing on a level surface on the ground, and not somewhere high up.