Fear of Heights with Hypnotherapy

The Fear of Heights, like all phobias, almost always cause Anxiety and Stress for the sufferer. It is also known as Acrophobia.

While the feared object or situation may seem, to other people, to be ridiculous or silly, the person who suffers from the phobia knows only too well that the Anxiety that they experience is real enough.

It has been known, for many years, that our minds are more than capable of producing a real biological reaction to any given situation and so as long as the Phobic person “believes” that the object or situation they fear represents danger to them, then they will experience the fear.

Most people who suffer a Phobia such as the Fear of Heights realise that their fear is “irrational” but they continue to experience it nevertheless.

Symptoms of the Fear of Heights

The symptoms of the Fear of Heights are very similar to other specific phobias and will often include:

• Feelings of panic, dread or terror near edges of tall buildings
• A recognition that the fear goes beyond normal boundaries and is generally disproportionate
• Fear of Heights causes reactions that seem to be automatic and uncontrollable and can seem to take over a person’s thoughts
• Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, tightening of the stomach muscles and an overwhelming desire to escape the situation—all the physical reactions associated with extreme fear or danger
• Extreme measures are taken to avoid the feared object or situation – these are known as “Avoidance” strategies or behaviors

The Fear of Heights may be the result of negative emotional experiences that could be directly or indirectly linked to the object or situational fear itself.

Over time the “phobic reaction” usually become “normalized” or in other words “accepted” as a limiting factor in that person’s life – “I’ve learnt to live with it.”

In just as many cases, the Fear of Heights may have become worse over time as more and more sophisticated avoidance strategies and behaviors are developed.

In almost all cases the avoidance behaviors actually contribute to the Phobia rather than solve the problem!

The good news is that the vast majority of people who suffer from the Fear of Heights will find a course of Hypnotherapy helps enormously.