How to Get Over the Fear of Heights

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How to get over the fear of heights? This is the question that many internet users asking, hoping to find an answer that will change their life. One treatment that can answer your question about how to overcome a fear of heights is hypnosis. Fear of heights hypnosis is a method that takes advantage of the subconscious. But let us explain to you first what fear of heights is all about.

Fear of heights aka acrophobia is a medical condition when a person afraid to be on a balcony of a high-rise building or even to look through the window down.

Cure for fear of heights

Are you afraid of heights? You are not alone. Almost 100% of everyone in the world is afraid of heights to one extent or the other. Even animals are afraid of heights. Some people are just more afraid of heights than others. While for some, their fear of heights is extreme. It goes on to the extent that their fear may affect their daily lives. This condition is called acrophobia. A person with acrophobia cannot work or live in high rise buildings because of their fear of height. They may not even be able to live in buildings above a story building. People suffering from severe cases may even have problems climbing ladders or using the stairwell. This can actually get disturbing because the person may start behaving dangerously in situations where it is much safer if the person is calm. For example, it can quite dangerous to be uneasy while climbing a ladder which requires you to be considerably calm and collected as a ladder is quite unstable and you can fall off.

The difference between normal and abnormal fear of heights

There are three main levels in the fear of heights. The first is a physiological fear of heights which is normal and every human should have. For example, any sane person who tries bungee jumping (where they have to jump from a very high place with nothing but a rope to support them) for the first time should be considerably afraid. That’s quite normal considering the circumstances. There is another level of the fear of heights called visual height intolerance. This situation is slightly worse than a normal fear of heights. A person having visual height intolerance may experience vertigo (a sensation that the world is spinning) and an intense uneasiness if he/she gets to a high area like a cliff. This is like the level two difficulties. It is worse than a normal fear of heights but not as bad as acrophobia. The third and highest level of the fear of heights is acrophobia. This is actually a type of anxiety disorder (more accurately a type of phobia disorder). A person suffering from acrophobia is on the extreme end. This type of fear of heights is completely irrational and may seem absurd in some situations. In severe cases, the person may find it difficult to climb a few meters off the ground. It is estimated that about 28 in 100 people (28%) have visual height intolerance. About 6.4% of people have acrophobia.

Treatment options and how to overcome the fear of heights

There are many ways that can help you to get over the fear of heights.

Orthodox methods include cognitive-behavioral therapies and medications. These methods like all methods have their ups and downs. For example, medications have been shown to be successful in treating many anxiety disorders. However, it is more like a palliative treatment that deals with mostly the symptoms and not really deals with the root cause. One major problem with medications in addition to what is mentioned earlier is their side effects. Psychotherapies like cognitive behavioral therapy involve education, counseling, and gradually making the person suffering from acrophobia face his/her fears. This can be largely disturbing for people especially if they are not fully cured. What medical practice does is to combine different methods to increase the chances of improvement.

Hypnosis for fear of heights – the answer to how to get over the fear of heights

As we mentioned above one treatment that can help is fear of heights hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a method that takes advantage of the subconscious. It is believed that most humans use only 10% of their brains at a time. The remaining 90% of the brain rests in the subconscious. This means there is a lot of potential in the brain that remains untapped.

Fear of heights hypnosis gets a person into a state of semi-consciousness and then makes suggestions to the subconscious part of the mind. Suggestions can be used to improve a person’s well-being in many areas or otherwise. A correct hypnotic session on fear of heights uses a combination of different techniques of hypnosis. Some of the different types of fear of heights hypnosis which is usually combined are relaxation hypnosis, the Ericksonian hypnosis therapy where the person is given indirect suggestions, and neuro-linguistic programming. This is because it is believed among hypnotists that people tend to resist direct suggestions and are more open to indirect suggestions. Think about it, if someone tells you not to look up, you will have the temptation to do just the opposite. This is because no one really likes being told what to do. The best method of persuasion is indirect. During a fear of heights hypnosis session, the person is first made to relax by using relaxation hypnotic techniques. This gets them into a trance-like state where their subconscious is more open. Then indirect suggestions can be given to them in the form of stories and metaphors. These suggestions are taken in by the subconscious mind which is believed to influence the physical mind by hypnosis. Perhaps it is noteworthy to state that overcomes the fear of heights by hypnosis may not be a panacea for all types of illnesses, it can help a great deal. Of course, it is also noteworthy to say fear of heights hypnosis may not work for everyone as everyone has varying susceptibility to hypnosis. The same goes for the cognitive behavioral therapy and other orthodox methods used for the treatment of fear of heights. They do not work for everyone so if one method does not work, they try another.

Fear of heights hypnosis has its own pros and cons – like any other treatment methods. The pros are from the fact that it seems to work. There are reports by some people, even skeptics that the process works. However, the downside is that it does not work for everyone (conventional treatment methods like cognitive behavioral therapies does not also work for everyone). Also, it seems to have gained quite a reputation among psychotherapists. This means it may have some credibility. The con, however, is that it is highly controversial scientifically. There are no known scientific proofs and it is still under debate. This, however, does not mean it does not work.