It’s okay to feel the fear. It is a very natural emotion for all living beings. Fear can be healthy when it gives you the survival instincts to keep yourself protected from danger. Fear can be unhealthy when it controls or prevents you from doing things you normally enjoy. This extreme condition is called phobia. A lasting or uncontrollable fear of any situation, certain object, or activity that even leads to a panic attack. There are various types of phobias. Here I have discussed the fear of heights phobia called acrophobia. If a person feels fear or discomfort when reaching heights or even when thinking about it, then it is called acrophobia.
What is acrophobia?
As said, acrophobia is the fear of heights. This is one of the most common fears; a recent study says that 1 in 20 people experience acrophobia in their life. This irrational, intense feeling of fear of heights may raise anxiety to an extreme level. If continued, the person may trigger a panic attack also.
How do they behave?
An acrophobic person will try to avoid situations like thinking about heights, climbing a ladder, traveling in a plane, walking on a bridge or even standing on a balcony. If you find any of these signs from your partner or friend, take early measures to protect them from any profound effects on their life. Anyone with this condition may restrict themselves from moving anywhere or choosing to do anything that involves the feeling of fear.
Such a controlled life would affect the growth in their social life and career life. Therefore, it is better to consult a doctor whenever you aren’t able to control the emotions of fear.
Acrophobia causes
Acrophobia causes are many. Some children develop this phobia right from their childhood days. It couldn’t be noticed until they grow up or open up their mind to their parents.
Researchers have made several theories for the cause of acrophobia:
Evolutionary theories of acrophobia suggest that while parenting, some children are made susceptible to certain activities, behaviors, or attitudes. In our case, falling from a height threatened their survival.
A child who observes their parents or guardian experiencing fear of heights is likely to develop the same fear.
People who have trauma or witnessed someone else falling from a height are likely to develop acrophobia.
Certain bad experiences like falling from a tree or falling from hills while trekking may also develop a phobia for some people.
Abnormal signs to notice from acrophobic people
The following symptoms are seen in many acrophobic people. These are usually similar to anxiety disorders.
- Irregular heartbeat
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
How to handle such people?
Follow these tips to protect your partner or friend from panic attacks:
- Do not force them to go to heights.
- Do not talk about heights with them.
- Do not make them worry about encountering heights in the future.
These could be simple help we can do to make their life happy.
Treatment for acrophobia
When diagnosed with acrophobia, your doctor may suggest the following acrophobia treatments.
The therapists may help you confront the fear by gradually exposing you to the situation, activity, or other factors that cause the fear. After several sessions, the patient should feel better and adapt to those situations that fear them the most.
Another well-known treatment method is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In this case, your psychologist will identify the irrational thoughts relating to the fear and use techniques to replace those thoughts with more accurate ones.
In a few cases, hypnotism helped patients to recover from their phobic state. Hypnotherapy means the therapist will help you enter a relaxed state and use techniques to unlearn the fear response to the heights.