What does acrophobia mean?
Acrophobia is an intense fear of height. People with acrophobia may feel anxiety and panic, when they are standing in high places such as the top floor of a building/house, bridge, or mountain. If you have acrophobia, thinking about crossing bridges or seeing photos of a mountain, this situation may trigger your fear and anxiety.
What type of heights do people with acrophobia fear?
The type of heights that people fear include:
- Ascending a set of stairs on height.
- Climbing on a ladder.
- Crossing a bridge on height or staying on it.
- Take a ride on a rollercoaster.
- Have fear of standing on the balcony or top floor of the building
- Gaze out a window on a tall building
If you are experiencing the above intense fear that limits your personal life, you should meet with your healthcare provider so you can take proper treatments on time.
Acrophobia (fear of heights) symptoms:
Feelings of anxiety and panic are the main symptoms of acrophobia. Some people trigger with extreme heights or some people trigger with climbing on stools and stairs.
These symptoms are two types:
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Physical symptoms of fear of height (Acrophobia):
- Sudden increased sweating, chest discomfort, increased heart beat.
- Feeling nervous, when you are thinking about the height
- Trembling and shaking when confronted with extreme height
- You can lose your balance when you are looking up at high places or down from them.
- With acrophobia,you may avoid height at any cost, even if it is important for you.
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Physiological symptoms of fear of height (Acrophobia):
- You may feel a sense of panic when you are faced with height or thinking of going up a high place.
- Can feel extreme fear of being trapped with a high altitude
- You may experience extreme intense anxiety and fear when you have climbed stairs, crazed up a window, or driving on an overpass.
- You may worry excessively when you encounter heights in future
What are the causes of acrophobia?
There are several causes of acrophobia, including:
- Traumatic experience: These experiences, such as falling from a significant height, or watching someone else fall from a high place.
- Genetics: Researchers suggest that genetics play a vital role in development of acrophobia. If someone in your family history has a fear of heights, you may also suffer from this.
- Person’s upbringing: Upbringing may also cause acrophobia. For instance, if a person grew up in an environment where they were always cautious and avoided risk, they may develop acrophobia.
- Brain Chemistry: According to researchers brain chemistry may contribute to the development of fear of heights.
- Conditioning: Someone can develop fear of height through a process which is called conditioning. For example, if a person has a panic attack while being on a high floor of a building or house, they could form an association between a specific location and fear. This may cause the development of acrophobia.
Acrophobia may occur due to a variety of reasons or combination of factors. Here is suggesting treatment of acrophobia may include therapy, meditations, or combination of both. This will depend on person’ severity.
Treatment of Acrophobia (Fear of Heights):
If a person has acrophobia, and wishes to overcome it, they can consider the following treatments options for acrophobia:
Exposure Therapy: It is the most common type of therapy for psychological treatment. In this therapy, you will work with your healthcare provider or therapist to expose yourself to what you are afraid of. They will slowly encourage them to enter situations that may cause anxiety.
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy: This therapy is one of the types of psychological treatment that uses the latest technology to show the person is realistic. This may be a fake situation but helps them manage stressful and anxiety situations. If you have acrophobia you may use a virtual reality (VR) headset that will replicate situations that involve heights. Through this therapy, you may be completely safe and feel real but aren’t. Research has proved that this therapy is effective in the treatment of acrophobia.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) is used for psychological treatment. In this therapy, your therapist can assist you in accepting a new outlook by engaging queries, and dialogue. This can help you to enhance your ability to manage and how to react to anxiety when you feel that cause of your fear.
Summing Up:
Acrophobia or fear of heights, can have a significant effect on a person’s daily life. Unfortunately, there are several treatments and therapies available to overcome a fear of heights. Exposure therapy, virtual reality therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapies are available in the market. These methods involve gradually exposing an individual to heights in a safe environment and helping them to manage their anxiety and fear. With the help of a good psychologist or yoga therapist, it is possible for individuals to fear heights and lead a fulfilling and safe life without limitations imposed by their phobia.Ai content Detection Results:
