Fear of heights

What is the name of fear of heights? Panic fear of height is called acrophobia. On the one hand, an absolutely natural survival instinct protects you from the danger of falling and breaking. Why do some people get a painful shade?

Fear appears even at low altitude, there is a feeling that something is pushing you, pulling you down and does not want to let go.

And your fear of heights is a phobia? The main symptoms of acrophobia are: 

• dizzy; 
• increased sweating; 
• increased salivation; 
• there is nausea; 
• the pulse becomes rare;
• the temperature decreases; 
• the work of the gastrointestinal tract is activated.

In order to understand your fear of heights - a phobia or not, you do not need to climb Mount Everest. Fear of highness becomes a disease when you are horrified when climbing several steps of a ladder or on a chair. Phobias tend to increase over time, so that in the end you become frightened of the very fear. You will be tormented by the very thought of the possible appearance of fear.

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Causes of fear of heights

Fear of height, the causes of its appearance may be not only of a mental nature. If you have a disturbance of the sense of balance, a tendency to neuroses, then you are at risk. The equilibrium of the human body is possible due to the well-coordinated work of the vestibular apparatus, the visual organs, the midbrain and the cerebellum. At discrepancies in the optical image and signals from the vestibular apparatus, various information enters the brain, which is fraught with failure. One of these violations is the fear of heights. A person can not even guess at the existence of a phobia until he is at a height and does not fully feel dizzy. In a standing position, the fear of heights is more acute than sitting or lying down. Rotating the head in different directions only intensifies acrophobia. According to experts, a person is able to "catch" with a glance for an object that will reduce anxiety. This "anchor of hope" should be located no more than 25 meters from you, in order to have the expected effect.

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How to get rid of the fear of heights?

Feelings of natural fear are necessary for self-preservation and survival in extreme conditions. But with fears that have become phobias that turn your life into a nightmare, you need to fight. How to get rid of the fear of heights? Before addressing a therapist, try to cope with acrophobia yourself: 

• Awareness of fear will give a sense of control over the situation. Admit to yourself that the fear of climbing a stool, going out onto a balcony, is abnormal. Do a little effort on yourself, backing them with common sense. Do not immediately run off the jump with a parachute, which can cause even more hysterics; 
• accustom yourself to the height slowly, step by step conquer your small peaks. Start with a height, which does not appear uncomfortable, and build it up. To support you can involve a relative or an acquaintance; 
• visualization brings its favorable fruits - draw in your imagination the process of your ascent in details, feel yourself brave. Imagine how you stand on the edge of the cliff, look at the porthole, parachute. This way will help to move from fantasy to action; 
• take control of the panic in your own hands. Learn to relax, learn techniques to block the fear of heights and apply your skills in moments of fear; 
• practice on video games where it is possible to escape from pursuers by helicopter, jump from a height, etc .; 
• if all the methods did not work, visit a specialist. The psychologist will find the reason for your phobia, give recommendations on ways to relax and quickly calm under stress. If you have problems with the vestibular apparatus without medical intervention, you can not do.

Healing of fear of heights

Fear of heights is amenable to non-drug treatment, even in people who have been phobic for many years. Fear of heights, its treatment became possible thanks to the cognitive-behavioral method, widely known and successfully used in Europe for more than 25 years. The essence of therapy consists in teaching the patient self-control of mental and physical consciousness. At the same time, fear is blocked at the level of hormones.

The treatment of height fear is divided into stages: 

1. training in relaxation techniques, psychophysical control (without the use of antidepressants); 
2. practical occupation at low altitude, accompanied by a doctor (for example, balcony 3 floors). The goal is a provocation of fear. If a patient refuses to visit the altitude because of a strong fear, it may be possible to use virtual reality; 
3. activating the fear of heights, the patient applies the acquired knowledge until the level of discomfort disappears without a trace. After that, the height increases, and the technology is worked out in the same sequence.

The therapeutic effect is achieved quickly enough. Man returns to normal life in full awareness of his superiority over phobia.

How to overcome the fear of heights?

How to overcome the fear of heights, when fear completely controls your life? It should not be postponed with the solution of a similar problem, which prevents living, working, entertaining. Do you continue to limit yourself? Then these tips for you: 

• sort it out with yourself. If the fear of height appears on the 30th floor of a skyscraper - this is quite normal and even necessary. But when you find a cold sweat at a height of 50 cm, it is worth thinking about; 
• do not avoid altitude. Often only a clash with fear of a person will help him overcome. Analyze your discomforts. Divide the fear into its component parts, thereby reducing it and nullifying it; 
• Imagine the most horrible picture in the head with a height, draw all the details to the smallest detail (a shaky bridge across the abyss, etc.). Faced with fear of forehead in the forehead, think what exactly frightens you. Such emotional experiences can save you from fear of heights; 
• learn to treat fear differently. Realizing that it is behind him, you will learn how to fight it.

In the fight against fear of heights, you need to motivate yourself. For example, you are tired of limiting yourself and want to live a full life. Someone immediately decides on the cardinal measures: jump with a parachute, with a bungee, mountaineering lessons, climbing wall. Naturally you need to warn the instructor about your phobia. He will help start at a height where discomfort does not appear. Training in the hall will give additional confidence in their abilities. In any case, only your activity and determination will depend on the victory over the phobia. Learn to be distracted - take yourself as a nice girlfriend, if you are a guy and vice versa. In the case of tarsus and parachute, a "support group" from friends or relatives is needed.

A psychologist is treated in cases when: 

• a quick result is required; 
• you need 100% relief from fear of heights; 
• do not have friends who can help; 
• do not want to, do not get involved in self-medication and "self-interest".

Remember, fear of heights is not suppressed by drugs. In addition to the mass of side effects at the physical level, it is impossible to predict mental changes when taking medications.

Dream interpretation: fear of heights

If in a dream you feel fear of height, then to interpret the dream, take a dream: the fear of heights may indicate your pessimistic mood, the problems literally bind you. Reserve yourself - you have to conquer new heights of your life.

Fear of height in a dream can be a way through which the subconscious tries to point out to you life situations in which it is possible to get the desired emotional satisfaction on the verge of danger. Sleep means that you are waiting for experiences about the upcoming events. Your subconscious mindfully warns you about upcoming problems.

Why do you have a fear of heights? Such dreams are forced to stop, to analyze the correspondence of the inner world and external manifestations in the form of actions. You feel that the time has come for change, but internally resist it. Changes that have come to your life after such dreams, as a rule, for the better.

Falling from a height in a dream in real life indicates that you can be trapped by obstacles, the overcoming of which will bring you well-deserved success. Unfavorable shade such dreams have only when falling with bodily injuries. It can bring conflicts to relatives, friends, colleagues.

Fear of height in a dream means the end of a period of uncertainty and favorable changes. If in a dream you are standing at a height and experiencing fear, this is an occasion to show concern for family members.