10% of the world's population are among the patients suffering from a panic phobia of heights. In more detail, many people will feel uncomfortable if they are above the surface of the earth. But more sensitive individuals subject to such a phobia will plunge headlong into a state of panic, tormented by periodic bouts of dizziness and nausea.
In scientific circles, this phobia is called acrophobia. It develops rather slowly, which makes it possible at any time to seek help from a specialist or decide to overcome it on your own.
What is acrophobia?
Acrophobia is a specific psychological disorder that manifests itself in a feeling of great panic, which instantly increases at the moment when the patient is at a certain distance from the ground. But not every person will be able to say the name of a phobia with a fear of heights, and even more so to distinguish it from ordinary fear. He rests on the usual instinct of self-preservation, designed to preserve human life and the usual level of he alth. Unlike the harmless fear of heights, acrophobia isit is a kind of psychological pathology that needs to get rid of.
The development of modern technology has allowed people not only to travel on the ground, but also to fly through the air. This fact indirectly influenced the further spread of height phobia. In some cases, the disease is so advanced that patients cannot ride elevators or escalators on their own.
Symptoms
Panic fear of heights is fraught with the fact that the patient begins to experience not the most pleasant feelings already at a minimum height, which, even in theory, is not capable of harming a person. It happens that the patient is in a similar state for many years, starting from early childhood. But this is rarer than the rule, so most people who become ill have acquired a similar pathology at some point in their lives.
To assess their psychological he alth, anyone can conduct a kind of test for fear of heights. To do this, you need to be at a certain distance from the ground. He is sick if he feels:
- dizziness;
- sting in the eyes;
- nausea;
- drop in body temperature;
- general weakness;
- panic attacks;
- breathing too fast or rapid heart rate;
- cramps or nervous trembling of limbs.
But when drawing any conclusions, it should be remembered that psychiatrists distinguish a similar condition, more characteristic of the instinct of self-preservation than a collection of psychological pathologies. Without expert advice, there is a significant risk of confusingthese concepts, and consequently harm your he alth by the lack of suitable treatment.
Reasons
Every person experiences a phobia of heights in their own way. One cannot go to the balcony without shaking in the knees or fly on an airplane without a dose of sedatives, while the other is shaking in panic at the mere thought that he will have to go to some kind of hill. At the moment, even if we collect all the available knowledge about human development, no one can say for sure what causes fear. There are only assumptions about the built-in defense reaction, left as a legacy from the memory of DNA.
A popular version of the development of a human phobia is a negative experience, as a result of which a person received physical or mental injury by falling from a certain height:
- heavy stress during childhood;
- wild imagination;
- fell down from a tall bush or tree.
Psychologists believe that the causes of acrophobia are somatic pathologies of the body. Whether this is true or not, no one knows. But many phobias are accompanied by errors in the work of the vestibular system. It's a fact.
Provoking factors
At first, researchers assumed that a traumatic situation in childhood that occurred at a certain height leaves an imprint on the human psyche, provoking the development of acrophobia. Over time, it was proved that not one, but a combination of reasons leads to such consequences:
- Disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus - when itbegins to work poorly, a person loses control over his own body, which increases the risk of falling even from a small height.
- Sick relatives - geneticists have found that parents with a sick psyche provoke the onset of the disease in their children.
- Injured brain - the presence of a hematoma of varying severity in the head area, or a sluggish infection.
- Improper parenting is a strict family environment in which the habit of praising and supporting the child was discouraged.
- Too much stress.
- Heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages that clog the body.
- Certain character traits - increased levels of anxiety, emotionality, shyness and strong suspiciousness.
Along with other opinions, there is a theory that fear of heights is a primitive instinct inherited from ancestors. The first people were more guided by their instincts and feelings than modern society. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the sight of a height, a primitive man was afraid for his life, calling to life the instinct of self-preservation.
Indirect evidence for this theory is that many animals that can see well are also afraid of heights, confirming the instinctive nature of such a step.
Benefit
To understand how to overcome the fear of heights, you need to evaluate not only the negative aspects of this phenomenon, but also the good ones:
- Any kind of fear is a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation, aimed at protecting the life of a particular individual. Therefore, as long as fear is under human control, and does not cause any particular moral inconvenience, it does not need outside intervention.
- At the moment when a person is afraid of something, the level of adrenaline rises inside his body, bringing a sense of moral satisfaction. Therefore, some people like to tickle their nerves by watching horror movies. The fear of heights has a similar effect.
- Psychiatrists have long appreciated the instinctive impact of feelings, and successfully apply it in their work. One of these tricks can be called an artificial provocation aimed at a special call to fear. Under its influence, the instinct of self-preservation wakes up, and a person who is in a protracted depression rethinks the meaning of his life.
- Many insecure individuals get a chance to assert themselves if they overcome their fears. Their personal development moves to a new level, allowing them to gain determination to overcome new heights.
Harm
Fear, which has a strong emotional connotation, often turns into an obsession, causing some harm to the human psyche. In more detail, the organs of a frightened person function in an unusual mode for themselves. Such restructuring confuses the body, leading to loss of consciousness, stroke or heart rhythm irregularities.
Being in a state of intense fright for a long time wears out the human body, shortening the lifespan. Psychiatrists say that the carriers of fears of water, transport, and so on, live 20 years less than other people who are more successful.control their emotions and can say "I'm not afraid of heights".
Unfortunately, not all phobias can be eliminated on your own. Without appropriate treatment, a person will gradually become afraid of the very thought of the object of their fears. This fact will increase the time period of being in a state of stress, which will contribute to the emergence of somatic or psychological diseases. In more advanced cases, patients went insane or committed suicide.
Tips
But not everything is as hopeless as it looks at first glance. If a person is afraid, but his fear has not yet passed into the phase of acrophobia, then he can use certain techniques. In the event that everything is done correctly, then the help of specialists will not be required, and he himself will understand how to stop being afraid of heights:
- You need to regularly climb the hill, gradually increasing the height of the required point.
- When a person is at the top, the first thing he should do is to focus his attention on any object that is a little further away from him. Such a focus will calm and delay the onset of fear for a while.
- If there is no desire to go anywhere, then you can do everything you need at home. To do this, you need to visualize your deepest fear. Psychologists advise a person to get comfortable, close his eyes, and imagine that he was at an impressive height. Warm air blows around, and there is a hard surface under your feet. It is solid and does not move, so it cannot fall,therefore, the person on it will not fly away.
- When the phobia of heights begins to disappear, then it is quite possible to consolidate success. To do this, especially decisive jump with a parachute. After surviving a fall and a successful landing, former acrophobes recall their past fears with laughter.
- If a person could not fulfill at least one of the above, then it is better for him to use the help of a specialist. Over time, he will not be able to control his feelings, which will seriously ruin his quality of life.
Additional fighting options
Any person has a set of characteristic features of behavior and personality inherent in him alone. Therefore, even in theory, it is impossible to create such a technique that will help all people understand how to deal with fear of heights. In this case, the best option would be to contact a psychologist who works with phobias. And he will select a remedy suitable for a particular person.
Moreover, experts themselves warn against thoughtless self-treatment. An inexperienced person can lose sight of small nuances, and all his treatment will end unsuccessfully. And qualified psychologists influence all aspects of subconscious fears for a long time and in detail, increasing the chance of finally getting rid of the tormented nightmare.
A popular treatment for acrophobia is a course of hypnosis sessions. An experienced doctor introduces the patient into a suitable condition, and corrects all the appropriate points. Such treatment ends well, and most patients do not even remember the existence of phobias in the future.
Medicated treatment
Paradoxical, but medicines are useless against phobias. Basically, their use is intended to alleviate the overall picture of the disease, and remove the symptoms that tormented the patient.
Therefore, any advertisement about wonderful pills that eliminate a phobia in a couple of applications is a myth! Medicine is in search of a suitable cure, but when it finds it remains a big question.
For a more complete effect of psychotherapy, the following drugs are recommended for use:
- antidepressants - used for six months, one of the most popular drugs is imipramine;
- vitamins(the most suitable Magne B6);
- tranquilizers - can be taken for a period not exceeding two weeks (phenazepam);
- nootropics - favorably affect blood circulation in the brain area.
When a child is afraid of heights
Children's acrophobia is part of instinctive behavior. He does not understand the name of the phobia that the fear of heights prevents him from living. All behavior of the child is directly dependent on the instinct of self-preservation, which tries to save him until the moment of final maturity. But in very rare cases, children's fears can reach a level beyond which they cannot cope with their feelings without the help of a specialist. Psychiatrists do not like to work with such patients because they are too young and not manageable.
Sometimes acrophobia manifests itself after some cases associated with a traumatic fall or overprotective parenting. Parents, trying to do better for the child, in every possible way set him up to be afraid of any being on top.
Prevention of childhood acrophobia
An equally important role is played by the prevention of childhood acrophobia, which includes:
- sports activities involving activities at height (scooter, bicycle);
- games with training of the vestibular apparatus (climbing a rope, riding a swing);
- Warning parents about the possible consequences of over-suggestion about the dangers of heights.
Any child is more willing to accept indirect parenting. If you do not force him to do certain things, but read books and fairy tales that tell about overcoming any fears, then it is likely that the child will forget about his feelings and take the opportunity to be on top more calmly.
Why a person is not afraid of anything
In any struggle with conflicting feelings, one must not forget that fear is a natural reaction aimed at saving the life of a particular individual. Therefore, if a person is on a certain hill, and feels relatively safe, this state is no less dangerous than a panic fear of heights.
Such emotions often lead to manifestations of carelessness, when a person, without realizing it, can jump down. This is a less explored side of such a phobia, which can cause an equally dangerous fearlessness. Therefore, if a person wants to jump from a high-rise building, believing that nothing will happen to him, then he is urgently neededlead to a psychotherapist.
All fears are part of everyday life. Therefore, they will always be present in it, taking any form of feelings. But if their presence greatly harms the quality of life, then they must be disposed of with the help of a specialist. It must be understood that he cannot help without the desire of the patient himself. Therefore, he himself must want to manage his life, directing it in the right direction.
