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Environmental Phobias

Basophobia – Fear of Falling

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Excessive Fear of Falling

While walking, do you have that sudden fear that you’ll fall?

Despite having a steady grip on the handrails, are you ever overcome by a fear of falling down the stairs?

The fear can be so overwhelming that you stand in place, afraid to move, or even breathe. This feeling catches you so abruptly that people around you might stare or move away in fear of your behavior.

If this sounds at all familiar, then there’s a good chance you may be battling basophobia.

Basophobia is uncommon, and even you might not know why you fear falling. Even safely on solid ground, the dread that you will fall persists. You may feel anxious or hesitant to proceed from where you stand. You might remain where you are until the fear subsides. In extreme cases, you may end up not leaving your home at all to avoid dealing with your fear in public spaces.

 

People around you may think that you are exaggerating. They don’t understand the terror that envelopes you when the fear strikes.

Talking about it is also challenging. How can you explain something you don’t understand? Keeping quiet about your condition could be an easy option at times.

But you don’t have to live your life like that. You can overcome your fear. You can own the hallways, stairways, and roads you walk on. Read on to learn more.

What Causes the Fear of Falling?

All phobias take root somewhere. It can be either a traumatic experience or a genetic predisposition.

In most cases, an event from childhood could cause a fear of falling from heights. The phobia sufferer might have fractured a leg, had rigorous therapy for the leg muscles, or had seen an important family figure fall down the stairs.

People who have arthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis might also develop such a fear. The pain they feel when walking makes them think they’d end up falling and getting hurt. Meanwhile, the fear of falling in the elderly might be a result of a previous falling incident. Because of what happened, they’ve lost confidence in standing up or walking.

Decoding Basophobia: Fear of Falling

Basophobia involves an extreme anxiety with losing the capacity to stand up or walk.

The fear of falling is contained to normal walking or standing up. However, any mobilization activity can activate the phobia.

Basophobia is common in older people. Meanwhile, more women than men develop the phobia.

Having basophobia can lead to a functional decline in movement and, at times, real falls.

When you have this phobia, you fear falling even if you are in a secure and safe environment. You limit your movement and reduce your activities, convinced that you will get hurt. When this is the case, your motor skills and physical wellbeing decline.

Symptoms of Basophobia

The basophobia symptoms vary, depending on the severity of the condition.

Most phobias, including the fear of falling, share similar symptoms. However, some symptoms are specific to basophobia, making basophobia easier to identify.

Individuals with basophobia might react to the object of their fear differently. But the symptoms they exhibit are typical of phobia types. These include:

Physical Symptoms

  • Dry mouth
  • Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Rapid breathing
  • Nausea and dizziness
  • Shaking uncontrollably
  • Sweating and chills
  • Vomiting

Psychological Symptoms

  • Debilitating anxiousness
  • Constant thoughts of falling or being hurt
  • Irritability and restlessness
  • Immediate and intense fear
  • Inability to express feelings
  • Loss of interest to move

Depending on your fear level, you may experience few or all symptoms once the phobia is triggered.

Taking Steps to Deal with Basophobia

Basophobia can freeze you in your steps.

The fear can cause you to be less active and lose interest in moving. Don’t let your phobia reach that level of fear. If you do, you’ll waste all the great experiences and memories still to come.

Being scared is unpleasant enough. But being robbed of your mobilization would be unfair not only to you, but also to the people who want to spend time with you.

Getting the fear of falling under control is possible. But the decision to take the reins and embark on the journey to recovery depends on you.

Things You Can Do to Help Yourself

You can try many things at home to control your basophobia.

You can try breathing exercises to calm your nerves. Once you are completely calm and focused, envision yourself walking. Get comfortable with that mental picture until you do start with the physical activity.

An ideal place to do your exercises is your room or a space where you are completely at ease. Walk a few paces, then stop. Repeat the same process until you are ready to venture outside of your room. Walk to the other parts of your home; include sitting down and standing up. Go up and down stairs if you have some in your house. After the activity, tell yourself that you’re OK. No harm came to you.

With a trusted friend, walk around a single block and back to your house. Venture out two blocks and back, telling yourself while walking that you are alright. Go farther from your home if you feel like you are ready. Note that you can do this exercise at your own pace.

Start exercising. Build your strength. You’ll gain confidence in your strength and your capacity to prevent yourself from falling. Physical exercises and structured activities can improve your well-being.

One thing is certain. You won’t overcome basophobia by locking yourself in a room and becoming immobile.

Professional Basophobia Treatment

Another option that you can consider would be seeking help from a professional. Like most, you might feel uncomfortable sharing your deepest fears with a stranger. But your case, although unique, will not come as a surprise to them. Chances are, your medical providers have handled cases similar to yours.

After an initial assessment and diagnosis, you would be asked to consider a few processes and techniques to help you with your phobia. Some of the options include: physiotherapy and psychological counseling; hypnotherapy; energy therapies; and neuro-linguistic programming.

If you are currently on medication, a thorough review might be conducted to check any drug side effects which could increase your probability of falling.

With these options, you can better regulate your fear and reaction towards it.

Learning to Cope with Basophobia

Coping with basophobia is not easy. Neither is it a brief experience.

You would experience drawbacks along the way, despite going through therapy sessions and using many self-help tools. Triggers that can cause you to freeze might still emerge from time to time. But unlike before, now you’ll know how to compose yourself, give a self-reminder that you are OK, and continue moving forward.

Your journey will be a lot better if your family and friends understand and support your road to control. They can accompany you as you start walking again without fear. When the nervousness creeps in, a word of encouragement from them can make a world of difference.

Conclusion

Take control of your fear. Walking or standing doesn’t equate to falling and getting hurt. Take a deep breath and let your feet lead you to new adventures.

Stories Submitted by Our Readers

Fear of Falling

I am not afraid to walk in my own home even though I do have balance issues. I am scared though to walk outside. I panic and feel like I’m going to fall. When I was younger, I loved hiking and walking in the woods, but now, if I do not have something to hold onto I completely panic.
Brandon

I was walking outdoors about three years ago. I fell on my left side and put my hand out to catch my fall. I broke several ribs, all the fingers and wrist on my left hand and had a huge cut on my head. Now, I am so afraid that I will fall that I have to use a walker.
Charles

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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