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fear of heights
Situational Phobias

Acrophobia – Fear of Heights

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What Is Acrophobia?

What is the fear of heights called? Acrophobia is the official term for a fear of heights. The phobia takes its name from the Greek word “acron,” meaning “peak” or “summit.” Acrophobia is a natural environment phobia, with sufferers often avoiding situations in which they may be forced to encounter high places or things associated with them. This can cause severe distress and disruptions in one’s life, such as an inability to ride an escalator or climb up stairs necessary to reach your place of work.

fear of heights

Naturally Occurring or Caused?

The question of “Nature vs. Nurture” is a cornerstone of psychological, philosophical, and sociological thought, including whether phobias are inborn or caused because of traumatic events in our lives.

Evolutionary psychologists posit that conditions such as acrophobia may have arisen as a survival mechanism, warning us away from areas where a fear of falling would have been imminent. Those with this survival instinct would have been more likely to reproduce.

It is important to note that humans are not the only species to suffer from a fear of or reluctance toward heights. In 1960, Eleanor J. Gibson and Richard Walk conducted a series of experiments they termed “The Visual Cliff,” in which human infants along with babies of other species refused to cross a glass panel which appeared to feature a steep drop-off. The encouraging presence of the subjects’ mothers were not able to convince the infants the area was safe. Experiments such as these point to a fear of heights as being an inborn survival instinct shared by different species.

Behavioral psychologists, on the other hand, tend to ascribe phobias to our behaviors, actions and responses to stimuli. Under this model, acrophobia can stem from negative experiences with heights, such as falling off a tree or down the stairs and injuring oneself. In time, this trauma leads to a broader fear of heights. Sometimes, these incidents are so deeply buried in our past that we may not even consciously recognize them as the root cause of our phobias.

Smash Your Fear

Behaviorists also suggest that these fears may be learned vicariously through others. For example, if you see a film where characters fall from incredibly severe heights, or hear intense stories of people falling in real life, you may come to develop a fear of falling, heights, or both.
Both the evolutionary and behaviorist models contribute significantly to the conversation, and the answer to what causes acrophobia is likely a combination of the two.

Causes and Triggers

The presence of heights is obviously the most common trigger for acrophobia. When their fear of heights is triggered, patients’ sympathetic nervous system and fight or flight response is activated. This response is typically triggered by an imminent threat, such as someone attacking you. The fact that acrophobia triggers it, thus, points to how severely a patient’s mind can react when faced with heights. In severe cases, this response can be triggered even by simply thinking about heights.

Acrophobia Symptoms

There are many different potential forms of acrophobia, and it can manifest in a variety of ways. Some of the most common symptoms include:

  • Dropping to all fours, kneeling, crawling, or otherwise remaining prone and rooted to the ground while on high ground
  • Being paralyzed with fear and unwilling to move
  • Panic attacks
  • Crying out or yelling
  • Sudden headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea
  • Feeling disoriented or fearing that you will lose your balance
  • Sweating, heart palpitations, chest pain or tightness, and rapid heartbeat

Many of these conditions can be exacerbated even further when looking down at the area below from a high place. In some cases, simply seeing or thinking about heights or having to go to high places can be enough to trigger symptoms or a full-blown panic attack.

Vertigo, Acrophobia, and Misconceptions

A fear of heights is a common onscreen phobia for characters to have, especially compared to other phobias, in part because it has a ready-made visual shorthand. Hitchcock’s classic thriller Vertigo is the most well-known example. In the film, the camera quickly zooms in and out to simulate the disorientation and dizziness of the main character, who suffers from both acrophobia and vertigo.

However, while Vertigo is iconic and Hitchcock’s visual style is etched into our collective consciousness, it’s not exactly true to life. The film’s famous zoom-in-zoom-out camera trick visually conflates vertigo and acrophobia, with the technique being used to signify a fear of heights in other media. However, while vertigo and dizziness can be a symptom of acrophobia, it is not a necessary condition for it, nor are the two things the same. Acrophobia can take on many forms and manifest in many ways, whereas vertigo refers specifically to dizziness.

 

Other People with The Excessive Fear of Heights:

 

 

 

 

Related Conditions

Vertigo is not the only condition that can be linked to acrophobia. Other phobias which are distinct from but occasionally linked to or triggered by acrophobia include:

  • Illyngophobia: Where vertigo can produce dizziness, this condition refers to the fear of developing vertigo, thus, inadvertently giving oneself similar symptoms. If the condition persists, doctors may request blood work, CT scans, MRIs, and other tests to rule out the possibility of underlying neurological conditions.
  • Bathmophobia: This refers to a specific fear of slopes and stairs which, in the case of high ones, can be linked to acrophobia. While many sufferers of bathmophobia also suffer from acrophobia, most people with acrophobia do not suffer from bathmophobia.
  • Climacophobia: An even more specific condition, and one often linked to bathmophobia, this refers to the specific fear of climbing stairs or slopes.
  • Aerophobia: As the “aero” indicates, this refers specifically to the fear of flying. While it can occur along with acrophobia, aerophobia is its own distinct condition with its own set of phobic triggers, ranging from being in the air to the mere sight of an airport or airplane.

Acrophobia Statistics

It is important to distinguish between a mere discomfort with heights and active acrophobia. By some estimates, as many as one in three people may have some discomfort when faced with heights. However, acrophobia specifically refers to those with extreme and irrational fears of heights that are likewise persistent.

As many as 5 percent of people can suffer from some form of acrophobia. According to a 2016 study published by the Journal of Neurology, women were roughly twice as likely to exhibit visual height intolerance, including acrophobia, than men. However, they were also twice as likely to seek help for their symptoms and reported better results following treatment.

Potential Treatment

In terms of how to overcome a fear of heights, there are many potential treatments that can be effective in helping you conquer your phobia, including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This form of therapy exposes the patient to the phobic situation in a controlled fashion. In the case of acrophobia, this can include incremental exposure to increasingly high areas with significant support from staff. Every patient is different, and CBT is typically employed at the patient’s pace.
  • Virtual Reality: With VR technology becoming more refined, it is now being used as a more risk-free treatment for acrophobia patients, allowing them to “experience” heights without actually having to go to high places.
  • Medication: Beta blockers and sedatives are both sometimes used to relieve the anxiety that comes with a panic attack spurred by conditions such as acrophobia. Another drug, D-cycloserine, has been used in clinical trials for years with some positive indications, though more research is needed.
  • Personal Action Steps: Steps patients can take on their own include relaxation techniques, studying the condition, and joining support groups.

 

SOURCES:

https://www.psycom.net/acrophobia-fear-of-heights/
https://www.healthline.com/health/acrophobia-or-fear-of-heights-symptoms-causes-and-treatment#treatment
https://www.verywellmind.com/acrophobia-fear-of-heights-2671677
http://theconversation.com/health-check-why-are-some-people-afraid-of-heights-82893

 

Stories Submitted by Our Readers

Fear of Heights
I’m not sure what caused my fear of heights but when I was little, I was upstairs and started down the stairs carrying my blanket. I caught my foot in my blanket near the top of the stairs and fell all the way down. I only had bumps and bruises, but my parents took me to the emergency room.
I get dizzy, find it hard to breathe, and begin sweating just by seeing photos or movies that show the view toward the ground from a building, the sky, or even down into a basement. Any type of height scares me. I cannot use a step ladder that only has two steps without freaking out.
Judy B.

 

Acrophobia  …. heights

I finally found a place where I can read, learn, and participate in discussing my fear which is heights. I have joined other communities, but most are run by professionals that have no idea what it feels like to have this fear. Those that live with acrophobia every day can at least give me ideas of what they have tried that worked some as well as things that did not work at all.

I have had this fear since I was a child and I had a tough time enjoying hiking with family and friends as many times there would be a huge drop off or a valley to see which scared me to death.

The only trick that has helped me was to rub something on my sunglasses to blur the view. I can hike in high places as long as my vision is blurred so this is the best solution for me at least for hiking. At least I don’t freeze in fear. Of course, this only works when I’m hiking. Of course I wouldn’t try this driving! But it works for me when hiking. I think it has something to do with tricking the mind or at least between what the eye sees and the brain interprets.

Fred E Allen

 

 

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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