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Environmental Phobias

Fear of High Ceilings – Altocelarophobia

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High Anxiety over Altocelarophobia?

Have you ever been inside an auditorium and found yourself scrambling for the door? Does the thought of entering a mall fill you with a sense of unease? How about entering any enclosed space with tall ceilings?

If so, you may be suffering from altocelarophobia — a fear of high ceilings.

We all know about the fear of heights, but is there a phobia for high ceilings? Yes, there is. While it is not a common phobia, altocelarophobia can still be debilitating.

But don’t worry. Just like any other phobia, altocelarophobia can be managed. Let’s take a closer look at understanding this phobia of high ceilings, what triggers it, and how to cope with altocelarophobia.

 

 

Altocelarophobia Causes

Like many other phobias, altocelarophobia can prevent you from living a full life. You may never have visited a museum, an art gallery, or even entered an airport because of this fear. And you’ve probably asked yourself a thousand times, why am I afraid of high ceilings?

This fear can be the result of several different factors. It may have been formed due to a past experience involving a room with high ceilings. It may stem from something as simple as falling from a ladder as a child while staring up at the ceiling. Perhaps you had a fear of ceiling fans, and it evolved into a fear of high ceilings.

Apart from past experiences, the fear of ceilings is also associated with one’s childhood. The phobia could even be hereditary.

The severity of your experiences and encounters will also define the severity of your altocelarophobia.

 

Some Things You Need to Know about Altocelarophobia

The term altocelarophobia is derived from the Latin words alto, meaning high, and celaro, meaning cover or ceiling, as well as the Greek word phobos, which means fear. This phobia may be closely related to acrophobia, gigantasophobia or even vertigo.

When you have altocelarophobia, you don’t need to be in an environment with high ceilings to experience symptoms. Even imagining yourself in an enclosed space with tall ceilings can trigger anxiety and panic. This fear response is triggered even though you may not be physically confronted by the object of your fear.

Unlike other phobias, fear of high ceilings, a branch of celarophobia (fear of ceilings), is not well known. This may be due to sufferers’ embarrassment. However, even though it is an irrational fear, don’t dismiss or ignore altocelarophobia. Phobias can often significantly restrict a person’s everyday routine and can also be the primary source of anxiety and depression.

Altocelarophobia, like any other phobia, is unique to the person experiencing it. As a result, the intensity of one’s fear and how they react to it also varies. But with the right treatment, this phobia can be managed.

 

Common Altocelarophobia Symptoms

Fears and phobias like altocelarophobia are generally classified as anxiety disorders. Consequently, a person may experience an array of both psychological and physical symptoms.

For the individual experiencing them, panic episodes triggered by a phobia can be terrifying. Most of the time, these symptoms occur unexpectedly and without forewarning.

Take a look at some of the common physical and psychological symptoms of altocelarophobia.

Physical Symptoms

  • Increased heart rate
  • Hot flushes
  • Headache
  • Feeling faint or dizzy
  • Feeling nauseous
  • Hyperventilation
  • Trembling and sweating
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Feeling of numbness
  • Tightness in the chest area

Psychological Symptoms

  • Anxiety about losing control
  • Feeling disconnected and withdrawing from social circles
  • Moodswings, anger, irritation
  • Fear of dying
  • Feelings of dread
  • Fear of getting hurt
  • Feeling depressed

 

Altocelarophobia Treatment

Many who suffer from phobia avoid seeking treatment as they fear they may not be taken seriously. This is also true for those suffering from altocelarophobia.

People may simply avoid the object of their fear, in this case, enclosed spaces with high ceilings. However, phobias can worsen with time and have debilitating consequences if left untreated. In the case of altocelarophobia, one may feel like they are more in control, but avoiding high ceilings all the time is not possible.

Most phobias are treatable, but there is no specific treatment recommended. The effectiveness of any treatment often depends on the severity of altocelarophobia.

Professional Treatment

Talk Therapy

Talk therapies entail discussing your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with a skilled expert in a very relaxed and non-intrusive setting. It is a form of therapy that provides a private space for you to explore your fears with a person who will not judge you.

It can help you identify unhealthy thought or behavior patterns. You can then discover methods to change them. It can also help you deal with difficult emotions and discover coping mechanisms for them. You will also be able to better understand yourself and your perspective of the world.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Phobia can cause a lot of worry and distress, which can bend and alter one’s perspective of reality. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, can help you question and conquer these thoughts and help you determine whether or not they accurately reflect reality.

For someone with altocelarophobia, for example, CBT can help you determine whether this fear and anxiety regarding high ceilings is a realistic representation of reality. It can then give you tools to break these thought patterns and rectify them.

Self-Help

If you don’t wish to see a professional, there are several self-help techniques you can try that have seen success in dealing with phobias.

Like any other phobia, altocelarophobia can cause a significant amount of stress and anxiety. Your heart rate increases when you are faced with the object of your terror.

Practicing relaxation techniques like meditation, rhythmic breathing, or mindfulness on a regular basis can help lower your blood pressure, relieve tension, and significantly reduce anxiety.

Depending on your preferred method of social interaction or level of comfort, you can also consider participating in support groups. Groups are available in person or online. You’ll have the opportunity to speak with others experiencing the same issue and be reassured that you’re not alone.

Yoga has also been shown to be effective in helping people with anxieties related to phobia. Like meditation, yoga helps reduce overall stress levels.

As with any self-help methods of treatment, if you begin experiencing new or more intense symptoms, seek professional help.

 

Ways to Cope with Altocelarophobia

If you’re questioning how rare altocelarophobia is or are concerned about not being able to find appropriate help, don’t worry. This phobia may be uncommon, but there are many who struggle with it.

There is no quick fix for any phobia. However, with consistent professional therapy or by practicing self-help techniques, you can learn to cope with altocelarophobia and better manage it.

You may also want to speak to your close friend or family member about your fears. Confiding in someone you trust can help you process your feelings. This is the type of support you’ll need along your altocelarophobia treatment journey.

 

In Conclusion

Living with altocelarophobia can seem exhausting. But remind yourself that it is an irrational fear that is treatable. Once you gain an understanding of your fear of high ceilings and what triggers it, you will be better able to cope with it. With time and patience, you may just find yourself strolling through a cathedral admiring the architecture!

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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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