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A Personal Narrative Fear of Heights

• Categories: Fear

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Words: 387 |

Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 387 | Page: 1 | 2 min read

Table of contents

I. origins of fear, ii. impact of fear, iii. coping strategies, iv. overcoming fear, a. early experiences.

• Childhood memories
• Traumatic events

B. Evolutionary Perspective

• Survival instincts
• Fear of falling

A. Limitations on Daily Life

• Avoidance of tall buildings or structures
• Difficulty in participating in outdoor activities

B. Emotional and Psychological Effects

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Negative impact on self-esteem and confidence

A. Exposure Therapy

• Gradual exposure to heights
• Seeking professional help

B. Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques

• Identifying and challenging irrational thoughts
• Relaxation and breathing exercises

A. Personal Growth

• Pushing personal boundaries
• Gaining confidence and self-belief

B. Support Systems

• Friends and family
• Peer support groups

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• Anxiety Disorders

Fear of Heights – Story of a Rock Climber

Pat LaDouceur, PhD, helps people dealing with anxiety, panic, and relationship stress who want to feel more focused and confident. She has a private practice ...Read More

Joe was afraid of heights.

He could have just avoided heights, as many people do. The trouble was he also loved them. Joe was a rock climber.

It’s surprising how many rock climbers are afraid of heights. It takes them longer than other climbers to learn new techniques or get used to new climbs, and tackle harder routes.

“It’s scary to be on the edge of stuff,” he told me five years ago. “Even a hill, or a road with a steep drop-off is a problem.”

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Fear of heights, or acrophobia, is an irrational fear of high or exposed places. For some people, a cliff is a high place. For others, it can be standing on a chair or even a single step of a staircase.

Small Changes

The key to getting over a fear of heights is thinking small. Small changes are at the heart of big changes. In any endeavor, whether it’s learning to play the violin or perfecting a tennis serve, you have to keep at it. If you keep practicing, little by little, you’ll inch toward mastery.

Joe got a taste for rock climbing when some friends took him to a local gym. “It seemed like a good challenge,” he said. Other acrophobic rock climbers seem to feel the same way. As one rock climbing blogger said, “I appreciate the added mental challenge that it puts me through.”

Joe really struggled at first, though. “I would get most of the way up a pitch, and I would be stuck there because I got scared,” he said. “Even if it was a competition, I would freeze.”

Does the Fear Make Sense?

The word irrational is important, because it makes sense to think twice about how far you are from the ground. Falls can be dangerous, even deadly, and it’s prudent to be cautious.

However, we’re not born with a fear of heights. Infants appear to be curious, rather than afraid, when presented with a drop-off. Fear of heights is a rational fear taken to an irrational level.

The fear itself can include feelings of panic and dread, a physical response of fast heartbeat and shortened breath, a sensation of dizziness or spinning, and a desire to get away from the situation as quickly as possible.

In extreme cases, fear increases the danger of heights because it creates either a problem with balance or a panic reaction that makes it difficult to do the things necessary to get to safety.

About five percent of people who are afraid of heights experience a panic attack when they perceive the height as too great, and need serious help getting down from wherever they have gone.

The Power of Repetition

Joe used two methods to work through his fear. The first was simple repetition. His strategy was to climb as far as he could, hang out at that height for awhile, come down, and repeat.

It didn’t matter how high he went; it might have been just a few feet off the ground. It only mattered that the height was a challenge for him. “My strategy was to just keep climbing the same pitches over and over,” he said.

Joe’s method takes commitment. “I had to push myself.” Joe admits.

The method Joe discovered is at the heart of exposure therapy. I use the same cognitive behavioral technique in my practice to help clients who have a fear of public speaking, fear of flying, fear of heights, or a variety of other fears or phobias.

The essence of exposure therapy is approaching what you fear little by little, each time challenging yourself a tiny bit more. Treatment is very successful, and in an area where medication is of little help.

Exercise for the Brain

The second method was neurofeedback. Neurofeedback, or EEG biofeedback, is like a workout at the gym, only it’s for your brain. Twice each week, I connected sensors to Joe’s scalp. These sensors measured brainwaves, and displayed the results on a computer screen.

In the EEG display, I saw one of the characteristic patterns for anxiety, an excess of high-frequency waves in several areas of the brain.

The ability to measure something is in itself helpful, because any physiological process that can be measured can be changed. Each time Joe was able to create an EEG pattern more associated with calm and confidence, he got positive feedback from the computer – a beep and a picture.

In a typical neurofeedback session, a client gets over 2,000 pieces of feedback. With that feedback, Joe was able to gain control of his mental process and thus reduce the anxiety and feel more confident.

The combination of neurofeedback and Joe’s regular practice worked well together, and he started to improve. “I noticed it was easier when I was trying to climb fast,” he explained, “because when I was thinking about speed I didn’t have to think about the height. I got to be good at fast climbing.” Joe had found a way to use a strength to move past the fear.

The support of friends helped him as well. “My friends encouraged me, and sometimes they would joke about it. That helped too. I kept at it because I really liked climbing.”

Change from the Inside

Arno Ilgner, author of “The Rock Warrior’s Way,” investigated why some climbers are so afraid of heights, why they climb anyway, and how they get through it. One thing he found was that if you want to climb well, it’s best not to focus on just getting to the top.

Rock climbing, he argues, should be a means to an end rather than the end itself. It’s not about getting to the top per se. For Ilgner the real end is being present to the joys and the stress of climbing. Rock climbing, he says, is about choosing your focus, learning to steady your attention, and learning.

Joe found something similar in his own climbing.

“Climbing a wall might not seem like much to other people,” he said, “but to me what mattered is that I kept pushing myself. I realized then that I could use the same strategy to get over other fears, like being in crowds and talking in front of groups of people. You have to keep trying, and little by little you’ll get there. You can use that strategy for anything.”

Exposing a Fear

Building confidence and overcoming fear take time, but with a systematic approach, you’re likely to succeed. The heart of this approach is here:

• Relax. Choose a technique that helps you relax, and practice it. That way you can bring yourself back to calm during each exposure. Neurofeedback can help here, and so can progressive relaxation, a peaceful image, meditation, yoga, or anything else that helps you feel calm. When you’re working with a performance-related fear, exercise also helps – work out until you tire yourself out.

Anxiety takes energy, and if you’re tired, you’ll have less energy to worry.

• Feel what you feel. As author Ambrose Redmoon wrote, “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” When you feel anxious, your body will respond. Let that be okay. Be safe, of course, and then just let the fear, dizziness, rapid heartbeat or any other sensations just be there.
• Don’t believe everything you think. Are your thoughts rational or irrational? If the thought is rational, take care of yourself. If it’s not, then try refuting or challenging them. When Joe noticed himself thinking, “I’m going to fall,” he challenged it. After all, he was in an indoor gym. That meant he was tied in with a top rope and there were thick mats below. He was safe. In other words, is your fear rational or irrational?
• Rehearse. Imagination is powerful. Athletes and performers use imagination to improve their game and polish their act. Coaches and police cadets use mental imagery to prepare for the unexpected, with excellent results. Imagine yourself climbing perfectly, reaching the top, and celebrating. You can almost feel the high-five, right?
• Practice. It’s small actions, one after the other, that make big changes happen.

Greater Heights

Heights are normal for Joe these days. With focused effort – and a nudge from neurofeedback – he got over his fear of heights. But he ended up doing more than climbing rock walls, because he was operating from a fundamental principle: How we do a small thing is how we do everything.

When you want to master something, whether it’s rock climbing or tennis, playing the violin or learning to coach, you have to learn to stretch yourself in ways that are challenging. It helps to love the process, to find some part of what you are doing as more important than the fear. These are the tools that give you confidence to continue to challenge yourself.

Joe, five years later, is still climbing.

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Acrophobia: The Fear of Heights

Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight

• Related Conditions

Does the thought of bungee jumping off a tall bridge or standing on the top of a rickety ladder make you nervous? It's totally normal for heights to make you feel apprehensive or queasy. If your fear of heights is so intense that it causes major distress and makes you avoid *any* situation involving heights, you might have a type of specific phobia known as acrophobia.

Acrophobia causes people to feel extremely fearful and anxious about situations that involve being far off the ground, such as climbing a ladder or going to the top of a tall building. Because of the intensity of this fear, people with acrophobia often avoid any situation that involves heights.

It is normal to be somewhat apprehensive about heights, particularly if those heights are unusual, significant, or unstable. Acrophobia involves a much more significant or disruptive fear that can affect a person's ability to function in everyday life.

At a Glance

Acrophobia can cause emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms. You may feel upset when you encounter heights, leading to physical symptoms like chest pain, rapid breathing, and nausea. As a result, you may avoid high places, which may impact your ability to function in your daily life. This fear may be related to some other conditions, including vertigo and other phobias. Fortunately, acrophobia is very treatable. Exposure therapy and CBT are the two most common ways to help people overcome their severe fear of heights.

Symptoms of Acrophobia

Emotionally and physically, the response to acrophobia is similar to any other phobia . Some of the common symptoms associated with acrophobia include:

Emotional Symptoms

You may feel a sense of panic when you perceive that you're high off the ground. You may instinctively begin to search for something to cling to and find that you're unable to trust your own sense of balance.

Common reactions include descending immediately, crawling on all fours, and kneeling or otherwise lowering your body.

Physical Symptoms

The physical symptoms of acrophobia are similar to those of other specific phobias and may include:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath

Anxiety and Avoidance

If you have acrophobia, you will likely begin to dread situations that may cause you to spend time in high places. For example, you may worry that an upcoming vacation will put you in a hotel room on a high floor. You may put off home repairs for fear of using a ladder. You might avoid visiting friends' homes if they have balconies or upstairs picture windows.

This avoidance can interfere with your ability to function in your daily life. For example, you may not be able to attend school, go to work, visit friends, or leave your home due to extreme fear and avoidance.

Conditions Related to Acrophobia

Conditions that are related to acrophobia and may occur with it include:

True vertigo is a medical condition that causes a sensation of spinning and dizziness. Illyngophobia is a phobia in which the fear of developing vertigo can actually lead to vertigo-like symptoms.

Acrophobia can induce feelings that are similar to vertigo, but the three conditions are not the same.

See a doctor for tests if you experience vertigo symptoms. Medical tests may include blood work, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can rule out a variety of neurological conditions.

Bathmophobia

The fear of slopes and stairs, called bathmophobia, is sometimes related to acrophobia. In bathmophobia , you may panic when viewing a steep slope, even if you have no need to climb it. Although many people with bathmophobia have acrophobia, most acrophobia sufferers do not also experience bathmophobia.

Climacophobia

This fear is related to bathmophobia, except that it generally occurs only when you're contemplating making a climb. If you suffer from climacophobia, you're probably not afraid to see a steep set of stairs as long as you can remain safely at the bottom. However, climacophobia may occur in tandem with acrophobia.

This is the specific fear of flying. Depending on the severity of your fear, you may be afraid of airports and airplanes, or may only feel the fear when you're in the air. Aerophobia may occasionally occur alongside acrophobia.

How Common Is Acrophobia?

According to one estimate, acrophobia is a fairly common phobia that affects approximately 6% of the population. Another study suggested that around 28% of all adults experience visual height intolerance at some point during their lifetime.

Risks of Acrophobia

The biggest danger that most phobias present is the risk of limiting your life and activities to avoid the feared situation. Avoiding situations where you might be exposed to high places can make it hard to live your life as you normally would. You might avoid situations, people, experiences, or opportunities because of your fear.

However, acrophobia is unusual in that having a panic attack while high off the ground could actually lead to the imagined danger. The situation may be safe as long as normal precautions are taken, but panicking could lead you to make unsafe moves.

It's extremely important that your acrophobia is professionally treated as quickly as possible, particularly if heights are a regular part of your life.

What Causes Acrophobia?

Research shows that a certain amount of reluctance around heights is normal, not only for humans but for all visual animals. Acrophobia seems to be at least partially ingrained, possibly as an evolutionary survival mechanism.

In 1960, famed research psychologists Eleanor J. Gibson and Richard D. Walk conducted " The Visual Cliff" experiment, which showed crawling infants, along with babies of numerous species, refusing to cross a thick glass panel covering an apparently sharp drop-off. The presence of the infant's mother, encouragingly calling him, did not convince the baby that it was safe.

Nonetheless, most children and adults use caution but are not inordinately afraid of heights. Acrophobia, like all phobias, appears to be a hyper-reaction of the normal fear response. This may be a learned response to a previous fall or a parent's nervous reaction to heights.

Research also indicates that irrational fear of falling plays a greater role than the perception of height.

Evidence suggests that a fear of heights that begins in childhood usually improves within a few years, but adult-onset acrophobia often persists through life. The condition also frequently co-occurs alongside other psychiatric conditions, including anxiety and depression.

Diagnosing Acrophobia

Acrophobia is not a distinct disorder recognized in the " Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders " (DSM-5-TR), the tool doctors and mental health professionals use to diagnose mental disorders. Instead, this condition would be diagnosed as a specific phobia.

To be diagnosed with a specific phobia, your doctor or therapist will ask questions about the nature, duration, and severity of your symptoms. The diagnostic criteria for specific phobias require:

• Excessive and intense fear and out of proportion to the actual threat
• Feeling anticipatory anxiety, which involves being fearful and worried about encountering the thing that you fear
• Avoidance of situations that would place you in contact with what you fear
• Life-limiting disruptions in daily activities

The symptoms of the condition must be present for six months or longer and must not be due to another mental health condition.

Treatment for Acrophobia

Acrophobia can share certain symptoms with vertigo, a medical disorder with a variety of possible causes, as well as with other specific phobias. For these reasons, if you experience the signs of acrophobia, it's extremely important to seek professional help as soon as possible.

Treatments for acrophobia include:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy , or CBT, is the main treatment of choice for specific phobias. Behavioral techniques that expose you to the feared situation either gradually (systematic desensitization) or rapidly (flooding) are frequently used. In addition, you're taught ways of stopping the panic reaction and regaining emotional control.​

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is considered the gold standard for treating specific phobias. It involves gradually and progressively exposing people to what they fear. With regular exposure, their anxiety eventually declines.

Traditionally, actual exposure to heights is the most common solution. However, a research study published in 2017 demonstrated that virtual reality may be just as effective.

A major advantage of virtual reality treatment is the savings in both cost and time, as there is no need for "on-location" therapist accompaniment. This method is not available everywhere, but with the costs of virtual reality equipment coming down, it will likely be easier to access as time goes on.

Sometimes, sedatives or beta-blockers may be used for short-term relief in specific situations to help relieve the panic and anxiety you feel. The drug D-cycloserine has been in clinical trials for anxiety disorder treatment since 2008.

One meta-analysis found that d-cycloserine may enhance the efficacy of exposure therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders. However, more research on dosing and length of treatment time is needed.

Relaxation Techniques

Many lifestyle modifications and relaxation strategies can help relieve symptoms of acrophobia. Yoga , deep breathing , meditation , or progressive muscle relaxation can help you cope with stress and anxiety. Regular exercise can also help.

Acrophobia can be challenging, but there are effective treatments that can help you overcome your fear. It's normal to be a little apprehensive about heights, especially when they are extreme. If your fear is severe and creating distress and disruption in your life, it's important to talk to your doctor or therapist. They can recommend treatments that can help, as well as coping strategies that can help you to better manage feelings of anxiety.

American Psychiatric Association (APA).  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.

Hande V, Jain S, Ranjan A, et al. Vestibular, central, and non-vestibular etiologies of vertigo and disequilibrium: A rural hospital-based cross-sectional comparative analysis .  Cureus . 2023;15(3):e36262. doi:10.7759/cureus.36262

Kapfhammer HP, Fitz W, Huppert D, Grill E, Brandt T.  Visual height intolerance and acrophobia: distressing partners for life .  J Neurol.  2016;263(10):1946-53. doi:10.1007/s00415-016-8218-9

Huppert D, Wuehr M, Brandt T. Acrophobia and visual height intolerance: advances in epidemiology and mechanisms . J Neurol. 2020;267(Suppl 1):231-240. doi:10.1007/s00415-020-09805-4

Rodkey EN. The visual cliff's forgotten menagerie: Rats, goats, babies, and myth-making in the history of psychology . J Hist Behav Sci. 2015;51(2):113-140. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21712

Donker T, Cornelisz I, Van Klaveren C, et al. Effectiveness of self-guided app-based virtual reality cognitive behavior therapy for acrophobia: A randomized clinical trial . JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(7):682-690. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0219

Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.  Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up .  Psychother Psychosom . 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292

Botella C, Fernández-Álvarez J, Guillén V, García-Palacios A, Baños R. Recent progress in virtual reality exposure therapy for phobias: A systematic review . Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017;19(7):42. doi:10.1007/s11920-017-0788-4

Rodrigues H, Figueira I, Lopes A, et al. Does D-cycloserine enhance exposure therapy for anxiety disorders in humans? A meta-analysis .  PLoS One . 2014;9(7):e93519. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093519

Saeed SA, Cunningham K, Bloch RM. Depression and anxiety disorders: Benefits of exercise, yoga, and meditation . Am Fam Physician . 2019;99(10):620-627.

By Lisa Fritscher Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics.

Vertiginous Dread: a Deep Dive into the Fear of Heights

This essay about the phenomenon of acrophobia, commonly known as the fear of heights, explores its origins, manifestations, and therapeutic approaches. It delves into the evolutionary roots of acrophobia, its psychological underpinnings, and the impact it has on individuals’ lives. By examining the interplay of genetic predispositions, environmental influences, and cognitive biases, the essay sheds light on the complex nature of this phobia. Furthermore, it discusses various treatment modalities, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, aimed at helping individuals overcome their fear and regain control. Through compassionate understanding and evidence-based interventions, individuals afflicted with acrophobia can find pathways to healing and empowerment.

How it works

Imagine standing at the edge of a towering precipice, the world sprawling beneath you in a dizzying panorama. For some, this scene evokes a sense of exhilaration, but for others, it triggers an overwhelming wave of terror known as acrophobia. This primal fear of heights, deeply ingrained in the human psyche, transcends mere discomfort, plunging individuals into a visceral abyss of dread. In this exploration, we delve into the intricate tapestry of acrophobia, unraveling its origins, manifestations, and therapeutic avenues.

At its core, acrophobia is a paradoxical blend of evolution and maladaptation, a relic of our ancestral past woven into the fabric of modern consciousness.

Evolutionary psychologists posit that the fear of heights may have conferred a survival advantage to early humans navigating treacherous landscapes. Those who harbored a healthy respect for heights were more likely to avoid fatal falls, thus perpetuating their genes in the gene pool. However, in the relatively safe confines of contemporary society, this primal fear often morphs into a debilitating phobia, shackling individuals with irrational dread in seemingly innocuous situations.

The genesis of acrophobia is as varied and complex as the human psyche itself, intertwining genetic predispositions, environmental stimuli, and psychological traumas. Consider the case of Sarah, whose fear of heights traces back to a childhood accident when she fell from a treehouse, fracturing her arm. The memory of that harrowing experience haunts her subconscious, fueling a deep-seated aversion to elevated spaces. Similarly, genetic factors may predispose certain individuals to heightened sensitivity to heights, amplifying their fear response in relevant contexts. Thus, acrophobia emerges from a delicate interplay of nature and nurture, shaped by personal history and biological predispositions.

Psychological theories offer further insights into the mechanisms underlying acrophobia, shedding light on the cognitive processes that drive fear and avoidance behaviors. Classical conditioning, a cornerstone of behavioral psychology, posits that traumatic experiences become etched in the subconscious, triggering fear responses to associated stimuli. In Sarah’s case, the sight of a towering structure may evoke memories of her childhood fall, activating her fight-or-flight response in a cascade of physiological reactions. Moreover, cognitive biases such as catastrophizing and selective attention exacerbate acrophobia, distorting perceptions of risk and magnifying the perceived threat of heights. Thus, acrophobia arises not only from external triggers but also from internal cognitive distortions, perpetuating a vicious cycle of fear and avoidance.

The spectrum of acrophobia spans a wide range of severity, from mild discomfort to paralyzing panic, each case unique in its manifestations and impact on daily life. Individuals may experience a myriad of physical and psychological symptoms when confronted with heights, including palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and intrusive thoughts of impending doom. These symptoms can severely impair functioning and may lead to social isolation and occupational limitations if left untreated. Consequently, acrophobia exacts a heavy toll on individuals’ well-being, constraining their lives within the narrow confines of their fears.

Despite its pervasive grip, acrophobia is not an insurmountable obstacle but rather a challenge to be confronted and overcome. A myriad of therapeutic interventions exists to help individuals reclaim control over their fear of heights, ranging from cognitive-behavioral therapy to exposure-based techniques. Cognitive-behavioral therapy empowers individuals to identify and challenge maladaptive thought patterns, replacing them with more rational beliefs and coping strategies. Meanwhile, exposure therapy systematically desensitizes individuals to height-related stimuli, gradually acclimating them to previously fear-inducing situations. Pharmacotherapy may also play a role in alleviating acute symptoms of anxiety, providing temporary relief while individuals engage in therapy.

In conclusion, acrophobia stands as a testament to the intricate interplay between evolution and psychology, a vestige of our ancestral past embedded in the recesses of the human mind. By unraveling the complexities of this primal fear, we gain deeper insights into its origins, manifestations, and treatment modalities. Through compassionate understanding and evidence-based interventions, individuals afflicted with acrophobia can embark on a journey of healing and self-discovery, reclaiming their lives from the shadow of fear.

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The American photographer Margaret Bourke-White (1904-71) on the Chrysler Building, looking out across New York in 1931. Photo by Time Inc/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty

How to overcome a fear of heights

Humans are wired to avoid vertiginous places, but if this fear gets in the way of life then exposure therapy can help.

by Poppy Brown   + BIO

is a DPhil student in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.

Edited by Lucy Foulkes

Need to know

Some people might think that the consequences of having to avoid heights are minimal. But imagine you’re invited to a job interview on the 16th floor of a city office block. Or that your kids are pleading for a family trip to go high-roping. Or that your friends decide it would be fun to hike all the way up to a beautiful viewpoint. For people with a phobia of heights – an extreme, persistent, irrational fear of being high up – these scenarios can become real problems. What do you do in such a situation if you have a fear of heights? Do you miss out on that job? Do you make excuses to your kids? Do you disappoint your friends?

Many of the symptoms of acrophobia, to use the technical term, are shared with other anxiety disorders. These include physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, a racing heart, difficulty breathing, nausea and a dry mouth. Individuals with acrophobia typically feel intense fear and distress around heights, and tend to avoid them as a result. There are also symptoms more unique to acrophobia, including vertigo and the desire to drop to the knees or clutch on to something.

Some degree of caution is common and sensible when it comes to heights. Many animals and human infants show an innate avoidance of a sharp drop, even before they’ve had any real experience of heights. Evolutionary accounts argue that we are all born with this fear because avoiding heights helps to keep us safe. A problem arises only when this unease around dangerous heights starts to generalise to other, less risky situations, and begins to interfere with daily life.

An intense fear of heights might develop for several reasons. First, a traumatic or frightening event, such as falling out of a tree or off a ladder. This could trigger a phobia of heights because the distressing experience gets paired with heights in the person’s memories – particularly in individuals already predisposed to feeling anxious. They then start to avoid all heights, believing that they might lead to a similar scary experience. The more such people avoid heights, the fewer opportunities they have to learn that heights are generally safe, and so the fear remains and intensifies.

However, you can’t always trace your fear back to a specific traumatic event – many people with acrophobia can’t link their fear to a particular experience. It’s also possible that some people just never have the repeated safe exposure to heights that enables most of us to manage this innate fear. Finally, individuals with height phobia show subtle differences in their ability to maintain their balance, compared with those without height phobia, even when not exposed to heights. This is partly because they have more difficulty integrating perceptual information from their visual system. It is now thought that a combination of factors come together to cause acrophobia.

Estimates suggest that as many as one in three people experience some degree of ‘visual height intolerance’, where looking at something high up can cause them to fear they’ll lose balance and fall over. If your fear of heights starts to interfere with your daily life, getting in the way of the things you want to do, then you might want to try to do something to reduce it. Cognitive behavioural approaches are an effective treatment for many phobias, including acrophobia, and below are some general principles you can try yourself.

Recognise and understand the symptoms of anxiety

The human anxiety response is a natural part of healthy functioning. When we detect a threat, our sympathetic nervous system activates and starts preparing our body for action. This is known as the fight-or-flight response, and it works to protect us. Many of the unpleasant symptoms of anxiety arise because our body is trying to pump more blood towards our muscles, to prepare us to fight or run away. For example, our heart beats faster and we breathe more quickly to get more oxygen to our muscles, and we get a dry mouth and ‘butterflies’ in our stomach as energy and blood are diverted away from these regions towards our muscles.

Hyperawareness and misinterpretation of these bodily sensations is a common problem in many anxiety disorders, including phobias. In acrophobia, for example, a person who feels nauseous and dizzy when up high might believe that these are signs of an imminent catastrophic fall. This can exacerbate anxiety, because the fear of falling will likely make the physical symptoms even worse.

To avoid misinterpretation and to help you tolerate the anxiety, try to familiarise yourself with the physical symptoms of anxiety. This will help you to see your symptoms for what they are: nothing more than your body’s natural fight-or-flight response. Although we can’t simply decide to switch off this system, the anxiety response doesn’t last forever. Remember: the anxiety will always pass.

Gradually build your tolerance of these symptoms around heights

Graded exposure therapy makes use of the transient nature of anxiety, helping you to tolerate and ride out your body’s anxiety response. The idea is to gradually expose yourself to the thing you fear, starting small and slowly working up to more difficult situations. You practise each step until your anxiety subsides, and this helps you create new memories of experiencing the feared object or situation without feeling anxious. As you practise and become more confident, you overwrite your association between the stimulus and fear in your mind. In time, the once-feared scenario begins to evoke less anxiety.

To start, make a list of situations that trigger your phobia and put them in order from least to most anxiety-provoking. For the easiest steps, you could begin with looking at pictures of heights, or creating mental images of heights. The important thing is to start with things that provoke a small but manageable level of anxiety. You could then move on to include standing near heights (such as an escalator in a shopping centre), then actually using an escalator, and then visiting a tall building.

Try out the easiest situation you have chosen, and stay in that situation until your anxiety subsides and you feel more comfortable. Try to stay focused on the features of the situation or image, engaging with the surroundings rather than focusing on your anxiety. For example, if you’re standing in front of a tall building, how many floors does it have? What colours and textures can you see? Remember that any physical sensations are just the body’s natural response and don’t necessarily mean that you’re in danger. For each step, you might find it helpful to rate your anxiety out of 10 in the first minute, and notice how the rating drops over time. Practise this several times until your anxiety for that particular situation has reduced. You can then try the next step on your list.

Practising relaxation exercises before, during and after exposure can be helpful. For example, try using mindfulness or counting your breath. More information on these can be found in the resources section.

Every individual will vary in the exact scenarios they find most challenging, and how quickly they can move between steps. Try to take small steps that are challenging but manageable. Take your time: leaving the situation before your anxiety has subsided might be counterproductive as you will continue to associate that situation with fear.

For a lot of people with a fear of heights, you can try these principles on your own or with the help of a friend. However, if this is too difficult or your fear is particularly severe, you should attempt these principles only with the support of a trained therapist.

Understand and then challenge your beliefs about heights

While exposure therapy focuses on reducing feelings of anxiety, cognitive therapy exercises focus on a person’s beliefs about heights. Many people with height phobia think something bad will happen when they are up high. For example, you might fear that you will fall over, that the structure will collapse, or that you might throw yourself off. In cognitive therapy, the goal is to help you learn that you are safer than you think, and that your feared outcome about heights won’t actually happen.

Ask yourself some questions. What do you believe might happen when you expose yourself to your fear? How likely do you think it is (on a scale of 1-10) that this would happen? What would be the outcome of it happening? For example, you might believe that if you go up a tall building the structure will collapse: you feel certain that this will happen, and that you would be seriously injured when it does.

Once you’ve answered the above questions about the likelihood of your fears manifesting themselves, you can try some ‘behavioural experiments’. These are a type of exposure activity where you test out your beliefs. For the above example, you could try a behavioural experiment where you go up high and see what happens: whether the structure indeed seems unstable, or whether you do indeed fall. Again, you can start small with your experiments, using relaxation exercises to help you. The idea is that, once you test out your fears, you see that the worst doesn’t actually happen – or that, if something difficult does happen, it’s not as bad as you feared.

Try to spot the ‘safety behaviours ’ you use

During these experiments you might also want to identify any safety behaviours you resort to. These are behaviours that we use because we think they help to keep us safe. The most common safety behaviour is avoidance: simply not going anywhere that requires being up high. More subtle examples include closing your eyes, not looking down or over the edges, tightly holding on to something, or focusing your attention on repeating a certain phrase. While these can be helpful in the short term – for example, holding on tight to the railings makes us feel steadier – such behaviours actually act as barriers, preventing us from really engaging with the height. As a result , we’re unable to learn that we are, in fact, safe and able to cope without them. Holding on to the railing, for example, means that we don’t get to learn that we can stand, all on our own, without falling, and so our anxiety persists. Try to identify what defences you use, and then repeat the behavioural experiments without using them.

It is important to note that safety behaviours are very different from helpful coping mechanisms. The former get in the way of us learning that we’re safe without them, while adaptive coping mechanisms (such as relaxation exercises) simply help us to face the difficult situation and to tolerate our anxiety.

Following each behavioural experiment, think about what you’ve learnt. The following questions might be helpful: what happened? Did any of your anticipated fears that you wrote down beforehand happen? What happened instead? What went through your mind – and was that accurate? What happened when you did or didn’t use your defences? What can you learn from this experience? What does it mean for the future?

As with the graded exposure exercise, these exercises can be attempted on your own or with the support of a friend. However, if your fear is severe or you’re struggling to identify your beliefs about heights or the defences that you use, then having the support of a trained therapist is recommended.

Key points – How to overcome a fear of heights

• Recognise and understand the symptoms of anxiety. Understanding the body’s fight-or-flight response will help you recognise and tolerate the unpleasant bodily sensations you might experience when you’re up high, and prevent you from misinterpreting them as something dangerous.
• Gradually build your tolerance of these symptoms around heights. Gradual exposure to your fears will give you the chance to learn that you are safer than you realise. Make a list of situations that trigger your height phobia and order them from least to most anxiety-provoking, such as standing near an escalator to visiting a tall building. Test them out, one by one, using relaxation exercises before, during and after exposures to help you stay with the situation until your anxiety has passed.
• Understand and then challenge your beliefs about heights. Certain beliefs could be fuelling your fear, such as that a building is likely to collapse or you are likely to fall. Spend time identifying these beliefs and then gradually challenging them with behavioural experiments – such as going high and seeing what happens.
• Try to spot the ‘safety behaviours’ you use. These are behaviours you think will keep you safe – such as holding on to rails or shutting your eyes when you’re near heights – but which maintain your anxiety in the long run. Try to gradually expose yourself to high places without using these defences.

I once watched someone standing in front of a narrow wooden plank suspended over a vast drop. Before she began to edge on to it, I could see her hands trembling, her body gripped with terror, battling her desire to both conquer her fear by taking a step forward – but also to run away. And all this unfolded within the safe confines of a small carpeted room at the University of Oxford, the plank and drop merely simulations seen through a virtual reality (VR) headset.

VR is an immersive, interactive, computer-generated environment. It creates the sensation of actually being in real-life situations, and is an ideal tool for treating phobias. VR allows individuals to repeatedly practise how to feel confident in scenarios that they find difficult. Simulated situations can be personalised and graded in difficulty. While testing them out, individuals can receive guidance and encouragement from an automated virtual coach who is in the VR environment with them.

VR makes it easier for people to engage in therapy, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy, because it’s easier to try out things that we find difficult when we know it’s only a simulation. Crucially, however, individuals respond in the same way in VR – psychologically, emotionally and physiologically – as they do in corresponding real-world environments. This combination of knowing that we’re safe, yet feeling as though the simulations are real, makes VR a powerful tool. Any learning that occurs in VR appears to transfer to the real world, and VR therapies for anxiety disorders (including phobias) have been found to be at least as effective as real-life exposure therapies.

I was one of a team of researchers who recently tested the effectiveness of VR therapy for height phobia. In the study , 100 participants diagnosed with fear of heights were randomly allocated to receive either VR therapy (delivered in six 30-minute sessions over a two-week period) or to receive no therapy. In the VR therapy, an automated virtual character called Nic guided the individuals to try out different tasks, such as looking over a balcony or helping a cat down from a tree. During the tasks, Nic encouraged participants to test out their beliefs concerning heights, and to try dropping their defence behaviours.

Those who received VR therapy experienced significant reductions in their fear of heights, compared with those who received no intervention. These benefits were maintained when the participants were tested again four weeks after the end of the treatment. In the UK where I work, VR therapy for height phobia is now available in some NHS services, and might become available in other countries in the near future.

At the end of the study, we asked participants what they thought about the therapy. Here are some of the things they said:

‘It definitely pushed the limits in terms of what I thought I would be able to achieve, and then got me to go past that.’

‘The difference in my mental capacity to deal with heights was amazing.’

‘I’ve had three sessions of VR and I’ve already surpassed everything that I imagined I could.’

The idea of attempting treatment might feel daunting, particularly given that this requires facing your fears. However, psychological treatments for phobias have consistently been shown to be highly effective and long-lasting. With the help of a friend or therapist and by starting small, you could surprise yourself with what you can achieve. Tackling your fear of heights can ensure that you never miss out on a job, never have to make excuses to your kids, and never get left out of a fun activity.

Links & books

The ZeroPhobia app is a VR treatment for height phobia that’s available for a fee. A smartphone and VR viewer are required.

The Psychology Tools website is a reliable source of psychological self-help for the general public, as well as for therapists. The site provides information on anxiety, panic attacks and behavioural experiments, among other topics, much of which is freely available. For example, you could download their worksheets on anxiety monitoring (where you could record your thoughts about heights) and avoidance hierarchies (where you could write your list of exposure activities), or follow their step-by-step guide to behavioural experiments .

The NHS Inform website provides a free list of breathing and visualisation techniques for reducing anxiety and stress, and the Headspace app supplies subscribers with guided exercises in mindfulness and meditation that aim to help with anxiety, stress and sleep.

Chapter 5 of A Very Short Introduction to Anxiety (2012) by Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman specifically discusses phobias, and the rest of this little book might be generally useful too.

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• Higher Education

Fear of heights

Updated 10 June 2022

Subject Higher Education ,  Learning

Downloads 46

Category Education

Topic Academic Achievements ,  Student

Academic success and extracurricular activities

Academic success, as well as extracurricular sports, are extremely important in the American educational system. However, the majority of American students, especially adolescents, are preoccupied with extracurricular activities that interfere with their academic performance. Bob Chase contends that academic success, rather than extracurricular sports, should take precedence in the American educational system. I strongly disagree with the author since, in the long run, both academic success and extracurricular experiences form students' personalities. Both academic achievements, as well as extracurricular activities, equally contribute to the cognitive and physical development of the students.

American educational system and overall development

American educational system is based on overall development of the students. The overall development would in turn affect the very existence of the United States. It is because the present student generation is the future of the country and it should be able to figure out its accountability towards its safe, secure, and sustainable future. However, according to many research studies, American student population is losing its focus on the purposes of education, which results in their poor performance in the long run. One of such proofs was discovered during Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which showed that United States 12th graders presented pitiable performance and ranked at or near the lowermost level in Math and Science (Chase n.p.). Most of the American teenagers prefer after-school doings and pay lesser attention to their homework and school activities, according to many research studies.

The need for a strict framework

TIMSS advanced some indications regarding the meager presentation in math and science of the U.S students which include a lesser amount of time spend in learning things outside school (Chase n.p.). The American educational system needs to come up with a strict framework to establish better platform for all round development. Also, it needs to be reframed keeping in view the need of the academic performance of the students.

Academic knowledge and extracurricular activities

American educational system is inclusive and treats parents as one of the main force of motivation for the students. They do want a better and balanced performance form their students in academics as well as in extracurricular activities. Subject knowledge increases awareness regarding a specific area of academia but, it may not be enough for overall personality development of the students. Most of the studies have revealed that extracurricular activities are essential for better cognitive as well as physical development. Most of the population would not be happy with only one sided satisfaction i.e., either with commendable academic achievement or active participation in extracurricular activities. According to a survey most of the people agree that "people who are highly educated often turn out to be book smart but lack the commonsense and understanding of regular folks" (Chase n.p.).

Education as a means of lighting a fire

William Butler, a poet, once stated, "Education is not filling up a pail but lighting a fire" (n.p.). His understanding seems beyond academic achievement and extracurricular activities. Majority of the population in America wants their teens be active in both academia as well as extracurricular actives because that is what would be called the overall personality development. Such system would pave better space for 'sound mind in a sound body'.

Reframing the American educational system

American educational system needs to be reframed according to the above quotation. It should incorporate both the academic quintessence and extracurricular activities in its framework to deal with the growing ignorance of the math and science education and, also, to give importance to the balanced synchronization between the two areas of education.

Involvement of all stakeholders

TIMSS recommends more strict academic curricula to facilitate the present academic scenario of the United States. But, that does not mean that the students, teachers, parents, people, and the government etc. should remain as still. All the stakeholders have their respective roles to facilitate the scenario of the education of the country.

In conclusion, academic achievement would not be enough for overall positive personality development of the American teenagers. They would need extracurricular activities to carry on in their lives successfully. Academic subjects would teach them math and science but, the extracurricular activities would provide them with better platform to implement their academic experience in decision making and understand life. Bob Chase, in Fear of Heights: Teachers, Parents and Students Are wary of Achievement, puts academic achievement essential for development but, I think participation in games and sports or real life activities would boost the confidence among the teenage generation of the United States. American educational system need to reconsider its policies towards all round personality development including better cognitive as well as physical development of the teenage and student generation. One of the main advantages of education is modification of behaviours for better, and when we say education, it encompasses both academic knowledge as well as extracurricular activities; we cannot leave any one of these.

Works Cited

Chase, Bob. "Fear of Heights: Teachers, Parents, and Students Are Wary of Achievement." Antiessays, http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/Essay-355012.html. Accessed 24 February 2017.

Yeats, William Butler. "William Butler Yeats Quotes." BrainyQuote, https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/williambut101244.html. Accessed 24 February 2017.

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How to Overcome a Fear of Heights

Last Updated: September 21, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS . Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011. There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 808,237 times.

Extreme fear of heights, also known as acrophobia, is estimated to affect up to 5 percent of the general population. [1] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source While nearly everyone experiences some degree of anxiety at the thought of a great, perilous drop, the fear is debilitating for some. If your fear of heights is so extreme that it interferes with your performance at school or work or hampers your enjoyment of everyday activities, you might have acrophobia. Learn about acrophobia and effective methods to deal with your fear.

Understanding and Potentially Facing Your Fear

• For example, have you ever not taken a job because it was located above a certain floor, or passed up the opportunity to meet with important people because they asked you to meet at a location too high off the ground? If so, it could indicate something more serious than a mere “fear of heights,” like a phobia/anxiety disorder.
• If you aren’t sure how many times your fear of heights has kept you from doing what you want, sit down and make a list. Think back to all the times you didn’t do what you wanted or needed to do because of your fear. Putting them down on paper could give you a better sense of how seriously your fear has impacted your life.

• For instance, depending on the airline, the odds of being involved in a fatal plane crash can be as low as about 1 in 20 million. [7] X Research source . Compare that to the odds of any given US citizen being struck by lightning, which are estimated to be about 1 in 1 million. [8] X Research source .

• Getting regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet are all great ways to regulate physiological processes related to phobias and anxiety. Starting small, like going on walks regularly or drinking more homemade fruit smoothies instead of eating fatty snacks, can get you on the right path.

• It can be very difficult to force yourself to do something you know will make you nervous. To give yourself a little extra "push", create situations where you'll have to confront your fear. For instance, if you're at a carnival and a friend wants you to go on a certain scary ride, tell him you'll do it and buy yourself a ticket. You're more likely to do it if you're already invested in the experience. Don't forget that you can use relaxation techniques to calm your jitters.

Trying Therapy

• Studies have shown that various forms of treatment you might encounter in therapy, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), are helpful in managing specific phobias like acrophobia. [12] X Research source

• Accreditation. Before beginning a therapy program, look into the education and certification of those therapists and counselors you are considering. Try to find a therapist or counselor who is licensed in his or her field, and with some type of expertise in phobia/anxiety treatment.
• Experience. Try to find a therapist who has been in practice long enough to generate a number of happy, healthy former patients. If you can, talk to some. Ask them how effective and comfortable their experience was and whether they would recommend their therapist. Think twice about therapists who seem inexperienced or are unable to back up claims of success.
• Method of treatment. Most reputable therapists use modern, scientific techniques that have been subjected to peer review in legitimate medical publications. But, holistic and alternative methods have been researched and are widely effective for some people.

• Also, be sure to communicate with your therapist as to what techniques do and do not seem to be working.

• Eventually, when the patient has made significant process, the patient may take a plane flight or some other act that initially would have caused great fear.

• Homework may include activities like breathing exercises, thought experiments, and more. [15] X Research source

Treating Acrophobia with Medication

• Realize that medication-based options will not solve the underlying psychological issue that causes acrophobia. But, it can make life much easier by easing your anxiety and allowing you to relax.
• Consider using alternative and natural medications/treatments. They could include acupuncture, meditation, or essential oils. Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying of these methods.

• Antidepressants such as SSRIs or SNRIs are drugs that typically act upon and increase the levels of certain neurotransmitters responsible for regulating mood.
• Benzodiazepines are fast-acting, psychoactive drugs that can be useful for short-term relief of anxiety. While effective in the short-term, benzodiazepines can be habit forming.
• Beta blockers work by blocking adrenaline. This medication is mainly useful for the relief of the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as trembling or rapid heartbeat. [17] X Research source

• In this case, acrophobia may have a physiological cause, rather than a psychological one, so talk to your doctor. You may be referred to a medical specialist who can give you insight into physical causes of your fear.

• As with most practices, it’s always a good idea to consult a trusted physician before beginning any form of intensive practice.

Avoiding Damaging Myths

• Further research is needed to find a definitive cause for acrophobia. Until the fear is fully understood, it is not a good idea to expose acrophobics to extreme heights without first treating the fear with therapy, medication, etc.

• You are stronger than you realize. Show strength by seeking real treatment. [21] X Research source Meet with a doctor, psychiatrist, or experienced therapist to begin overcoming your fear.

Expert Q&A

• In the United States, certification requirements vary from state to state - many states and jurisdictions require therapists and counselors to possess a special license from a non-government agency like, the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) or American Psychological Association (APA), to practice certain types of therapy. [22] X Research source Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
• Try using diving boards at your local swimming pool, starting at the lower level and gradually building your way up. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• Try to find other people who suffer with acrophobia. Belonging to a community can offer some solace as well as open you up to new resources and ideas you may not have considered on your own. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Check the height before you climb onto the apparatus. Start low. Tell yourself that the height is low and don't look down. It may look high but that's from your eye's view, not the actual height.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20821801
• ↑ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/anxiety.html
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phobias/basics/definition/CON-20023478?p=1
• ↑ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/457032/phobia
• ↑ http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm
• ↑ http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/04/life-at-the-top
• ↑ http://planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm
• ↑ http://discovertheodds.com/what-are-the-odds-of-being-struck-by-lightning/
• ↑ Forsyth, J. P., & Eifert, G. H. (2008). The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Pap/Cdr Wk edition). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
• ↑ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Yoga-and-Heart-Health_UCM_434966_Article.jsp
• ↑ http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=4996824
• ↑ http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/specific-phobias/treatment
• ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/phobias/basics/treatment/con-20023478
• ↑ Jang, D. P., Ku, J. H., Choi, Y. H., Wiederhold, B. K., Nam, S. W., Kim, I. Y., & Kim, S. I. (2002). The development of virtual reality therapy (VRT) system for the treatment of acrophobia and therapeutic case. IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine: A Publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 6(3), 213–217.
• ↑ http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm
• ↑ http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/acrophobia/medication-and-drugs/
• ↑ http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/acrophobia/
• ↑ https://www.thebmc.co.uk/aim-high-four-tips-to-fight-your-fear-of-heights
• ↑ http://www.bacb.com/index.php?page=4

About This Article

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

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If you have a fear of heights, there are many methods, like relaxation and gradual exposure, to help you overcome your anxiety. Try deep breathing or yoga and meditation to learn how to calm your body and mind. These practices can then be used when you’re in a situation where heights are involved. Another method to deal with your fear is to gradually expose yourself to it. For instance, start by hiking up a large hill and looking down over the distance you’ve covered. When you feel comfortable doing this, push yourself a little further, like taking the elevator up to the top floor of a hotel. Celebrate each accomplishment as you slowly overcome your fears. To learn how to use medication to overcome your fear of heights, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to overcome a fear of heights: tips from someone who overcame it.

Although fear of heights is a natural instinct that generates adrenaline and adds excitement to various activities, for some of us, it can trigger more anxiety than thrill. The sensation of excessive sweating, dizziness, and heart palpitations while standing on a chair is one that not everyone can relate to. This was my personal experience until a few years ago.

Overcoming my fear of heights was not an easy challenge and required considerable effort. However, I persevered and gained control over it, and it made my life a lot easier.

By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire others who struggle with a fear of heights to take a step forward in overcoming it.

My motivations for overcoming my fear of heights

As a teenager, I sometimes found myself feeling embarrassed and out of control when my fear of heights unexpectedly kicked in. I remember struggling to explain the sudden onset of my symptoms – the shaking legs, the nausea, and the overwhelming urge to sit down – even in situations as mundane as going down a flight of stairs in a shopping mall. This fear had become such a problem in my life that I would go to great lengths to avoid any height-related activity.

I had all the freedom I could wish for, but something in my head was putting up barriers.

How sad is that?! I had accepted this and resigned myself to avoiding my fear, even if it meant missing out on many exciting adventures on my adrenaline bucket list that involved heights.

However, that all changed when I took a solo trip to Langkawi, a stunning island in Malaysia. The Cable Car and Sky Bridge were two of the island’s top attractions, and without thinking as I had never been scared of heights from a bridge before, I decided to check them out. The views from the bridge were breathtaking, but suddenly, I felt the bridge moving in the wind. And it started. I realised was 100 metres above the ground, suspended between two mountains, on “the longest free span and curved bridge in the world”. I was alone, scared and helpless.

I felt sick and paralysed, but I knew I couldn’t stay curled up in fear forever. I had to move, and I wanted to move. SoI took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to walk back to the start of the bridge by myself without any further drama.

It was the first time I had won the battle against my phobia, and I made sure to keep challenging myself after that experience.

I learnt about my fear of heights

If you want to overcome your fear of heights, it’s crucial to understand it better.

My experience in Langkawi taught me a lot about my fear of heights. The most important thing was that I could fight it, which changed my mindset about my phobia. I wanted to understand why it happened , which was key to working on it in other situations.

Although I was able to achieve this by myself, you may want to seek help from friends or healthcare professionals to deal with your fear of heights. It was uncomfortable to reflect on this experience on the bridge, but it marked the start of my new journey and helped me find answers.

Understanding what happens when fear kicks in

What was I scared of? Falling. What could cause me to fall? Losing balance or weak infrastructure. Why did I stop moving? I panicked and froze. What caused me to freeze? Dizziness, weakness, and shortness of breath.

Recognising the symptoms

Overcoming my fear of heights wasn’t about eliminating the fear but getting it under control. I don’t know if eliminating my fear is even possible. So, I felt it was important to consider the symptoms in addition to the cause.

I quickly realized that the symptoms were a form of anxiety. I researched how to reduce anxiety and found something that really helped me. When the fear of heights next kicked in, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing: slow, deep, and gentle breaths through the nose (in) and mouth (out).

Overcoming a fear of heights step by step

Overcoming my fear of heights was not an overnight success. I had to gradually expose myself to situations that I knew would trigger my fear, with the aim of staying in control.

From the balcony…

I would take a deep breath and get one step closer to the edge of a balcony or platform whenever the opportunity arose. Surprisingly, it became easier for me much quicker than I had expected. I noticed that trust was a huge factor in feeling more comfortable and staying in control. If I trusted the infrastructure, I could reassure myself that it was safe and that my mind was the only issue.

My first victory was being able to control my fear in an environment I knew well and where it was easy to rationalise that I was not going to fall. From there, I progressed to more adventurous challenges.

…To abseiling…

One of the hardest challenges was abseiling in the Blue Mountains near Sydney. It was a gift from former colleagues, and I felt pressure not to disappoint them, so I accepted the challenge. From the moment I said yes, I regretted it and felt sick just thinking about it. Despite this, I continued with the trip.

To feel better, I researched abseiling safety and the tour operator beforehand.

I would look for everything that could help me rationalise my fear for when the first symptoms of fear would start kicking in.

We started with a “small” cliff, and the hardest part was the start. The first steps along the cliff in such an unnatural position felt wrong, and I was terrified. However, I convinced myself that I would not risk too much if I fell as I was attached and secured by professionals, and we were only a few metres above the ground. It was mentally exhausting, but I did it.

The next cliff was supposed to be only 15 meters high. I used the same breathing technique and arguments and tried not to think too much about it and, of course, avoided looking down. It worked for a while. But suddenly, I found myself hanging on the rope with no cliff in front of me. I looked around and realised I was 100 meters above the ground.

I had misunderstood the activity. We were actually abseiling a massive cliff for only 15 meters, and there was a big crack in the cliff where we would stop. There was no rock to abseil on for a few meters, leaving me hanging there. The guide shouted instructions to let go of everything and that he would take me down, but I was too scared to release the rope. I stayed stuck there for a little while, laughing, crying, and yelling all at the same time. It was a big drama, and I hated the feeling of failure.

However, they gave me a chance to do it again straight away and convinced me that it would be more comfortable the second time. I knew what to expect, and it was indeed easier . I even almost enjoyed the beautiful landscape the second time. In the end, it was a win!

…To bungee jumping…

Bungee jumping was the most significant step I had ever taken. I had been contemplating it for some time. As a child, I found the idea exhilarating, but as I grew older, it seemed terrifying.

I had heard about a super high bungee jumping opportunity in a canyon near Queenstown , New Zealand, for years. When I travelled there, I decided to give it a try.

It was the most challenging experience of my life, both physically and mentally. In reality, the only pleasure came from the satisfaction of knowing that I could do it.

That day, I won the most significant battle against my mind.

…To outdoor climbing…

That was my ultimate goal: to be able to reach new heights while hiking without being paralysed by fear. I knew that rock climbing would be safer with proper skills and strength, so I began practising indoors before venturing outside. At first, I relied on secured ropes, but eventually, I started climbing or rock scrambling without them. Each time, I was still impressed by the height, but I always managed to finish the tracks I started.

My first outdoor climb was a small wall when we hiked Duke’s Nose on New Zealand’s north island . I had underestimated the hike, but as I was the one who planned it, I felt that I had to continue and reach the top. With the help of my trusted partner with climbing skills, I made it to the top quicker than I expected – it was actually easy as long as I didn’t look down.

The next time was during the Mount Barney hike , the most challenging mountain near Brisbane in Australia. Trusting my fitness and ability – which is key to giving me confidence, I climbed an exposed wall without looking down and had no problems. Since, I continue to seek opportunities to practice my skills and have been fortunate to have outdoor climbing options right in front of the city in Brisbane .

Now, I have even managed more challenging outdoor climbs without any ropes during impressive hikes in New Caledonia . The adrenaline was surely there, but the fear of heights didn’t kick in, and I was able to stay in control and enjoy the experience.

I can now proudly say I can fight my fear of heights

Overcoming my fear of heights was a long and challenging process, but it was worth it. It’s never easy to step out of your comfort zone, but it’s often rewarding. It allowed me to appreciate breathtaking views that I would have missed out on otherwise.

I returned to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and was pleased to find that I had no trouble navigating some of the tracks labelled challenging without even needing assistance from the safety chain. I got stuck there ten years prior, but this time, I made it through with ease, feeling a sense of accomplishment and growth.

Nowadays, I feel much more confident and willing to try new things as long as I feel safe. Of course, there are still situations that make me nervous, especially when there’s no safety gear involved. In those cases, I like to assess the risks carefully and discuss them with a trusted companion before proceeding.

But is this cautious approach a sign of fear or just common sense? I like to think it’s the latter. After all, it’s better to be careful and prepared than to take unnecessary risks. Nonetheless, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made and the opportunities it has opened up for me.

Are you trying to overcome your fear of heights? Share your experience in the comments below!

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This post has 4 comments.

A fear of heights is a real concern for people and a major cause of hesitancy for many vacation activities. Try a smartphone app like oVRcome which has just gone through a clinical trial and due for publication soon. oVRcome is a virtual reality app that provides easy exposure therapy to help people overcome phobias like a fear of heights, needles and more.

I have been frightened of heights for my whole life. I think I can trace it back to when my Dad held me up so I could look over the side of that old suspension bridge that used to span Warragamba Dam. The bridge has been pulled down now but it was a single lane thing, high above the water and it had a very – ah – temporary feel to it. I remember even then being terrified. I was about 5 or 6.

Later on in life I became an electrician. When I needed top work on say a power pole, I would always be working with one hand, because the other arm (and one leg) were wrapped around the pole, hanging on for grim death. This despite wearing a fall harness.

When faced with being some where high, I don’t sweat or shake, but it feels as though my testicles retract themselves to the safety of my guts and I get butterflies in my stomach

I still feel very uncomfortable at heights. I have recently (at age 61!) been “trained” to work in Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs) but I still try to avoid this kind of work.

I hate it and I am still scared witless….

I have read your story and while I have no wish to dangle on ropes over cliffs, I will apply the techniques you have told us about and try to keep my composure…. Thank you for your insight.

Hi, I enjoyed reading this. I have been trying to over come my fear of heights for years. I am now 45. I think my fear is from being told I am going to fall down hurt my self. Being raised by over protective Granny. She whatched her grand children why their parents work. My brother and cousin are both scared of heights. I used to couldn’t get on ladder. Stairs were not issue unless they were curve or lot of them. I wanted to travel so bad I slowly started to over come the fear. I had some drama in Jamica by scream on the chair lift. Last year I went in Helicopter without doors. I could never imagine rock climbing but I would love to go up in Hot Air balloon. I also hike the tallest peak in Galicier Park but that was 20years ago. One of the things on my mother’s bucket list is sky dive. She asked me to do it with her but I always say no. Maybe I should just do it. Thanks for the read. P.S. I used to have so many fears.

A rock-climbing work-mate gave me a trial spin on a popular and easy climbing wall to introduce me to the sport. I thought he was the greatest teacher – although experienced and really wanting to get on with real climbing, he was patient enough to let me take time to just hang at the base of the wall and get used to the feel of the safety gear and basic moves. That really helped calm me down for going higher than I would care to fall.

I find that getting older is not helping with respect to fear. I’ve have a lot of “could haves” over the years and it plays on my thoughts what could happen next time. I have to push myself to try new things. One thing that helps is to determine if I am concerned about a fear about a specific thing, which I can resolve by preparation, or just “bare fear”, where your tips come into play.

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97 Fear Essay Topics & Examples

🏆 best topics about fear & essay examples, 📌 good fear essay topics, ❓research questions about fear.

If you study psychology, you will probably have to write a fear essay at some point. The emotion is strong and can significantly affect any person, with effects potentially impairing his or her judgment and performance.

It can also result from a variety of sources, such as phobias or trauma, and manifest in many different conditions, taking the person by surprise. As such, it is essential to study the topic of how a person may deal with fear, with the most well-known one being courage.

However, there are many ideas on how the trait can be developed that can be used as fear essay hooks, but not all of them are viable. This article will help you write a powerful essay on the various topics associated with fear.

Fear is an emotion triggered by a perceived threat as a response that prepares the person to address it in an appropriate manner. As such, it is a reaction that helps people cope in the short term, but its effects when the person is constantly in a state of fear can be dangerous.

Examples include physical health deterioration due to the hormone production associated with the reaction and permanent mental health effects, such as PTSD.

As such, people who are affected by chronic fear should try to escape the state to avoid threats to their well-being. The first step towards doing so would be to discover and investigate the causes of the emotion.

Fear triggers in response to danger, whether real or perceived, and the nature of the reaction can provide you with ideas for fear essay titles. While it may be challenging to alleviate real conditions of real danger, not many people have to live in such situations.

Most chronic fear comes from various phobias, or persistent fear reactions to situations that may not warrant such a response. There are numerous variations, such as acrophobia, the fear of heights, and they are interesting topics for an investigation.

Between the many tall buildings designed by people and travel methods such as airplanes, a person with the condition may find it challenging to avoid stressful situations. However, they can generally avoid worrisome conditions with careful planning and the help of others.

Courage is a well-known quality that helps people overcome their fear, one that is described in many stories and images. However, it should be noted that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather a willingness to acknowledge it and confront the source.

The act involves a conscious effort of the will, and many people believe they do not have the capacity to do so. You should discuss the ways in which people can learn to be courageous and the methods that can be used to inspire them to try.

Here are some additional tips for enhancing your essay:

• Focus on the positive implications of fear and courage, as they are responsible for many of humanity’s great successes, and provide fear essay examples. Our society is safe from many different dangers because people were afraid of them.
• Make sure to cite scholarly sources wherever appropriate instead of trying to rely on common knowledge. Psychology is a science that has developed considerably since its inception and can offer a wealth of knowledge.
• Follow standard essay formatting guidelines, such as the use of academic language, the separation of different essay parts with appropriate titles, and the use of an introduction and conclusion.

Get more fear essay theses and other useful paper samples at IvyPanda!

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• Machiavelli’s Claim to Be Either Feared or Loved In describing a leader’s demonstration of his personal skills and knowledge for the attainment of the state’s good, Machiavelli focuses the importance of statesmanship.
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• SARS: It’s as Bad as We Feared but Dared Not Say The cornerstone of the study is the article written by Jennifer Eagleton wherein she described not only the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 but also the way the media dealt with the crisis […]
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Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

If people didn’t feel fear, they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves from legitimate threats. Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger that has been pivotal throughout human evolution, but especially in ancient times when men and women regularly faced life-or-death situations.

Today, the stakes are lower, but while public speaking , elevators, and spiders don’t present the same type of immediately dire consequences that faced early man, some individuals still develop extreme fight-flight-or-freeze responses to specific objects or scenarios.

Many people experience occasional bouts of fear or “nerves” before a flight, first date, or big game. But when someone’s fear is persistent and specific to certain threat, and impairs his or her everyday life, that person might have what’s known as a specific phobia.

• Why People Feel Fear
• Specific Phobias
• Social Anxiety
• Overcoming Fear

At least 60 percent of adults admit to having at least one unreasonable fear, although research to date is not clear on why these fears manifest. One theory is that humans have a genetic predisposition to fear things that were a threat to our ancestors, such as snakes, spiders, heights, or water, but this is difficult to verify, although people who have a first-degree relative with a specific phobia appear more likely to have the same one. Others point to evidence that individuals fear certain things because of a previous traumatic experience with them, but that fails to explain the many fears without such origins.

Personality traits such as neuroticism appear to increase one's likelihood of developing a phobia, and a tendency toward frequent worries and negative thoughts may also increase the risk, as may being raised by overprotective parents, losing a parent, or sexual or physical abuse. Most likely is that people follow multiple pathways to fears , not least among them the emotional response of disgust.

Throughout human history, certain animals, such as snakes and spiders, have caused high numbers of deaths. Thus, some researchers believe, men and women may have evolved to carry an innate instinct to avoid such creatures, as it would deliver a survival advantage. Some studies have shown that it’s easier to condition people without apparent fears of any animals to fear snakes and spiders than to fear dogs or other “friendly” creatures. Studies of other primates show that they share humans’ fear of snakes , leading some to speculate that such fears themselves may have spurred the growth of primate intelligence overall, as humans and others evolved to avoid the dangers posed by such threats.

Research shows that babies do not appear to show signs of fear until around 8 to 12 months of age, usually in response to new people or events, but they are less likely to show a fear of strangers when sitting on a parent’s lap. And while some fears may be innate in humans, many fears are learned , perhaps most commonly by seeing a parent react fearfully to an animal or situation, or to frequently warn a child about its dangers.

There are times when people actively pursue experiences that could scare them, like a roller coaster or a haunted house attraction . Some research suggests that even though these experiences can be truly frightening in the moment, they may also boost people’s moods: The scare response is sincere, but the quick reassurance of safety delivers an equally strong jolt of relief and enjoyment that may linger well after the experience.

Some feelings commonly described as “fears” are not strictly phobias, but mental obstacles that limit people’s actions and decisions, often preventing them from making progress, such as the fear of failure , the fear of success, the fear of rejection , the fear of missing out, or the fear of commitment. These feelings of insecurity, unworthiness, or indecision can often be addressed in therapy .

A phobia is a distinct fear or anxiety about a certain object or situation, exposure to which consistently provokes fear or causes distress in the sufferer. The fear experienced is almost always disproportionate to the true danger the object or event poses, and people with specific phobias generally know there is no real reason to be afraid and that their behavior is not logical. However, they cannot avoid their reaction.

Phobias fall into five broad categories:

• Fears of animals, such as fear of dogs (cynophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), or bugs ( insectophobia or entomophobia) . These fears, known as zoophobias, also include the fear of bats ( chiroptophobia) and of snakes or lizards (herpetophobia).
• Fears of the natural environment, such as a fear of heights (acrophobia) or of storms. These phobias also include fear of fire ( pyrophobia) and fear of the dark (nyctophobia).
• Fears related to blood ( hemophobia) , injury, and injection, such as a fear of needles ( trypanophobia) or medical procedures including dentistry ( dentophobia).
• Situational fears, such as a fear of flying ( aerophobia), a fear of public speaking (glossophobia) , or a fear of riding in elevators, which is itself a type of fear of closed spaces ( claustrophobia).
• Others, such as a fear of vomiting or choking.

Phobias can manifest at any time, but tend to emerge in childhood or adolescence , and the symptoms are often lifelong. In some cases, exposure to the feared object or situation (the phobic stimulus) can cause full or limited panic attacks. As many as 9 percent of Americans annually experience a specific phobia, according to the DSM-5 , and women are twice as likely as men to have a phobia. It’s not uncommon to have multiple phobias: three-quarters of individuals diagnosed with a specific phobia have more than one and the average sufferer has three. The onset of a phobia can sometimes be traced to a specific event, like surviving a plane crash or being attacked by a dog. But for many more people, the origin of the phobia remains unknown. Some people with a specific phobia change their lifestyles to avoid their triggers, moving to a region where certain animals are rare, for example, or where there is no subway.

To learn more about causes and treatments, see our Diagnosis Dictionary .

Agoraphobia is the fear of situations that would be difficult to escape from or from which it would be difficult to get help, such as being in a movie theater or subway car. People with agoraphobia may fear public transportation, open spaces such as bridges, enclosed spaces like elevators, crowded places like concerts, and being away from home in general. Sufferers may become highly distressed when they find themselves in such situations and will go out of their way to avoid them.

Fear of heights is a common phobia, and one that is often experienced intensely. In fact, the symptoms often mirror those of a panic attack, including trembling, sweaty palms, nausea, and dizziness. Some have this phobia because of a traumatic experience but research suggests that, for many others, this fear, and similar ones such as claustrophobia, is a consequence of being more acutely aware of their bodily sensations than others, and more likely to interpret those sensations as threatening, leading to negative thoughts about jumping, losing their balance, or having a heart attack.

It’s often stated that the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia. It isn’t; only about one in four people report experiencing it. But when those with glossophobia are asked to speak before a group, the fear can be paralyzing. People who generally experience high levels of anxiety may worry not only that their speech will be ineffective but that their anxiety will somehow undermine their performance. For others, there are plenty of other sources of discomfort, such as feeling unqualified to speak with expertise, worrying about being evaluated by higher-status colleagues, and, quite commonly, overestimating the stakes of their performance.

Preparation, practice, support from others, and learning to put oneself in a calmer, more relaxed state can all help ease the fear of public speaking , but one of the most important steps people can take is to challenge their beliefs. Cognitive reframing of one’s worries—challenging beliefs about being boring , anxious, or uninformed and replacing them with more favorable, supportive, and, significantly, realistic statements can help someone gain confidence and more accurately perceive the level of threat.

Clown-like characters have been a part of popular culture for centuries. Yet some people have always found them creepy, and about 2 percent of the population experiences coulrophobia, or a fear of clowns . The reaction may be due not just to news reports of crimes by people in clown masks or makeup, but to the ambiguity that even harmless clowns present. With painted-on, unchanging expressions, clowns’ emotions can be hard to read and their intentions may seem unpredictable. The phenomenon known as deindividuation, leads to further unease: Since the identities of the men or women behind the makeup are hidden, others may become fearful of what they might do under cover of anonymity.

Tokophobia, or the fear of pregnancy and/or childbirth, is a longtime phobia but one that has only recently been seriously researched. It affects both women who have experienced pregnancy and those who have not. Sufferers can experience terror, panic, or intense disgust at the very idea of becoming pregnant, leading to difficulty in forming romantic relationships and depriving women of the family they sincerely desire to have. (Women who simply do not desire children do not have tokophobia.)

Nomophobia is a recently coined fear, with “nomo” standing in for “no mobile.” Researchers who have observed individuals experience intense anxiety, fear, or withdrawal when separated from their mobile phones (or even from mobile phone reception) believe the response is based on the devices’ primary function as a means of connection with close attachments like friends, partners, and relatives, and their role as “human attachment substitutes” because they carry photos, messages, and other cherished personal information.

Fear often takes forms other than specific phobias. For example, social anxiety disorder , which is also known as social phobia, entails a deep fear of other people’s judgment, evaluation, and rejection that limits sufferers’ enjoyment of life. Individuals with social anxiety may avoid situations in which they will be exposed to the scrutiny of others, such as giving a speech, eating in front of others, meeting new people, or engaging in group conversations.

To learn more, see Types of Anxiety.

No, but social anxiety can lead to depression , and vice versa. People who experience social anxiety may endure extreme unhappiness, self-doubt, and even hopelessness, symptoms which overlap with those of depression. But research on the two conditions reveals a core feeling of worthlessness, or feeling that one is undeserving, whether of happiness or of other people’s friendship . Addressing that symptom in therapy could help to address social anxiety before it triggers depression.

The techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy may help sufferers begin to overcome social anxiety . Practicing approaches to social situations through limited exposure, and beginning to question the internal stories that lead them to avoid others, can foster confidence in sufferers they are in fact the type of people who can handle social situations. Testing predictions that things will go wrong, to prove that they are incorrect, can further help people challenge anxious thoughts, as can learning to credit or reward themselves for steps toward socializing, as opposed to criticizing themselves unrealistically in post-mortems.

To learn more, see Social Anxiety Disorder.

When fear disrupts or overtakes an individual's life, therapy can help. A core treatment for fears is exposure therapy, in which a therapist guides the client to gradually and repeatedly engage with the source of their phobia in a safe environment to help strip away the threat associated with it. For example, someone with a fear of flying may be prompted to think about planes, view pictures of planes, visit the airport, step onto a plane, and eventually complete a flight. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often applied in combination with exposure therapy, to help sufferers challenge and reframe their harmful beliefs.

Medication such as beta-blockers, which block adrenaline and lower heart rate and blood pressure, may be prescribed in the short-term, often when a feared situation is necessary or unavoidable, such as before a public speaking commitment.

Minding one’s thoughts, acknowledging their fears, and being present can go a long way toward managing everyday fears . The first step is to question the story behind a fear. When one’s mental predictions insist that something will go wrong or that an individual faces imminent danger, the ability to step back, recognize those thoughts as stories, and calmly evaluate whether they are true or rational can be a powerful step toward overcoming them.

Using the technology of virtual reality to simulate exposure to fears has emerged as a useful therapeutic tool. Evidence suggests that Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy (VRGET) can be especially helpful in addressing concerns like specific phobias , agoraphobia, and anxiety disorders . Patient outcomes appear to be no different in virtual and real settings, but VR may enable therapists to reach more people with accessible and affordable care.

No one lives without fear, but those individuals perceived as courageous may respond to and manage their fears in ways that may offer models to others. First, they are not afraid to be afraid , knowing it’s a feeling that is sometimes unavoidable, and that it’s a feeling that can be useful when it’s recognized as an alert and not a barrier. With this knowledge, they can prepare without panicking, take action instead of shying away from it, and ask for help when their fears clue them in that it may be needed.

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These suggestions can help us determine when fear is providing important information and when it is instead constraining and dividing us.

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