What is acrophobia, why are people afraid of heights, is it a disease, the reasons for this fear, how to deal with it. Acrophobia is a disease associated with a loss of orientation in space, when the fear of falling even from a small height is accompanied by impaired motor reactions up to stupor and unpleasant sensations: dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
Description and mechanism of development of acrophobia
Consider what acrophobia or fear of heights is associated with and how it manifests itself. This word is Greek and literally means “upper fear”, that is, fear of being on top. It paralyzes the will and hinders movement, dizzy, and a person is afraid that he may fall and break. Fear of heights is not unique to Homo sapiens, it is also characteristic of animals that have vision.
From a medical point of view, dizziness at altitude is a normal reaction of the human body. However, in some, it develops into pathology, when, after looking at the ground, for example, from the height of the fifth floor, there is a panic fear of falling out of the window, and it may not only be dizzy, but vomiting occurs. Often, this condition is accompanied by profuse salivation, slowing of the heart rate and disruption of the gastrointestinal tract - diarrhea.
It is believed that 7% of the world's population suffers from acrophobia, women are more susceptible to such fear than men. The mechanism of development of acrophobia lies in mental processes in the body. Fear of heights is considered a mild neurosis caused by loss of orientation in space. This is a signal that a person is predisposed to mental disorders. It is dangerous for such people to engage in mountain tourism or work high from the ground, for example, to be installers of power lines (power lines), crane operators for high-rise cranes at construction sites. Consider the reasons why certain individuals should not be employed in certain types of work.
Causes of the fear of heights
Why is a person afraid of heights? The opinions of psychologists here are different. Some believe that fear of altitude is inherent in humans. This is a self-preservation instinct that protects against danger in an unusual situation. Others believe that such an inner sense is acquired in the process of life or may be due to the peculiarities of the psyche. Based on these ideas, the causes of acrophobia can be:
- Congenital reflexes … Associated with the instinct of self-preservation. In prehistoric times, when a person was still in a primitive state, the probability of falling, say, from a steep mountain while hunting, was high. Ancient people developed an evolutionary mechanism to beware of high places. Over time, the need for it disappeared, but for some it is present in the body as a relic (atavism) in our days.
- Conditioned reflexes … Body reactions acquired in the course of life. Let's say a child unsuccessfully climbed a tree and fell. Since then, he became afraid of heights.
- Features of the psyche … For example, a person is impressionable and suspicious. One mental image that falls from a great height causes a violent reaction of rejection - a fear of high places. Often, harsh, deafening sounds cause such a phobia.
- Poor spatial orientation … A sign of a poorly developed vestibular apparatus - an organ that is responsible for the coordination of movements, makes a person adapt to the conditions of the external environment. Let's say he climbed high and dizzy.
No matter what the reason for acrophobia, you should not laugh at a person who is afraid of heights. It is quite possible that he has this innate instinct, or maybe a slight mental illness - neurosis, when medical help is needed.
Manifestations of acrophobia in humans
For a person, the feeling of fear is natural. This is a basic, innate emotion - a component of the instinct of self-preservation, a reaction of the psyche to a real or imaginary danger. Signal to beware. But everything is good in moderation. When the fear, for example, of heights arises out of the blue, one feels discomfort from “communication” even with a low height - this is a sign that something is wrong with the psyche. And here the help of a specialist is already needed.
Signs of acrophobia in adults
Acrophobia in men and women manifests itself in the same way. There are somatic and mental symptoms of fear of heights, they are closely related to each other. For example, at a high altitude, a strong panic attack began, a person cannot control his emotions, this is manifested in behavior: he refuses to walk, he can sit down and cover his head with his hands, does not respond to the speech of others. The somatic manifestations of acrophobia in adults include:
- Dizziness. When your head is spinning at high altitude.
- Cardiopalmus. Fright compresses the heart, this is manifested in its frequent contractions.
- Stomach upset. There is nausea, vomiting, and there may be stool incontinence (diarrhea).
- Pupils dilate. No wonder they say that "fear has big eyes."
- Tremors (tremors) of the arms and legs. This leads to unsteady movements, when you can stumble and fall off, say, off a cliff. Conversely, a stupor may occur, a person is unable to budge, sits as if "glued", persuasion to get up and walk does not help.
The psychological symptoms of acrophobia include:
- Loss of control over your emotions. When the most extravagant thoughts come to mind, for example, the desire to jump from a height.
- Fear of slipping. A person, for example, climbs a mountain and is afraid that he will stumble and roll down.
- Excessive impressionability, suspiciousness. To such a person, even in a dream, it seems that he is falling from a great height. This fear is fixed in consciousness, the fear of high places remains for many years.
It's important to know! If a person is afraid of heights, it does not mean at all that he is mentally unwell. It's just a feature of his body, one of the phobias that lends itself to psychological correction.
How acrophobia manifests itself in children
Acrophobia is inherent in children, but this does not mean at all that they are all afraid of heights from birth. Psychological factors are likely to be present here. For example, a child just learned to walk, climbed onto a chair and fell from it, burst into tears. This unpleasant incident stuck in his mind, as a result, he became afraid of high places. Such a phobia can be promoted by the parents themselves, when, for example, they have dropped the child or are pulling him up all the time so that he does not climb high on a tree, otherwise "you can fall and break."
Fear of heights often brings children to a fainting state, their temperature rises, and their movements become uncertain. This is very dangerous for a child, panic can lead to a wrong decision, the consequences of which can be tragic.
To prevent this from happening, you need to encourage sports. All kinds of sports - summer and winter: bicycle, skating, football, trampoline and others develop coordination of movements, help to strengthen the vestibular apparatus.
Cartoons and books will help your child cope with their phobia. In them, the heroes overcome various difficult trials and win. A positive example helps your toddler deal with his fear. The same example can be given by parents when, under their supervision, a child overcomes a height, for example, dad helps his son to dive from a small springboard into the water, and does not pull him back, that “don’t jump, you’ll get killed!”
It's important to know! The child needs to be taught to overcome their fears, and not to shout, that, for example, climbing high is dangerous. In this case, he will grow up notorious. Determination and courage will not be traits of his character.
Features of the fight against acrophobia
How to treat acrophobia, if the fear of heights began to determine the essential aspects of life? For example, a person cannot live on the fifth floor or is afraid to go up to his friends, who live on the 15th floor. How to get rid of fear in such and many other cases, we will consider in more detail.
Medication for acrophobia
There are no such effective drugs that could completely remove the fear of heights. The very reason for the fear is not removed, it remains deep in the subconscious.
With the help of antidepressants, for example, Afobazole, a new generation drug that is dispensed without a prescription, or benzodiazepines - drugs that relieve anxiety (Diazepam, Midazolam), you can only muffle your phobia for a while, so that, say, take a plane flight or go up with friends into the mountains.
Psychotherapeutic methods of dealing with acrophobia
An overwhelming fear of heights is a mild neurosis; in order to get rid of it, you can turn to a psychotherapist. He will teach you how to manage emotions, change your behavior in relation to the fear of high places. Various psychotherapeutic techniques will help get rid of acrophobia:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) … Thoughts affect a person's behavior and emotions. A doctor-psychotherapist will teach you how to deal with your fear, get rid of it, develop an attitude to overcome it, and therefore change your behavior.
- Gestalt therapy … Based on the fact that our life is governed by emotions. Only getting rid of negative emotions, in our case, excessive fear, will allow us to overcome the fear of heights.
- Hypnosis … The patient is in a trance state, the correction of his emotional state is carried out, the thought is suggested that the fear of heights is unreasonable.
Self-help treatments for acrophobia
If a person controls his behavior and realizes that he needs to correct his fear, he can try to get rid of it himself. Then acrophobia treatment can be done at home. To do this, you need to do auto-training - self-hypnosis, which allows you to independently relieve nervous tension. This technique is very effective against acrophobia. You should use such a method of autogenous training as visualization (mental vision). In a relaxed state with closed eyes, for example, before going to bed, you need to imagine the place where the fear was experienced. It is necessary to convince yourself that everything is fine, nothing terrible is happening. Raise the height each time. Repeat this exercise many times, only then will the necessary effect of "non-fear" of high spaces be developed. Such a technique as "face to face" has proven itself well in the fight against acrophobia. Dangers should not be avoided by showing her the back; one must face her. For example, to stand on the balcony and try to meditate, convince myself that my fear is in vain, it prevents me from living, and therefore must leave. At this time, you do not need to look at the objects below, you need to focus only on your thoughts. Practical tips to combat acrophobia:
- Do not be afraid to visit high observation decks. In order not to get dizzy, you do not need to look at the cars and people moving below.
- Nice to go swimming. Learn to overcome your fear and jump into the water from a springboard, starting at a low altitude, of course, under the supervision of a trainer.
- You should not lock yourself in with your fear of heights, you should discuss it with people who have the same problems. This will help you overcome your fear.
- Whenever possible, do not avoid visiting high-rise buildings, practice, drive your fear of heights into a dark corner so that it never sticks out!
It's important to know! The fear of heights can be overcome! You just need to really want this and believe in yourself. How to get rid of acrophobia - watch the video:
Fear of heights is inherent in many people, but this does not mean at all that a person is mentally ill. Acrophobia is rather an innate property, just for someone it is pronounced and can be a sign of neurosis. In this case, you should bring your emotions back to normal, this can be done without contacting a psychologist. Everything is in the hands of a person, he can overcome his fear of heights on his own.
