Understanding Height Phobia and How to Overcome It

Masmaol.com - Someone who suffers from height phobia will usually avoid activities related to high places, such as standing on a balcony, crossing a bridge, looking out the window from a skyscraper, or just sitting on a stadium bench.

Symptoms of Height Phobia

People with a phobia of heights can experience uncontrollable fear, anxiety, and panic when at heights, even though the situation is not dangerous. Other reactions that can also appear are tremors, chest palpitations, dizziness, cold sweats, nausea, shortness of breath, and fainting. Just by imagining being in a high place, people with phobia of heights can feel scared, anxious, and even have panic attacks. People with phobia of heights actually realize that the fear they feel is not normal, but they still cannot overcome this fear.

How to Overcome Height Phobia

The fear of height phobia can interfere with the sufferer's daily activities. In conditions that are severe enough, climbing a ladder to install curtains, change light bulbs, or clean windows alone makes sufferers afraid. If so, this condition certainly needs to be treated. The following are several treatment methods for dealing with height phobia:

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is considered one of the most effective therapies for overcoming the phobia of heights. In this therapy, the therapist will help the patient slowly open up to the things they fear. This therapy can be started by looking at pictures from someone's point of view in a tall building. The patient may also be asked to watch videos of people crossing ropes, climbing, or crossing narrow bridges. Furthermore, the patient may be asked to stand on the balcony while being accompanied by a therapist. At this stage, the patient will learn relaxation techniques to help overcome the fear of heights.

Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is one of the most common psychotherapeutic techniques used to treat phobias. CBT is suitable for people with phobia of heights who are not ready to undergo exposure therapy. The focus of this therapy is to identify and change negative thoughts and reactions to situations that cause the phobia. By undergoing behavioral therapy, the patient will be guided to divert feelings of fear and overcome the symptoms that arise.

Consumption of Sedatives

There is no medicine that can cure a phobia. However, several types of drugs, such as anxiety relievers and antidepressants, can at least make people with height phobia more calm in dealing with their anxiety when symptoms appear. Even so, the use of these drugs must follow the doctor's instructions.

Conclusion

If your phobia of heights interferes with your daily activities, you should consult a psychiatrist or psychologist to get treatment. This is because it's impossible to avoid activities in high places forever, such as crossing a bridge or getting on a plane to travel.

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