What is a phobia?
Probably, each of us has heard, or maybe knows from our own experience, how great the power of fears over human consciousness is. But, unlike rationally justified fear, there are irrational fears. In psychology they are called phobias. The term "phobia" comes from the Greek "phobos" - "horror". This term denotes a persistent, inexplicable, uncontrollable fear of something.
How does a phobia differ from ordinary fear? Rational fear helps a person survive in the world around him and adapt to his environment. A phobia, on the contrary, becomes an emotional inhibitor that prevents you from really assessing the situation and state of affairs.
Moreover, fear in the form of a phobia sometimes takes on absolutely absurd forms. With a phobia, the human brain is faced with something that it is not able to assimilate and process. This means that he is unable to give an emotionally correct reaction. In the case of a phobia, anxiety takes on prohibitive proportions; it is so strong that a person can even neglect the instinct of self-preservation in order to avoid an unwanted situation or contact with the object of the phobia.
The fear is so great that the body’s vital signs even change. The person turns pale or blushes, shortness of breath and loss of speech may occur. Nausea, rapid heartbeat, and increased sweating may occur. Moreover, these psychosomatic symptoms can arise with just the thought of the subject of panic fear.
If a phobia significantly complicates life, interferes with ordinary daily activities, we can even talk about a mental disorder. This cannot be done without the help of a professional.
What are the types of phobias?
It is customary to divide phobias by type. For example, specific or isolated phobias are phobias caused by specific objects or situations. This category includes: fear of certain animals (mice, insects, snakes, bats, birds, etc.); fear of heights, closed spaces, darkness, blood, etc. That is, to put it in plain language, a person is afraid of something specific.
There is such a thing as social phobia. With this disorder, people are afraid to communicate with other people, to make new contacts, that is, these are fears associated with a person’s communicative functions. This also includes fear of criticism and fears associated with low self-esteem. Such people do not like to be in public, are afraid of becoming a victim of ridicule, and experience discomfort when meeting new people.
Agaraphobia, the fear of open spaces, also falls into this category. A person suffering from such a phobia is very afraid to leave his comfort zone. This also includes the fear of crowds, travel, and “unprotected” places. This type of phobia, as a rule, is more common in adults, while social phobia is more common in young people and adolescents.
Causes of acrophobia
People, being at a height, experience panic fear with the manifestation of somatic symptoms (dizziness, trembling in the body, blurred vision, lightheadedness or complete loss of consciousness). Such occurrences may result in falls or serious injury. The person who finds himself at the height must be accompanied by friends or relatives.
Acrophobia causes
The causes of acrophobia include the following factors:
- Brain damage due to traumatic brain injury or due to infectious or inflammatory diseases.
- The phobia is transmitted along the hereditary line. Parents or close relatives may have suffered from a mental disorder. As a result, fear of heights is a congenital disease in children.
- Regular stressful situations.
- Intoxication from drinking alcoholic beverages.
- A harsh upbringing in the family, which led to the formation of low self-esteem.
- An individual psychological feature, accompanied by manifestations of a psychasthenic nature: suspiciousness, severe anxiety, high level of emotional background, timidity, shyness.
Increased impressionability leads to the formation of obsessive thoughts associated with the fear of falling from a height. People who react too violently to any events and circumstances, over time, begin to focus on their own unpleasant feelings. As a result, a phobia develops and forms, causing panic fear in certain situations.
Fear of heights is also provoked by physiological factors related to the functioning of the entire body system. Typically, the phobia is observed in people with a dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus, which is responsible for the orientation of the body in space. An imbalance of the vestibular system leads to dizziness, even if a person is at a minimum height. Unreasonable fear also occurs after experiencing severe stress or serious psychological trauma.
What happens when we are overcome by fear?
To do this, let's figure out what happens to us when we face the source of our fear one on one. Let's start with physiology. Scientists have found that the amygdala is responsible for the instinct of self-preservation, and therefore for the feeling of fear. This is an area that is located in the temporal lobe of the brain. And, it is the amygdala that is responsible for consolidating in memory the chain leading to the emergence of fear.
What does it mean? That every time we are faced with our fear, the amygdala gives a command to produce certain hormones that force us to take protective actions (run, fight, hide). Definitely, our body perceives all this as a not very pleasant event, which means a rapid heartbeat occurs, blood pressure rises, and breathing quickens. And even if fear was not caused by a real event, but only by our imagination (after all, there is no need to run anywhere, and there is no one to fight with...), the reaction will be the same.
How to overcome fear of heights?
If fear has not turned into acrophobia, then you can easily overcome it on your own. For this, there are special techniques developed by psychologists:
- Practice being at altitude . At the same time, start with an insignificant one, get used to it and rise above 2. When you are at a height and feeling panic, focus on some subject and study it carefully - this will help you cope with anxiety and calm down fear. 3. Try to visualize your fears . While at home, in a comfortable and safe environment, close your eyes and imagine that you are at a considerable height. In your thoughts , convince yourself that there is no danger , that you are on a stable surface that cannot collapse, and therefore a fall from a height is impossible. Do this often and the results will not be long in coming. 4. When the fear of heights begins to recede, you can consolidate your fear by skydiving. Having been at such a height and landing successfully, you are unlikely to be afraid to stand on the fifth floor balcony. It is advisable to do group jumps with people close to you.
Group parachute jump
If you cannot overcome fear on your own, then you need to seek the help of a specialist , because it can be controlled for the time being and it is unknown whether at some point fear will control you and worsen your quality of life.
How do we get a phobia?
A logical question arises: why are some people afraid of one thing, and others of another? How do we “choose” a phobia for ourselves, or how does a phobia choose us? Unfortunately, scientists have not yet found an explanation for this. There are versions that the tendency to develop phobias may be associated with birth trauma, others explain this by a violation of intrauterine brain development. There is also an opinion that some negative experience or series of events can lead to the development of a phobia. There is evidence that fear can be learned from a close relative, for example, from a mother who is terrified of something, or from a complete stranger who vividly spoke about her fear. An example would be appropriate here: how children begin to fear getting sick when they learn about the existence of incurable diseases or bacteria and viruses. Phobias can also arise as a result of severe stress, extreme experiences associated, for example, with the threat of losing one’s life.
Proponents of psychoanalysis associate the occurrence of phobias with internal mental problems. In particular, phobias may indicate a person’s fear of the fulfillment of his secret desires. Such a desire, especially if it is socially condemned, begins to be perceived by the psyche as a danger.
Symptoms
Fear of heights manifests itself in different ways among people. Typically, those who suffer from acrophobia claim that if they are at a height, they are unable to control themselves and their actions, they have a desire to jump down, although they have never had suicidal tendencies. In addition, fear of heights is accompanied by a fear of slipping, as well as dizziness, nausea, leading to vomiting.
Diarrhea may occur, breathing quickens, the pulse increases or slows down, the person begins to sweat heavily, pain in the heart and tremors of the limbs appear , and the pupils dilate. There is increased muscle tone, increased motor activity, which is accompanied by chaotic movements, the person tries to hide from a seeming danger.
If the fear of heights manifests itself regularly, almost every day, even for no reason, then this is a serious reason to contact a specialist. Such symptoms, present every day in a person’s daily life, can lead to severe mental illness. The patient significantly limits his freedom of movement, his desires and taste preferences change.
All symptoms of acrophobia are conventionally divided into two groups:
- somatic symptoms;
- psychological signs of illness.
Depending on the severity of the phobia , this pathology has varying degrees of severity. Mild symptoms, which include a slight increase in heart rate and fear of being very close to the edge of a precipice, are not considered a manifestation of acrophobia. People tend to be afraid of heights.
Psychological signs include the occurrence of uncontrollable panic attacks in a person when ascending to a height, and in more severe cases, panic appears while contemplating high objects or mentally imagining the ascent itself. In this case, the person ceases to fully control his actions, he cannot move further, sits on the floor, covers his face or head with his hands and does not react to anything.
Acrophobia in children
A very serious situation arises if a child suffers from acrophobia. more difficult to work and communicate with him than with an adult. The situation can get worse if it is necessary to help a child who has previously fallen from a height or been dropped from a height. In this case, the child develops a persistent feeling of fear of tall objects, as well as a fear of heights in general. It often happens that parents, through their excessive guardianship or excessive care, unwittingly, form acrophobia in their child.
This phobia in a child manifests itself as a feeling of discomfort, even if he is at a low altitude. In this case, panic and lightheadedness may develop, accompanied by increased heart rate, nausea and dizziness. But the worst thing is that the child loses control over his actions. Because of his controlled fear, he is unable to understand how to properly descend and be safe.
To prevent the development of acrophobia with a child, it is necessary to engage in comprehensive development. Riding bicycles, scooters, jumping on a trampoline or jumping ropes help a child learn to navigate in space , strengthen his vestibular system, and prevent the appearance of a fear of heights.
Parents should not prohibit their child from engaging in activities that involve climbing ladders and ropes, as well as spatial orientation. You can’t constantly convince him that this is dangerous, since the fear of heights will only intensify.
Overcoming fears
We can definitely say that we acquire fear, which develops into a phobia, in the course of our lives. And it is logical that if fears and phobias prevent us from living, we will strive to get rid of them. Psychotherapy is considered the most effective way to treat phobias. That is, therapy aimed at combating conscious and unconscious states: anxiety, fear, panic attack, etc.
Why am I afraid of lightning, why am I afraid of spiders (heights, darkness, birds..)? It is impossible to answer this question right away. For each person, the mechanism of occurrence of a phobia is both standard (from a scientific point of view) and purely individual. After all, we are not programmed machines that just need to change the algorithm of action or adjust the data processing process.
To figure out where your fears come from, you need analysis, you need to get to the core of the problem. This is the task of the psychologist: to find the answer to where the phobia came from. And only then will it be possible to choose the right path of treatment. During the appointment, a psychologist or psychotherapist not only finds the cause of the phobia, but also draws up a treatment plan, which may include cognitive behavioral therapy, and in some cases, medication. You can get rid of one phobia in one conversation, while another takes 3-4 months to treat. The main thing is to start and want to overcome your fear.
Ways and recipes to overcome fear of heights
- Each person is an individual and only he has a set of certain unique characteristics that make him an individual
- It is not possible to say that there is a technique that can deprive absolutely everyone of any fear - the solution to each problem must be carried out individually. A qualified psychologist with experience in working with phobias will best help with this.
- According to most psychologists and psychiatrists, the fight against pronounced acrophobia is an extremely difficult task that is almost impossible to solve on your own.
- Even under the guidance of specialists, therapeutic measures will not be limited to one session, but will constitute a long process of systematic and balanced influence
Treatment of phobia is the work of a psychotherapist.
Practice shows that hypnosis sessions are highly effective in the fight against acrophobia. By putting the patient into a trance state, a psychotherapist skilled in hypnosis can provide a corrective effect, thanks to which there is a high chance of completely eliminating the phobia.
