How To Cope With a Fear Of Heights

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We're all born with a little acrophobia, or fear of heights. But when a healthy fear turns into crippling anxiety, it's time to get help.

To complete this How-To you will need:

Determination
Therapy
Breathing exercises
Distractions
Medication

Step 1: Learn breathing exercises

Learn to calm yourself through deep breathing. Being able to control your breathing when you're in the anxiety-provoking moment, like on a ladder, will help fend off the physical aspects of fear, like nausea and heart palpitations.

Step 2: Distract yourself

Find ways to distract yourself when you are doing something frightening. Try a mental exercise, like adding large numbers in your head, or bring along your favorite music.

Step 3: Get virtual therapy

If your phobia is more serious—and you can afford the treatment—find a therapist who offers virtual reality exposure therapy. A computer will put you in a simulated scary situation, like standing on the edge of a cliff. This is considered the gold standard of phobia treatment.

Step 4: Try graded exposure therapy

If virtual reality treatment isn't available, go for graded exposure. A therapist helps you tackle small challenges (like standing on a platform) as you gradually work up to your biggest fear (say, going to the top of a skyscraper). Eight to 15 sessions are generally needed.

Tip: Experts say continued exposure to the fear is the key to overcoming it, so keep forcing yourself into high places after therapy officially ends.

Step 5: Consider flooding

If you want a quick cure, consider flooding. That's when a therapist makes you confront your greatest fear in one brutal, on-site session.

Warning: Flooding can be an intense experience—be sure to do it under the guidance of a trained professional.

Step 6: Ask about medication

Ask your doctor about prescribing a medication you can take when you're forced to be in a terrifying situation.

Tip: The drug D-cycloserine has been proven effective in treating fear of heights when combined with therapy.

Step 7: Try talk therapy

Try talk therapy. Though behavioral therapy works best for phobias, traditional talk-it-out counseling can be helpful for people who developed their phobia as the result of a specific incident, like a childhood fall.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• howcast
• how-to
• phobia
• fear
• heights
• cope

[BillDFC]

I am afraid of heights and this crap wouldn't help.

[JohnF30Music]

Why is there no fuckin serious video about acrophobia?

[SoshiLoveable]

sorry, the phobia won't be cured in this way 

[notsooutcast]

Step One: Acquire Mount Everest.

Step Two: Jump off Mount Everest.

Step Three: Live to tell the tale.

[gnrROCK4ever]

step 1: jump off a fucking cliff

[animefanthe1st]

@davgong1

That's arachnophobia. :/

[davgong1]

wait isnt acraphobia fear of spiders???

[SusanV100]

Im not that afraid of heights. Its reasonable 2 be afraid of really really high heights not 2 books stacked, that is just mental.

[theandynextdoor]

is this fucking for real?

what the fuck did i just watch?

[theprankster1234]

Dude what if ur on a building on fire and in the video it said distract urself what if u fall by distraction

[theman11211994]

i was afraid of heights, but then iwalked on the edge of a meteor crater thats in AZ, when i say the edge i mean the edge.

[greenorange75]

At 1:50, the therapist looks like he killed her.