How to Manage Fear of Altitude

Extreme fears or phobias can be difficult to overcome. However, it gets easier when you realize that you're not alone. The truth is that many people suffer from "acrophobia" or the fear of heights. Some people find this fear so paralyzing that it impedes a normal life. For many people, the most effective way to manage or overcome a fear of altitude is to combine a number of the available therapies until the combined effect begins to make a difference.

Instructions

• 1

  Seek help as soon as you feel that your fear of heights is preventing you from living a normal life. The worst thing people do is suffer in silence, and that ensures a condition that never improves. Ask your physician to guide you toward resources for ways to treat acrophobia.

• 2

  Explore hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Many people have reported successful treatment of fear of heights through NLP. This is a program that overwrites the immediate physical responses that a person feels when confronted with the object of their fear. If successful, the program replaces the usual feeling with a more constructive one.

• 3

  Consult with a phobia specialist. A specialist uses phobia techniques such as asking you to confront your fear in a controlled environment. This allows you to take possession of your own fear so that you control it, instead of the other way around.

• 4

  Speak with your healthcare provider or mental health professional about the possibility of medication. Certain medications limit the severity of the symptoms brought on by phobias.