Paralysing fear of heights, anyone gotten over it?
 

Just wanted to see if anyone had had any success in overcoming a massive fear of heights?
Someone I know shall we say suffers terribly from it, to the point where it dictates jobs (as in not working in high offices), nights out, shopping centers, driving over the Dartford Crossing, well, you get the picture, the list is endless!!

Have heard about hypnosis, and a few other wierd and wonderful ideas, but wanted to know if anyone here has ever tried anything that has fully cured them from that complete feeling of panic and dread when faced with high places.

Problem is (apparently) pretty bad, a sort of panic, which snowballs the issue, as the feeling of control over what you are doing gets lost, and the overwhelming feeling is one of getting to a safe height as quickly as possible.

Hopefully someone knows what this person is talking about, and it would be a godsend if someone had actually found a way to beat it and get on with life as a normal person.

Stand on a glass floor in a high building. Helped me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...n/IMG_0164.jpg

As far as I know most successful treatment of these things involves exposing people to what they fear.

Used to have a big fear of heights, but not so much now. Still don't like it but got used to it. Started snowboarding 2 yrs ago so had to get used to chairlifts some with safety bars some without...

oh lord that pictue makes me feel ill....

I've done it.
Enrolled in a climbing course on an indoor wall, very frightening but I got over it and thoroughly enjoy climbing now. It wasn't without it's problems as I got the shakes so badly to start off with I looked like a singer sowing machine. But a gradual process of building confidence got me over it.
If it's not too clichéd....
Face your fears.
R

done something similar some years ago,even became a climbing instructor for a while,done parachute jumps etc.still scared of heights but have learned to push past it,not easy but worth it :)

Where is that tower (I presume in Kiwiland from the road markings and your location)?

I've got a similar piccie of me up the CN Tower. I wouldn't recommend it as a first stage treament for acrophobes though. I've done 20 parachute jumps and I still felt, er, funny standing on a glass floor - see here if you don't believe me that it ain't that easy. :D

Kiwi - are you wearing pyjamas, or a khaftan?

I went on Outward Bound and did the high ropes course, including abseiling forwards down a 70ft cliff. Have since done a 50m forward abseil down an office block, abseiling 100m into a cave, and the 100m Pipeline bungy jump, the last three in NZ.

It's the Skytower in Auckland, which you an also bungy off

http://www.skyjump.co.nz/

Brendan - It's actually a really stylish shirt with a bad camera angle :)

Did you have a go at the jump?

Looks quite good. I wouldn't be smiling though if I was jumping!!

192m, pah !

Try 14,500 ft to rid of a fear of heights ;):D

http://www.stefanostadal.homedns.org/images/skydive.jpg

Couldn't stop smiling for days :D

Stefan

Hmm, not sure about just getting thrown in at deep end, does that really provide a lasting resolution to the fear?
I can imagine it'd be a massive rush, but then on a day to day basis of dealing with various heights, would you say that its useful?

I guess it depends on whether it's just heights or that plus a combination of other things. I felt nervous about my first jump, but the height never bothered me. 14,500 or 1000 didn't seem like a big difference to be honest.

I've been more nervous doing rock climbing indoors and attached to a rope. More so, when someone's belaying as your completely at their mercy.

Conquering something as extreme as Skydiving does give you a great confidence. Maybe that's enough to help overcome fears from different heights and circumstances e.g. tall building, glass elevators, bridges, ladders?, etc..

Stefan

personally havnt beaten it just got better at dealing with it
mates still take the p*** when im flat on a ladder hanging on like grim death if im only about 6 foot up-no chance of me painting windows at home need both hands to hold on
the wife then runs up and down like a damn monkey-really makes me feel good that does
i think start small and work up is the answer .dunno about sky diving- i think the rush would be great but then i'd have to batter the git that trussed me and chucked me out of the plane.
richie

Ditto :eek:

I don't like heights but have still worked on ladders, scaffolding etc. I just have to climb a ladder a bit at a time and eventually I'm comfortable. It's when you start thinking of the worst that you start freaking out.

Would I ever do a bungee or parachute jump? No chance!

But gsm, the odd thing is that you are more likely to seriously injure yourself from a ladder or scaffolding than a bungee jump! It's the difference between perception of danger and existence of danger. Provided you go to a reputable company, the bungee you have almost zero chance of an accident, probably more chance of winning the lottery. Falling off a ladder however is a common occurence and source of injury!

My problem was, once I'd done all the stuff above, I remember walking calmly to the edge of a flat-roof block of flats (5, 6 floors) and looking down. I remember having to remind myself that this time there WASN'T a safety rope attached!

Must say, I wasn't as crippled by vertigo as the original poster. Happy in tall buildings, across bridges, Eiffel Tower, etc. It's just as soon as you take the safety rail away, I'd freeze. I always remember working with Dad retiling a roof - he'd be on the angled roof, I'd be on the scaffold tower. On the tower, I'd be fine, but he tried to get me to crawl onto the roof to pass him something, and then the gibbering started.

My rational mind knows that but it's the height that would just mess my head. It's probably that I feel I've got a chance of surviving a fall off a ladder!

Hmm. I just felt dizzy.. which is a problem.

Another one here who used to be petrified. Went on a ski holiday without thinking, hopped on my first chairlift (without thinking) and wimpered like a lost puppy all the way up.

After a week was somewhat numb to it. Still bothered by certain things; walking in the alps last summer could see edge of path then 2k's down to bottom. Wasn't more than 45degrees, just the way it presented the view. Or driving a mountain pass out of val d'isere a few weeks back, another edge of road and 2k down job. Dodgy italian hirecar and I've never driven so slowly. Nutters coming down like the clappers on bikes (pedal variety) and mobile homes :eek: Nervous wreck by the top.

Actually find the more I think about it, the worse it is. I start coming up with worst case scenarios.

The other thing is I can fly ok, gliders and the like give mild panic. Once over 2-3 thousand the ground becomes an abstrac concept - bit like a painted background, and the impression of height is gone. Odd really :D