Comments on: Gettin’ Down With Your Fear of Heights

By: G

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:58:03 +0000

I am 6′ 210 lb tree trimmer,Ex-skydiver & rock climber,Comm. tower builder & rescue of 10 yrs. I can honestly tell you the easiest/calm ways I have experienced to get better at fears “associated” with heights and the reasons that I have seen for the fear. Best way I have found to help is to take someone to where they can tolerate a height and have them work or play cards or something distracting, especially calming. Keep doing this for days, weeks, or years. Your subconscious knows you are still around a height and if it’s having a good/ positive experience.(”That wasn’t so bad”, is the idea) The other thing that helps is improving your balance and your strength,which also help your confidence. Those are huge effects.
99% of ALL PEOPLE FEAR SOME OUTCOME FROM HEIGHTS!… Afraid of: Death,from fall; not dying,but maimed; equipment failure,creating the fall;don’t trust your balance or strength;childhood memory, caused;(etc.,…)
I know have more fear than I use to from a fall because of device failure. I am not afraid of the height, as much as not trusting quality of things made, that may lead to me getting maimed, over death.(Not acrophobia, but there is a fear of faulty devices) I will trust a rock bridge or rock wall over a ladder. The different views/perspectives of different heights are what I enjoy.
The baby test is instinct. But, put the parent in front of the baby and cross,… I might think the baby will follow, then. The fear’s increased strength is definitely learned as well. I have had very few problems and some great experiences at heights, so I don’t have much of a problem. … If you sleep well are you afraid of sleeping? How about a person with night terrors? How did they become affected? Nightmare as a child? If never confronted, it usually gets worse.
How well you can mentally deal with “any” thing or situation will depict your fear of/in that instance.
Just my thoughts. No PHD.

Peace to you.

Guy

By: Jesse

Jesse — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:50:12 +0000

If you have a fear of heights than you will want to stay away from the glass balconies on the Sears Tower!

http://www.ruaware.net/sears-tower-skydeck

By: teresa

teresa — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:52:00 +0000

I’m only 5′3 and extremely afraid of heights.

Not only do I have a poor sense of directions and balance (I even dream of falling down) but I also have poor eyesight.

Even with eyeglasses it’s hard to focus when making sudden movements so I think that also makes me feel not confident in my ability to handle the situation if I happened to fall or have an accident from high up.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:07:00 +0000

I have always been afraid of heights and slipping. I can climb over a fence with no problem but go a little higher on a ladder and my legs become weak and my hands began to tremble a little. The reaction is what scares me because I lose my ability to function and react, which is dangerous.

Like others on here in certain situations such as being on a platform over a cliff if the rail looks thin I will keep my distance. For example I could not go up to the edge of the Grand Canyon as a kid…way to much anxiety.

When my family drove through the Rocky Mountains after I looked out into space and clouds with no guard rail I spent the rest of the drive on the car floor in terror.

What is strange is I seem to have very good balance. I have done foredeck as part of the crew on racing yachts. I picked up skiing in almost a day and had little fear on the mountain as long as there was a lot of soft powder. I realized had it been summer on the same mountain I would have been very nervous or worse.

As I age it seems my phobia is getting worse. I went up a ski lift recently and felt a panic attack on the way down. The lift was old and light and was swinging side to side in the wind. I wanted to jump out to end the sensation. I had to force myself to stay in the chair which was hundreds of feet off the side of the mountain and going down.

I’m 6-1 in height, and I have had ear infections which I treated myself.

By: kumari

kumari — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:44:00 +0000

i am afraid of heights. but i’m afraid only on certain kinds of high places. i’m afraid of crossing foot bridges, especially of i can see the vehicles passing by underneath. i’m afraid of staircases where you can see what’s under the steps.

i’m 5′6″. i never had any experience that makes me feel afraid of heights. surprisingly, i’m not afraid of climbing trees or climbing walls.

By: greenstrawberries

greenstrawberries — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:38:44 +0000

I’m fairly short, 5′5 or so, but horribly uncoordinated and klutzy. I don’t have a big problem with heights, but I am terrified of going down stairs. (yes, I realize that this is a stupid phobia) I’m also petrified of distances that I can’t gauge- such as the distance between the springboard and the vault. So this means that I have no problem (other than basic coordination issues) climbing up things, but I can’t get down. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I was clued into the fact that my astigmatisms might be at fault. To my eyes, lots of lines in rows/columns start waving and blending together. Stairs are essentially rows of lines. So, I’m sure there’s a name for my bizarre phobia, and if anyone knows or shares my affliction, I’d be interested to hear about it. :)

By: Earl

Earl — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:23:11 +0000

5′6″ and have never had issues. I’m fairly clumsy due to flat feet but, oddly enough, when the chips are down I don’t fall.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:22:23 +0000

I’m scared out of my wits of heights and I’m only 4′10″!
Nope, no traumatic experience to draw on, either.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:35:07 +0000

I have terrible balance, I hate ladders and such, but curiously enough I am fine going up on the grid at school… Not great, but better than the rickety ladder where I work… I am 5′10″. My 6′4″ boyfriend is a daredevil as well.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:26:09 +0000

Hey Acute Angle, I think I was on the CN Tower when you were yelling. :) Or maybe it was simply that your reaction is not so extreme as you thought.

I like that theory of visual stimuli. I don’t usually have trouble with heights but the more I can see the worse it gets. Case in point; I recently visited a friend who lived on the 33rd floor of her building and when I got out on the balcony the sheer overload of detail seemed to make me a bit nervous. Standing on the CN Tower (glass floor or observation deck) doesn’t bother me a bit, and I think that’s because everything is so far away it doesn’t feel real. Going up in the glass elevator is fun, coming down is a bit more nervous making because you’re plummeting into that dark hole at the end and the groud comes up reeeeal fast. Note the phraseology; the ground comes up, I’m not going down.

And finally, Ransom, you don’t ballroom dance because you have balance, you dance to get the balance. I’m so much more stable since I’ve started.