Acrophobia

Acrophobia is an uncontrollable obsessive fear of heights, completely possessing a person and immersing it without a trace to this state. When in a certain situation it comes to the fear of heights, many people treat this phobia with understanding;Fear of heights in some form is found in many. In spite of this, acrophobia is attributed to quite specific phobias, which concern increased inconveniences in relation to the surrounding space and direct movement. The phobia is not just an easy fear and a sense of apprehension, which is based on ordinary caution. This is a completely panic-stricken man, plunging him into an unaccountable unlimited fear. That is why the acrophobic can not live fully and fully, and is forced to limit itself in certain situations. For example, a person suffering from acrophobia can not go to the ski resorts, refuses from fascinating trips to the mountains, the patient is not able to visit friends who live above the second floor, etc.

Causes of acrophobia

Psychologists have always argued that absolutely any phobia is due to the presence of negative experience from the past, but recent studies have refuted this theory. Some people do not have any troubles directly related to height, in the past there was not, and this fear, often combined with intolerance of loud sounds, is present at the person from birth. Many psychologists support a fairly widespread non-associative theory, which argues that fear of height is a prehistoric phenomenon adapted to today's reality, which is based on the fact that there was a high probability of falling from a height earlier.

Today, psychologists are working hard to find out whether other mammals are susceptible to altitude, or only people suffer from this phobia. Experimentally, it was found that even the cats were afraid to go to the transparent floor, even to cats, but they did not panic, which does not allow such behavior to be called acrophobia.

Manifestations and symptoms of acrophobia

Feelings of height are not always the same. Often subject to this phobia people claim that being at any height they simply can not control their possible actions, and sometimes they have an irresistible desire to jump down. And this despite the fact that these people have a tendency to suicidal attempts have never been observed. In addition, the fear of heights is manifested by insecurity, the fear of slipping or falling when you are above the ground, sometimes even a small distance. Acrophobes scare overpasses, bridges, high stairs. Sometimes panic leads a person to the fact that he completely refuses further movement, sits down on the ground and covers his face with his hands.

For accurate identification of a real acrophobia attack, it is necessary to clearly know the main symptoms of this disorder. Most often, a panic attack of height is affected by the following scenario: a sudden dizziness develops unexpectedly in the patient, which is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Breathing becomes more frequent, the pulse becomes faster, or, on the contrary, slows down. The patient complains of increased sweating, pain in the heart, often he may have diarrhea.

However, if some of the above manifestations were found, for example, on a walk in the mountains, this does not mean acrophobia, becauseFor any person is an absolutely natural state of fear of heights.

But in the case when fear manifests itself daily, sometimes even seemingly without the slightest essential reason, this problem should be seriously considered, becauseA normal human being, high-rise buildings or transparent floors in supermarkets, should not be frightened. The presence of such negative manifestations on the human psyche is extremely negative, literally turning inside out its habitual daily life. Freedom is greatly limited, tastes and preferences change. This condition can lead, due to a sudden fall, to serious injuries. Therefore, people suffering from acrophobia, it is advisable to always have an accompanying person nearby, aware of the presence of this phobia in a person, so that in the event of an emergency, he could help and hedge.

If a person suffering from this phobia still finds himself with his fear alone, to worry that something terrible can happen, it's not worth it. However, the constant nervous tension, directly associated with fear of any height, seriously disrupts the habitual rhythm of life, disastrously affecting the psyche.

Acrophobia treatment

If acrophobia is not expressed too strongly, the patient can gradually overcome the fear of height by independent special training. How to overcome the fear of heights? The bar of climbing height gradually rises until there is a persistent addiction, so the acrophobic learns to manage his emotions. However, in the case of developing severe conditions, the patient will need the help of a qualified specialist.

Today, there are quite a number of special techniques that perfectly help to cope with acrophobia, and do not include the use of medications. Initially, the doctor conducts a conversation with the patient, which is allowed to identify possible causes of the disease and assess the symptoms. The following actions of the doctor are aimed at helping a person to treat his phobia without fear, trying to make her influence on the psyche less strong. In most cases, successful treatment of acrophobia is limited to systematic meetings with a psychoanalyst.

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