Acrophobia - sometimes incorrectly named vertigo - is one of the most common phobias that we are called upon to treat here in our UK hypnotherapy clinics
Though often incorrectly referred to as 'vertigo', true acrophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of being in high places. For the person experiencing acrophobiia, though, perception is everything - a high place may simply be nothing more than a couple of rungs on a ladder, for instance.
(Vertigo is the feeling that the head is spinning or swimming which occurs when the head is not actually spinning. It can be triggered by any movement such as quickly standing up or sitting down, or simply by a change in the individual's visual perspective.)
True acrophobia can indeed be dangerous, since the feelings of anxiety that it produces can so easily be transformed into feelings of genuine panic when the sufferer is high up. And someone who is in the midst of panic can be in the worst possible position to get themselves down safely.
The actual symptoms of acrophobia are very similar to other anxiety disorders. Often symptoms such as rapid breathing, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, dry mouth and feelings of nausea are experienced by the acrophobic individual.
Often, the person suffering from acrophobia adopts an avoidance strategy that can really restrict his or her daily activities as well as determining and adversely affecting such things as holiday location, visiting friends and relatives, and even impacting on their work life.
Though it may be quite natural to have a healthy respect and a degree of apprehension regarding heights as part of the instinctive survival mechanism with which we are all born, the term phobia is assigned to those who experience extreme fear in this regard.
Most often, the person suffering from acrophobia has had a scary experience in their past which has installed a negative conditioned response to height. Sometimes, this phobia can be installed by proxy, as it were, with the child 'learning' the fear from an adult during his or her early formative years.
No matter the cause, acrophobia is a fear that springs from the subconsious mind.
This, of course, is the home and repository of all our beliefs and the driver of all of our feelings. It is from the subconsious that our feelings come, and so we must return there in order to bring about any really effective treatment for acrophobia.
And it is here that advanced hypnosis and hypnotherapy can be of such great benefit.
Through the medium of correctly applied advanced hypnosis, the experienced therapist can help the acrophobic individual to connect with the subconscious and guide it in order to disclose the experiences and the beliefs that drive and maintain the anxiety and fear. This accomplished, those beliefs or 'programmes' can be corrected and realigned, freeing the individual from needless fear and anxiety.
If you or someone you care about is experiencing the awful, restrictive condition that is acrophobia, do not despair, help is available.
In the hands of an experienced and fully qualified advanced transformational hypnotherapist, acrophobia can be conquered in a fairly brief period of time - often in as little as two or three sessions.
With the proper, effective therapeutic approach, the acrophobic person can regain their freedom and live a life completely free from the fear that has controlled them for so long.
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Peter Field is a leading British hypnotherapist with busy offices in London and Birmingham, UK. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health and Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy. For a FREE hypnosis download visit http://www.hypnosiscdmp3downloads.com More of his informative articles and other useful info may be found on his website: http://www.peterfieldhypnotherapy.co.uk
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