I have a fear of heights, at about 20 feet I am very uncomfortable. If properly secured I don’t experience any anxiety. My brother suggested counseling. I feel lack of fear of heights needs counseling. Who is closer to right?
I developed not a fear, but my legs literally go out from under me now. Not sure why as I had no problem with heights for the first 55 years of my life. Wish someone could explain.
Fear of heights seems pretty natural to me.
Fear of heights is useful, unless it limits you in important aspects of your life. If that is the case, get rid of it. An experienced (sometimes even an inexperienced) therapist should be able to help you alleviate the fear within 5-30 minutes. You might want to check out NLP, Hypnosis, EFT, EMDR and similar techniques.
Good luck!
I think it’s a matter of degree. And come to think of it, do you have a fear of heights or a fear of falling? And under what circumstances do you feel uncomfortable at a height of 20 feet? Most commercial buildings have 10 foot stories. How do you feel looking out a window on the third floor of a commercial building? More or less uncomfortable than you do, say, standing on the balcony of a third floor apartment? Or for that matter, in an interior room with no window on the third floor of a building?
We should differentiate between fear of heights (acrophobia) and vertigo. For years I thought I had fear of heights even though I had no problem going up in an airplane or helicopter. But I did get light-headed standing on a few books to change a ceiling light bulb. Even then, if I could “anchor” myself with the other hand on the ceiling, it was no problem. I also have no problem on a ladder, so long as I can hold on with one hand.
I feel pretty much how the OP does but I don’t consider it a fear of heights. I believe it only seems like a fear of heights when you think about it in those terms. If I am below a height where a slip and fall could kill me, or if I am above that height and safely secured, I have no problem at all. If I am unsecured at a height where slipping could kill me I have no desire to prove my faith in my entirely fallible footwork just for the sake of it. So I won’t walk to the edge of the cliff and look over although I’m no more likely to stumble than walking down the street, I won’t walk across a narrow plank high in the air even though I know I would be able to if it were on the ground. Because I do sometimes stumble just walking along and trying to walk a narrow path I do sometimes get off balance.
But as I say, if I start to ponder this and worry that I should be able to do these things with ease, I then develop a “fear of heights” because I am worrying about my attitude to high places. However it’s only the rumination that makes it so. I have a fear of lots of things that can harm me; sharp objects, boiling water, angry dogs, angry people. But because I only ever think about them when exposed to them no one would say I have a “fear of sharp objects” etc.
I have a fear of heights. I once worked on the 6th floor of a glass-curtained building where i could put my nose on the floor-to-ceiling glass. As long as I was a few feet away from the glass, I was OK. Walking up to it and looking straight down was a problem.
No problem in airplanes - airliners or puddle jumper 2-seater (AA1-A).
Fear of height is perfectly common, I’m not sure why it would require counseling, since unless your job is washing skyscrapers’ windows, it isn’t unlikely to have a significant impact on your life.
I used to have a coworker whose acrophobia was problematic. He couldn’t even stand on a chair, and tended to faint if had any significant height (he fell once when stepping on a wall that was very low on one side, and higher on the other, which made him faint)
5-30 minutes? Really?
The counseling part was more of a wisecrack on his part. If I am tied off or otherwise secure I have no problem at any height. My biggest single issue is getting off and on a ladder at anything above around 18 feet as in a two story building. I also can’t work too close to the edge on a sloped roof without a rope holding me. Retired now so no longer an issue.
The issue came up at thankgiving dinner from when we used to work together years ago. My real point was to him that I think most people have some fear of falling unless they do it all the time.
Well, my record is about 20 seconds, but if I can’t help you after 30 minutes, I admit defeat. Which happens in about 5% of the cases.
I’ve worked on ladders and scaffolding for about 35 years, and I’m definitely scared of falling. Seems quite sensible to me! It’s what has kept me careful and uninjured, so far.
Fear of heights seems unnatural to me.
I have to say though, that the first time in a helicopter was unsettling when the instructor lifted off. Having my fixed-wing rating, it was weird to be ‘levitating’ without forward motion. The sensation lasted a couple of seconds.
Theres two types of fear of heights. Rational is when danger is perceived. If you get light headed on a ladder, then stay off them. Theres nothing worse than trying to talk somebody down after they’ve froze.
irrational is when theres no danger at all. I never understood people with vertigo.
irrational
Can’t stand on a 6th floor balcony. Can’t ride an elevator with glass to look at the scenery Can’t even stand on a rooftop deck for a barbeque.
Rational
climbing ladders, walking on a steeply sloped roof, catwalks etc.
I did construction and roofing working my way through college. Residential Heights never bothered me. I would have issues working much higher than 3 stories. I’d be ok once they got a real floor deck. But I’m not walking any beams.
I just need to feel secure and heights don’t bother me.
…or a fear of hitting the ground?
I’d agree age is a factor. I wouldn’t work on a framing crew today. My balance and stability approaching 50 isn’t what it was when I was 19. I’m even more careful backpacking. Theres trails with very steep grades that I wouldn’t even attempt today. It’s important to recognize ones own limitations as they get older.
At 20 I joined an apprenticeship for the sheet metal union. It took me two years to get in. My first assignemnt was the tallest building in Los angeles. I was on the 32nd floor. They insisted we wear top of the line safety gear but the foremen kept screaming at me not to take the time to hook it up as I wasn’t spending but a couple of minutes in each place and I had to move again. After two weeks of raw nerves I quit and went back to working on trucks.
Huh???
But what do you do?