How to Overcome a Fear of Heights (Acrophobia)
Updated: Sep 10
A fear of heights can be surprisingly limiting.
You may be perfectly comfortable in everyday life but find yourself becoming anxious on a balcony, looking down from a tall building, crossing a high bridge or even climbing a ladder.
For some people, the fear is relatively mild. For others, simply imagining being somewhere high can cause a strong physical reaction.
You might avoid viewing platforms, refuse hotel rooms on higher floors, struggle with escalators or glass lifts, or find that holidays and days out become complicated because you're constantly thinking about whether heights will be involved.
A severe fear of heights is known as acrophobia. It is more than simply being sensible around potentially dangerous drops. The fear can feel overwhelming even when you're somewhere reasonably safe.
As a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist with more than 25 years' experience, I've worked with many people whose lives have become restricted by fears and phobias. One of the important things to understand is that your reaction isn't necessarily telling you that you're genuinely in danger.
Your brain may simply have learned to respond to height as though danger is immediate.
And learned responses can change.
If fear of heights is restricting what you feel able to do, I've created a Fear of Heights Self-Hypnosis MP3 to help you feel calmer around heights and gradually change the automatic fear response.
What Is Acrophobia?
Acrophobia is an intense fear of heights.
That doesn't mean everyone who dislikes heights has a phobia. A degree of caution when you're somewhere high is completely normal and useful.
The difference is usually the strength of the fear and the effect it has on your life.
You might experience anxiety when:
standing on a balcony
looking down from a high building
using escalators
travelling in a glass lift
crossing bridges
climbing ladders
walking near a steep drop
sitting in an upper tier at a theatre or stadium
visiting viewpoints
walking in hills or mountains
Sometimes the fear begins before you reach the situation.
You know that tomorrow you're visiting somewhere high and start worrying about it today.
You mentally picture yourself looking down.
Your stomach tightens.
You imagine panicking.
By the time you arrive, your body may already be preparing for danger.
Why Am I So Scared of Heights?
There isn't always an obvious explanation.
Some people can identify a frightening experience. Perhaps you fell from somewhere when you were young, became trapped somewhere high or witnessed somebody else having an accident.
But many people with a fear of heights can't identify one particular event.
You may simply have become increasingly uncomfortable with heights over time.
What matters isn't always where the fear originally came from.
What matters is what keeps it going now.
If your brain repeatedly associates height with danger, it becomes very good at producing an anxiety response whenever you encounter it.
You see the balcony.
Your mind predicts danger.
Your body reacts.
The physical reaction then seems to confirm your thought:
"I knew this was dangerous."
And the cycle continues.
What Does a Fear of Heights Feel Like?
The reaction can be surprisingly physical.
You might notice:
a racing heart
sweating
trembling or shaky legs
dizziness or feeling unsteady
nausea
rapid breathing
tense muscles
an urge to hold onto something
feeling unable to move
a strong desire to get away
Some people describe a strange sensation that they might somehow lose control near an edge, even though they have absolutely no intention of doing so.
Others become frightened by the dizziness itself.
"What if I lose my balance?"
That thought increases anxiety, which can make you feel even less steady.
Before long, you're not only frightened of the height.
You're frightened of how you might feel at the height.
Why Avoiding Heights Can Make the Fear Stronger
Avoidance is an understandable response to fear.
If balconies frighten you, you stay inside.
If a high bridge makes you anxious, you find another route.
If your family wants to visit a viewing platform, you wait at the bottom.
Immediately, you feel better.
Unfortunately, that relief can teach your brain:
"I escaped, therefore I was safe."
You never get the opportunity to discover what might have happened if you'd remained in an appropriately safe situation long enough for some of the anxiety to settle.
This is one reason gradual exposure is commonly used in psychological treatment for specific phobias.
The important word is gradual.
Overcoming a fear of heights doesn't mean somebody should suddenly take you to the top of a skyscraper and make you look over the edge.
It means approaching the fear in manageable stages.
How to Overcome a Fear of Heights
There is unlikely to be one trick that instantly removes a longstanding fear.
Instead, overcoming acrophobia usually involves gradually changing both what you expect to happen and how you respond when the fear appears.
Here are some useful principles.
1. Work Out Your Own Fear Scale
Not every height will frighten you equally.
You might be comfortable standing on the second rung of a ladder but terrified on a balcony.
You might manage an enclosed upper floor perfectly well but struggle if there's a glass barrier.
Try thinking about different height-related situations and rating them from relatively easy to extremely difficult.
For example:
Looking at a photograph taken from a high building might be a two out of ten.
Standing upstairs beside a window might be three.
Using an escalator might be five.
Standing on a balcony might be seven.
A high viewing platform might be ten.
Your numbers will be completely individual.
The purpose isn't to judge your fear. It's to identify where a manageable starting point might be.
2. Start With Something Manageable
Once you've identified your fear scale, don't automatically start at the top.
Choose something that creates some anxiety but still feels manageable and safe.
You might look at photographs or videos involving heights.
Then perhaps stand somewhere slightly elevated.
Later, you might progress to a higher but safely enclosed location.
This gradual approach gives your brain opportunities to experience height without the frightening outcome it has been predicting.
If your fear is severe, working through this process with an appropriately qualified professional may be preferable to attempting it alone.
3. Stop Fighting Every Sensation
People often become frightened because they notice their body reacting.
Your legs feel strange.
Your stomach turns.
You feel slightly dizzy.
Immediately you think:
"I need to get down."
But anxiety itself produces physical sensations.
Instead of interpreting every sensation as proof that you're in danger, try recognising it for what it may be:
"My anxiety has been triggered."
That doesn't mean ignoring genuine danger or taking unnecessary risks.
It means learning to distinguish between being somewhere unsafe and feeling unsafe somewhere that is appropriately protected.
4. Bring Your Attention Back to the Present
When you're frightened, your imagination can race ahead.
"What if I fall?"
"What if I faint?"
"What if my legs give way?"
Notice that these are predictions rather than events.
Bring your attention back to what is actually happening.
Feel the solid floor beneath your feet.
Notice the barrier or handrail.
Look at something stable rather than repeatedly checking the drop.
Allow your breathing to remain comfortable.
You're not trying to convince yourself that heights can never be dangerous.
You're reminding your nervous system that this particular situation can be safe.
5. Relax the Body Rather Than Bracing Against the Fear
Fear often makes us physically rigid.
You grip the handrail.
Your shoulders rise.
Your jaw tightens.
Your legs become tense.
That physical tension can make you feel even more unstable.
If you're somewhere safe, notice what your body is doing.
Loosen your shoulders.
Unclench your jaw.
Allow your hands to relax.
Breathe steadily.
You don't have to force yourself to become completely relaxed.
Even reducing the physical tension slightly can help interrupt the escalating fear response.
6. Question the Frightening Prediction
Ask yourself exactly what you believe is going to happen.
Perhaps it's:
"I'm going to lose my balance."
"I'll panic and won't be able to move."
"I'll faint."
"I won't be able to get down."
Then ask:
What evidence do I have that this will happen?
What has actually happened on previous occasions?
Am I responding to the situation in front of me, or to what I'm imagining?
The aim isn't to tell yourself that nothing could ever go wrong.
It's to bring the perceived level of danger closer to the actual level of danger.
7. Don't Measure Progress by Whether You Felt Fear
Suppose you stand somewhere elevated for five minutes and feel anxious.
It's tempting to think:
"That didn't work. I was still frightened."
But you did something you previously avoided.
That's progress.
A better question might be:
"Did I cope?"
You don't need fear to disappear before you can move forward.
Repeated experiences of coping can gradually change how threatening the situation feels.
What If I Feel Dizzy When I'm Somewhere High?
Dizziness or a feeling of instability can be particularly frightening because it seems to confirm that being somewhere high isn't safe.
If you become overwhelmed, move away from the edge or visual drop and focus on a stable reference point.
However, recurring dizziness shouldn't automatically be assumed to be anxiety. If you regularly experience dizziness, balance problems or faintness — particularly outside height-related situations — speak to your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional.
It's important not to attribute physical symptoms to a phobia when there may be another explanation.
Do I Need Professional Help for Acrophobia?
Not everybody who dislikes heights needs treatment.
But consider seeking professional help if the fear is significantly restricting your life, causing severe distress or preventing you from doing things that matter to you.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure-based approaches are commonly used for specific phobias.
A professional can also help you create an appropriate gradual exposure plan rather than pushing yourself too far, too quickly.
Seeking help doesn't mean your fear is unusually severe or that you've failed to deal with it yourself.
Sometimes having structured support simply makes change easier.
Can Self-Hypnosis Help With a Fear of Heights?
Self-hypnosis can be used as a supportive approach for working with the anxiety and fearful expectations surrounding heights.
Think about how often you've already used your imagination in relation to your fear.
You picture looking down.
You imagine becoming dizzy.
You anticipate panic.
Your body can respond to those imagined situations before you're anywhere near a height.
Hypnosis provides an opportunity to rehearse something different.
While you're physically relaxed and somewhere completely safe, you can mentally practise approaching appropriate height-related situations calmly.
You can imagine yourself breathing comfortably, feeling steady, noticing the secure environment around you and responding differently to the sensations that previously triggered fear.
I've created a dedicated Fear of Heights Self-Hypnosis MP3 to support this process and help you mentally rehearse feeling calmer and more confident around heights.
Self-hypnosis shouldn't replace appropriate psychological treatment where a phobia is significantly affecting your life. Instead, it can be used as an additional tool to support relaxation, confidence and positive mental rehearsal.
You Don't Have to Love Heights
Overcoming a fear of heights doesn't mean you need to become somebody who enjoys standing on the edge of a mountain.
A healthy respect for genuine danger is sensible.
The aim is to reach a point where fear is proportionate to the situation rather than controlling what you can and can't do.
Perhaps success means using an escalator without avoiding it.
Standing on a balcony with your family.
Crossing a bridge you've previously avoided.
Enjoying the view from somewhere high rather than spending the entire time trying to escape.
Those may seem like small things to somebody who has never experienced acrophobia.
But when fear has been making decisions for you, every one of those experiences represents something important:
you're beginning to make the decisions again.
