The fear of heights, also called acrophobia, is a very common fear experienced by people of all ages. In fact, studies suggest that to a certain extent, a fear of heights is natural for most people and animals. What turns a common fear of heights into a phobia is that the feeling is so severe that it is deemed irrational, or it interferes with a person's daily activities. In an effort to evade heights, individuals with acrophobia are often forced to avoid tall buildings, balconies, and other frequently encountered situations and areas. In many individuals, merely thinking about heights can be enough to trigger a panic attack. 

The fear of heights can be set off in any elevated area that makes a person feel nervous. This includes rooftops, staircases, ladders, bridges, roller coasters, and many other situations we visit in day to day life. Some individuals with a fear of heights feel fine in some areas, like their own two-story home, but breakdown in other situations, such as when they are climbing up a ladder. 

The fear of heights can trigger serious symptoms, including dizziness, fainting, shaking, sweating, anxiety attacks, nausea, and several others. Unlike many common phobias, numerous individuals with a phobia of heights don't respond by getting "hysterical," but instead become "petrified" or frozen with fear. For instance, a person might climb up a ladder, but suddenly feel too afraid to climb down and become trapped in this manner. 

Acrophobia can be particularly crippling because sufferers often find themselves emotionally overwhelmed in situations where they need to keep calm and collected in order to keep safe. People who find themselves in a high up location, such as the top of a ladder or a staircase, may suffer a panic attack which causes an injury. Or, a person might start shaking so violently that they risk getting injured. It is thus crucial for people whose phobia is potentially harmful to get help for their fear. 

Past treatments included exposing a person to heights so they could try to "confront their fear." This method proves upsetting and ineffective for most. Other, more functional options include anti-anxiety medication and therapy. Hypnosis therapy is a particularly good option because it is effective, safe, and non-invasive. 

Conventional hypnosis works by using post-hypnotic suggestions. In modern times, this method is often ineffective. Today, people are very independent minded and will resist direct suggestions by unconsciously rejecting their directions. Knowledgeable hypnotherapists now utilize more advanced Ericksonian hypnosis techniques to avoid this problem. 

Ericksonian hypnosis, as formulated by Milton Erickson, MD, is a greatly improved form of hypnosis than traditional practices. It utilizes indirect suggestions planted in conversation, stories, and metaphors to guide your unconscious mind into a new, phobia-free line of thought. This is effective because it is much harder for the unconscious to reject suggestions placed in a dialogue, than post-hypnotic suggestions that are obvious to the mind. 

A good hypnosis therapy program includes a multitude of techniques to ensure it will work for all users. The combination of many Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques is ideal for virtually everyone trying to beat a phobia.

The combined program starts with a relaxation therapy session. When you feel calm and peaceful, NLP techniques can be used to eliminate a phobia. All phobias stem from the same thought process, so all that is required is one hypnosis phobia program with the correct design to cure any fear, or even more than one phobia. 

Summary: Several types of therapy depend on conscious effort to treat a phobia, but this frequently doesn't work because phobias stem from deep within the unconscious mind. The techniques of Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP are particularly good at curing phobias because they function at the unconscious level of the mind. Phobias are set off when the feeling of fear is unconsciously connected to a vivid mental image, such as looking down from a high point. By removing or disconnecting the feeling of worry from the image, certain hypnotic and NLP techniques can permanently eliminate a phobia very rapidly. 

Hypnosis therapy sessions can help a person quickly and easily defeat a phobia of heights. Hypnotherapy is among the safest types of phobia remedies available, with no side effects. For those looking to beat the fear of heights or any other phobia, hypnosis provides a balanced form of anxiety-free phobia relief.

Alan B. Densky, CH has been eliminating phobias using Hypnosis since 1978. He offers phobia treatment hypnotherapy MP3s plus a broad range of Hypnosis MP3 downloads for stress & depression related symptoms. Visit his website for free NLP MP3's.

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