Fear of heights

[av8tor02]

Does anyone know if there is anything out there; ie: hypnosis, books, doctors that allow you to overcome the fear of heights, falling, etc. Or is it something that we just live with? Thanks in advance.

av8t0r

 

[av8tor02]

I know that alot of pilots suffer from the fear of heights....just wondering how some of you might deal with it? Any medical treatment? Thanks in advance.

 

[jumppilot]

Skydive...it desensitizes you to it...seriously, I hate heights, but it got the job done.

 

[AirBill]

Spins. Lots of 'em. After that day during CFI training, I became a different pilot.

I seriously wish the FAA still required them during basic training.

 

[Timebuilder]

I'm sure materials are out there. One treatment might be a form of aversion therapy, where you are gradually brought closer to the level of height where fear becomes apparent, and then develop a comfort with that height, and so on.

I know people who hate climbing a ladder, but have no trouble in an airplane. Perhaps it is because the plane is enclosed, and there is no imminient feeling of falling out of the airplane.

I'm sure you can find something.

 

[Jet_Dreamer]

dont look down.

 

[CFIcare]

You're not afraid of heights. You are afraid of falling. I have no problem skydiving or being up high in an airplane....but lean over the railing on the observation deck of a ship or a bridge or skyscraper...whoa. That fear of "open heights" is really just a fear of falling, which is completely normal and is probebly programmed into your brain along with the "flight or fight" response. I think it's only a big problem if you are toatlly incapacitated by it, or you start hyperventilating and get dizzy to they point where you fall down. Some people actually have that response, and obviously that can be a problem. The anxiety you feel is just your body trying to warn you that the situation is potentially dangerous.

 

[Dash8]

stay away from rooftops, trees, ladders, cliffs, etc lol

i kinda agree with the fear of falling thing, I absolutely hate heights, but i'm fine in the plane, no problems...

 

[Citationkid]

You are afraid of falling.

Are sure you're just not afraid of dying?

 

[DenverDude2002]

You're not afraid of heights. You are afraid of falling. I have no problem skydiving or being up high in an airplane....but lean over the railing on the observation deck of a ship or a bridge or skyscraper...whoa.

I have the same problem. Roller coasters (the tall ones), observation decks, all freak me out. Get me in a plane and its a different story. I have no siiues being at 41,000 ft in a plane. I love the view from planes. Its the whole open air fear of freefall thing that scares me (and I'm way underweight so neg G forces really bother me).

 

[Citationkid]

, but i'm fine in the plane, no problems...

What about open cockpit planes?

 

[Dash8]

never been in one,
and sure as heII would'nt go in one of those flying lawnmower ultralights...

 

[sky37d]

I have the same problem. Put me up on a ladder, I'm hanging on. When i used to fall out of planes, it was no problem. Tall buildings, same thing. Just tall ladders

 

[AxisVDP]

I'm afraid of looking over the edge of tall buildings, etc. I get that butterfly in your stomach kind of feeling. Yet, not afraid of flying in ultra lights or planes. Weird huh?

 

[chperplt]

I went to the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and about freaked when I got on the observation deck.. Scared the sh!t out of me!! Went down one floor to the indoor observation area and they have these windows that jut out at the top and narrow in at the bottom.. Looking down to the ground 1000+ feet below wasn't very fun either..

 

[BankAccount=0$]

The CN tower in Toronto has a glass floor on it's observation deck. It's pretty cool to look 1000+ plus feet down with just glass under your feet. Just for fun I got my friend who is like 350 pounds to start jumping on it while there were other people standing on the glass. I guess some of the people were afraid of something cause they sure scattered once the jumping began.

 

[TonyC]

My palms sweat just thinking about heights. Watching mountain climbers - - sweat. Reading the posts about the view from the stratosphere - - sweat. What do I do about it? Face it head on. I climb ladders, I go to the rail on observation decks - - Eiffel Tower, Six Flags over Texas, wherever - - I put shingles on roofs, I hang Christmas lights, you name it. Still have sweaty palms and tingly legs, but I do it.

How does it differ from flying airplanes? I think the answer is perspective. It occured to me once while I was riding a chair lift at Keystone that as I looked down below me at skiers, the heights didn't seem to bother me. They didn't seem to bother me when I flew or sky-dived, either, but I hadn't really thought about it. I really felt comfortable in the chair until we came up alongside the big ole tall metal pole that held the cables up in the air. Then I saw all the ladder rungs, and saw this huge mass of steel between me and the ground, and all of a suddent my legs hurt and my palms - - you got it - - sweated. In an instant, I could see how far up I was in relation to an object that gave me perspective. As we passed the pole, things became comfortable again. I could look down, even lean over the side of the chair in complete comfort. Concentrate on the trees over to the side and how tall they were and how high I was above them -- sweat, tingling.

SO, I think it's all perspective, and airplanes don't give you that. I've never had the least bit of trouble in airplanes, even the ones I jumped out of.

 

[Dash8]

I went to the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and about freaked when I got on the observation deck.. Scared the sh!t out of me!! Went down one floor to the indoor observation area and they have these windows that jut out at the top and narrow in at the bottom.. Looking down to the ground 1000+ feet below wasn't very fun either..

dude, i'm so with you on that, when i went to the outdoor deck there i couldn't go past the pay phone stanchions that were out there, just outside the door, then that idiotic coaster went over head shaking the heII out of everything, that was my cue to hightail it back inside

and yeah Hugh, i know, meeeooowwww

 

[chperplt]

Dude,

I totally forgot about that &@*@ coaster.. That thing shakes the entire building!!

They've got this new ride now.. You sit on a car attached to a sliding rail. The machine tilts forward and sends you sliding down the rail, which swings out about 30 feet over the side of the building. I wonder how far the puke splatter would be after the 1100 foot drop..

 

[Dash8]

Dude,

I totally forgot about that &@*@ coaster.. That thing shakes the entire building!!

They've got this new ride now.. You sit on a car attached to a sliding rail. The machine tilts forward and sends you sliding down the rail, which swings out about 30 feet over the side of the building. I wonder how far the puke splatter would be after the 1100 foot drop..

ugh, that's completely disgusting...hope my buddy doesn't want to do that if we got out to vegas in april, cause no way i'm goin anywhere near that....