The fear of heights, known as acrophobia, is a common phobia experienced by people of all walks of life. Researchers suggest that to a certain extent, being afraid of heights is natural to most humans and animals. What changes an instinctive fear of heights into a phobia is that the fear is so severe that it is considered overblown, or it interferes with a person's day-to-day activities. In an effort to avoid heights, people with acrophobia are often forced to avoid tall buildings, balconies, and other common areas and situations. In some people, the simple thought of heights can be enough to trigger a panic attack.

The fear of heights can be triggered in any elevated location that makes a person feel nervous. This includes roller coasters, ladders, bridges, rooftops, staircases, and many other locations we encounter in our day-to-day lives. Some people with a phobia of heights feel secure in some areas, like their own balcony, but panic in other places, such as when they are going up a ladder.

The fear of heights can trigger serious symptoms, including fainting, dizziness, nausea, anxiety attacks, shaking, sweating, and many others. Unlike some common phobias, numerous people with a fear of heights do not respond by getting "hysterical," but instead become frozen with fear or "petrified." For instance, a person might ascend a ladder, but suddenly become too afraid to get down and become stuck this way.

Acrophobia can be particularly crippling because sufferers may find themselves emotionally overwhelmed in situations where they must remain calm and rational in order to remain 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 trembling so violently that they risk falling and getting hurt. It is thus important for people whose acrophobia could be dangerous to get help for their fear.

Past treatments involved exposing a patient to heights so they would to "face their fear." This method proves stressful and unsuccessful for the majority of people. Other, more effective treatments 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 direct post-hypnotic suggestions to "tell" people what to do. In today's world, this method often doesn't work. These days, people tend to be independent thinkers and will resist direct suggestions by unconsciously rejecting their orders. Expert hypnotherapists now use more sophisticated Ericksonian hypnotherapy techniques to avoid this problem.

Ericksonian hypnosis therapy, as developed by Dr. Milton Erickson, is a greatly enhanced type of hypnosis than conventional practices. It utilizes indirect suggestions rooted in stories, metaphors, and conversation to guide the unconscious into a new, phobia-free thought process. This is effective because it is much more difficult for the unconscious to resist suggestions set in a dialogue, than direct suggestions that are obvious to the conscious mind.

A well-designed hypnotherapy program will include a variety of different techniques to ensure it will work for every person. The combination of several Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques is ideal for virtually everybody trying to overcome a phobia.

The combined program begins with a relaxation therapy session. When your mind is clear and relaxed, NLP techniques can be used to eliminate a phobia. All phobias stem from the same thought process, so all you need is a single hypnosis phobia program with the right design to beat any phobia, or even more than one phobia.

Summary: Many forms of therapy depend on willpower to resolve a phobia, but this often does not work because phobias stem from the unconscious mind. The techniques found in Ericksonian hypnosis therapy and NLP are particularly good at curing phobias because they work at this unconscious level. Phobias are triggered when the feeling of fear is unconsciously linked to mental imagery, such as looking down from a high place. By disassociating or removing the feeling of fear from the image, certain hypnosis and NLP techniques can permanently cure a fear very rapidly.

Hypnosis therapy sessions can help an individual quickly and effortlessly eliminate a fear of heights. It is one of the safest forms of phobia remedies available, with no negative side effects. For people trying to overcome the fear of heights or any other panic disorder, hypnosis offers a balanced form of anxiety-free phobia relief.