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The fear of heights, known as acrophobia, is a common fear experienced by people of all ages. Researchers suggest that to a certain extent, a fear of heights is natural to many people and mammals. What changes a normal fear of heights into a phobia is that the fear is so strong that it is viewed as irrational, or it gets in the way of a person's daily life. In an effort to avoid heights, people with acrophobia may refuse to approach tall buildings, balconies, and other frequently encountered situations and areas. In many people, just thinking about heights can trigger an anxiety attack.

The fear of heights can be triggered in any high-up location that makes a person feel uneasy. This includes ladders, bridges, staircases, roller coasters, rooftops, and several other situations we visit in our daily lives. Many people with a fear of heights feel safe in some places, like their own two-story home, but feel frightened in other situations, such as when they are going up a ladder.

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

Acrophobia can be especially debilitating because sufferers often find themselves panicking in situations where they need to remain calm and rational in order to remain safe. People who find themselves in an elevated place, such as the top of a staircase or a ladder, may suffer an anxiety attack which leads to physical harm. Or, a sufferer 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 treatment for their condition.

Past treatments included repeatedly exposing a person to heights so they could try to "face their fear." This approach proves distressing and unsuccessful for the majority of people. Other, more effective options include anti-anxiety medication and therapy. Hypnotherapy is a particularly good treatment because it is effective, safe, and non-invasive.

Conventional hypnotism works by giving direct post-hypnotic suggestions to "tell" people what to do. In today's society, this approach is often ineffective. Today, people are very independent minded and will resist direct suggestions by unconsciously refusing their orders. Expert hypnotherapists now use more sophisticated Ericksonian hypnosis techniques to circumvent this obstacle.

Ericksonian hypnosis therapy, as formulated by Dr. Milton Erickson, is a greatly more effective mode of hypnosis than conventional practices. It utilizes indirect suggestions rooted in metaphors, stories, and conversation to direct the unconscious mind into a different, phobia-free thought process. This is effective because it is far more difficult for the unconscious to resist suggestions embedded in a dialogue, than direct suggestions that are apparent to the conscious mind.

A well-designed hypnosis therapy program includes many techniques to ensure its effectiveness for all users. The combination of many Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques is ideal for nearly everyone trying to rid him or herself of a phobia.

The combined program starts with relaxation hypnosis. Once you feel calm and clear, NLP techniques can be applied to eliminate a phobia. All phobias arise from the same type of thought process, so all that is required is a single hypnosis program with the correct design to cure any fear, or even multiple phobias.

Summary: Several forms of therapy depend on conscious effort to treat a phobia, but this frequently does not work because phobias are rooted deep within the unconscious mind. The techniques available in Ericksonian hypnosis therapy and NLP are especially good at treating phobias because they operate at this unconscious level. Phobias are triggered when the feeling of fear is unconsciously connected to mental imagery, such as looking down from a high point. By disconnecting or removing the emotion of fear from the image, certain hypnotic and NLP techniques can permanently cure a fear very rapidly.

Hypnotherapy sessions can help a person rapidly and easily overcome a fear of heights. Hypnosis therapy is one of the safest kinds of phobia treatments ever designed, with no side effects. For those trying to fight acrophobia or any other panic disorder, hypnosis offers a balanced type of stress-free phobia relief.

Alan B. Densky, CH has been treating irrational fears using NLP since 1978. He offers panic attacks hypnotherapy MP3s plus a broad range of Hypnotherapy stress and depression MP3s. Visit his website for free hypnosis articles and information.