Anxiety and phobias
Fear of heights is often also a fear of your own reaction.
Your mind trusts the railing. Your body does not.
With fear of heights the body reacts quickly with dizziness, weak knees or the urge to move away. Sometimes that started after a moment of shock. Sometimes the fear grew gradually through avoidance.
VR exposure can help to build up height in a controlled way. When there is a clear unpleasant experience underneath, EMDR can come first. Together we decide which route makes sense.
Sound familiar?
What fear of heights actually looks like
Fear of heights is not only a fear of falling. It is often a fear of your own reaction: that you will freeze, get dizzy, or lose control.
- You do not stand near the window or the railing
- Your knees go weak on a staircase or a balcony
- You take a detour to avoid a bridge or a flyover
- You no longer dare climb a ladder or scaffold at work
- You cancel outings that involve height
Where it comes from
Where it comes from
Sometimes there is a clear cause: a fall, a near miss on a scaffold, or witnessing something that went wrong. More often there is no event at all and the fear grew gradually, reinforced by avoidance. For some people the fear of their own impulse plays a part as well, the idea that they might jump. That is a well known and harmless phenomenon, and it says nothing about what you want.
A possible approach
A possible approach
Height is easy to dose, so building up step by step often works well here. Whether EMDR comes first depends on what sits under the fear.
- Working out whether there is a shock or an accident to point to
- An explanation of why your body reacts the way it does
- Exposure at rising heights, with VR where useful
- EMDR when a clear unpleasant experience sits underneath
- Applying it to your own situation, at home or at work
Practical
- Duration
- in consultation, depending on what is going on
- Rate per session
- Location
- Sarphatistraat 14, Amsterdam city centre, or online
60 minutes
Step by step
How the support runs
- 1
Intro call
Fifteen minutes on the phone, in which I hear where the fear concretely limits you.
- 2
Intake
We look at whether there is an event underneath and which situations you currently avoid.
- 3
Working on it
Building up step by step, and where needed first reducing the charge of an experience.
- 4
In real life
We agree which real situation you take on, and review afterwards how it went.
Frequently asked questions
Usually not. If the fear of heights sits underneath your fear of flying, we address that first and part of the flying fear often falls away with it.
You know it, but your nervous system often joins in anyway. For many people that is enough to get used to it.
We discuss that together. Often yes, with a build up we tune to your work. If adjusting temporarily is wiser, I say so.
That phenomenon is common in people with no wish to die at all. It says nothing about what you want. We simply give it attention during the support.
Experiences
Prefer independent reviews?
In line with the professional code for psychologists I do not publish client testimonials on my own site. If you want to read how others experienced the support, ZorgkaartNederland is the place to look.
Other fears
First see whether it clicks
A free fifteen minute phone call. You do not have to decide anything yet.