Fear of Heights

D

DutchV

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Mar 4, 2007
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The recent thread about hiking in Moab reminded me of my own excursions there. One hike in particular stands out. In Arches NP, the main trail to the Double O Arch is described by the Park Service as having "some exposure to heights". That's an understatement. What it really means is you have to walk along the top of a narrow sandstone fin with a drop of about thirty feet on one side, and what looks like several hundred feet down the other. I've done this trail twice, and hated it both times. I've seen other folks just sort of wandering along the same section, as if it was a sidewalk in town. It's not a demanding hike. The fin is wide enough for one person to walk on, but not wide enough to keep you from seeing the abyss.

Has anybody cured their fear of heights? Is the cure just acclimation? Or is there something else to try?
 
i haven't cured my fear of heights...actually i have justified it with the reason being that if i fall i will get hurt-possibly alot. it is entirely reasonable for humans to fear heights, we have no way of protecting outselves from falling or any way of getting up high without climbing things.

if someone has no fear of heights i think that perhaps they are foolish...
 
siguy said:
i haven't cured my fear of heights...actually i have justified it with the reason being that if i fall i will get hurt-possibly alot. it is entirely reasonable for humans to fear heights, we have no way of protecting outselves from falling or any way of getting up high without climbing things.

if someone has no fear of heights i think that perhaps they are foolish...
Click to expand...

Well said siguy :thumbup:. It's that fear of getting hurt that keeps us all in one piece to trudge along to the next day.
 
siguy said:
i haven't cured my fear of heights...actually i have justified it with the reason being that if i fall i will get hurt-possibly alot. it is entirely reasonable for humans to fear heights, we have no way of protecting outselves from falling or any way of getting up high without climbing things.

if someone has no fear of heights i think that perhaps they are foolish...
Click to expand...

Foolish? I think that's a bit harsh, actually. Just not everyone shares your particular phobia. Some people are afraid of water, some people fear heights, or snakes, or knives. Personally, I dont fear heights, and I dont consider myself a fool. Dont be so quick to throw the first stone, is all I'm saying.
 
I've never got over a fear of hights. I even took flying lessons in the army at the Ft. Devon's flying club. But while I technically learned to operate a cessna 150, I never felt comfortable, always a bit tense and ill at ease. Even on airlines. Givin my choice, I'd rather cross the Atlantic on a sailboat than fly if time permited.
 
I have a fear of heights. I try to face them anyway. I tell myself that roller costers, and ladders, etc will help me panick less in an emergency.
 
lee, i don't mean to insult anyone, sorry if i sound that way...

all of those fears are also very rational in my opinion, because they are all real. i fear alot of things; drowning, snakes and knives are among them. all of these things can hurt me if i am not careful or i don't know what i am doing.

i don't think i really mean fool...maybe what i am looking for is something closer to...the lack of looking towards consequences?

what i was really getting at is that people who honestly have no fear or consideration for things like heights might not be so wise... by fear i also think a sort of respect for something. i don't fear heights in the way that they make me panic or freeze up, but i don't enjoy being higher than about 6 feet off the ground because of the potential dangers associated with it. also, if for instance i am on a climbing wall with someone belaying me, i have no problems with that because there is nearly no risk of danger.

sorry for any offense.
 
I can't say I fear of heights,and can't say I don't.Depends,if I have something to hold(on tree),I feel secure,but on narrow path even on low height it is not good.Luckily I live at flat marshy ground.
 
theres no need to fear heights just respect them and if you watch what your doing theres not to much to worry about
 
Air assualt school cured my fear of heights. I still dont like coasters, but im workin on it.
 
I've always had an unreasonable fear of heights. (Holding on for dear life on scaffolding 8' off the ground.) It has subsided a bit since I started working at a marine electronics company. I spent a few days working 30' or so in the air on the flying bridge a fishing boat. After that, I seemed to be able to put it out of my mind a little.

I knew a guy who would completely lock up when confronted with heights.
 
Its strange, I love to climb trees when hiking with my friends, and I'll go up to like 75ft, no problems. But when I went rock wall climbing, I reached a point where I wouldnt go any higher, luckely for me, that was at the very top of the 35ft rockwall... If it was any taller, I think I would have locked up... Roller coasters give me weak knees when I just look at them, so their outta the question. I'd love to beat this fear some day, I guess I'll just keep climbing trees and see if that helps.
 
I have a really wierd kinda fear of heights. I will climb a tree or whatever for hundred of feet, no problem there but if I am on a ledge on a mountain, I become terrified. It is probably because I have nothing to hold on to on a mountain to stop me from falling but I can keep a firm grip on tree branches. I love rollercoasters though, I used to be scared of them breaking or something but I have sorta lost that fear now.
 
In my experience, some forms of fear of hight (not phobia)can be cured by confidence in physical ability.

Improving your physical ability can sometimes help.
 
DutchV said:
Has anybody cured their fear of heights? Is the cure just acclimation? Or is there something else to try?
Click to expand...

I was at Arches recently and could not get across an arch - I tried 3 times. Each time going a bit further. I came to a point where you had to jump a small crack and I just couldn't do it. I froze. I had to get on my knees to turn around.

For those who don't have a fear of heights it is difficult to explain. Your legs tense up a bit, then they feel like jelly; strange thoughts come into your mind like - a strong wind will blow you over the edge; a small pebble you don't see will cause you to twist your ankle causing you to fall over the edge. The width of the path can be all you need and more to walk over it.

I'm working on overcoming this fear - I've been to Arches; Glacier and Yosemite hiking some of the trails there.
 
I have a kind of fear of heights , never had it much till I got a job as industrial sandblaster / spray painter and was sent out to do a bunch of catwalks .... only 150 feet up , but the leaning out and weird angles and the kick of the blast hose .....

then I got a job doing car stereo and 2way radio installs , and all was good , till I had to go build aerial towers for repeater stations ... I done them , 300 foot high some of them , only small by comparison to a lot of ones I seen but for me climbing a 300 foot tower that has web so small my boots wouldnt jam in properly was scary ,unclipping and re clipping the harness lanyard at each set of guywires was not pleasant .. fitting the larger areials was harder still ..

Im still scared of heights , its a bit of a struggle at times to not freeze up , cos it would be so dam easy to give in and freeze at times

I deal with it now by being on the ground :) but I know that I can deal with it if I have to .

I have a similar fear of my bench saw too , it scares me silly when Im slicing up wood for handles ... I seriously SERIOUSLY hate that part of knife making .. but its the only way I know to make scales that have the woods grain "flow" thru the steel so I do it ...
 
I just got out of the hospital for the second time after attempting to cure my fear of heights- jumping out of an airplane did not work for me! Might work for you, but not for me.
 
dextersp1 - Yup, that's pretty much the way it goes with me as well. And I bet we're talking about the same trail. That little crack was very memorable.

I guess I'll just have to keep at it. Maybe I'll try one of those intro rock climbing classes at REI.
 
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