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<\/a>Whatever the reason, some people have visual height intolerance<\/strong>, whilst others don’t. If the feeling of anxiety begins immediately after you leave the \u201csafety of the ground”, you might even have acrophobia, which is otherwise known as a fear of heights<\/strong>. Visual height intolerance and a fear of heights are by no means the same thing, as you will find out shortly. They are similarly troublesome, but very different phenomena that require different approaches (provided that you\u2019re interested in mitigating or eradicating one of them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n After addressing these two topics, we\u2019ll also take a closer look at surefootedness<\/strong>, since it’s often mentioned in the same breath as having a head for heights. We\u2019ll also try to figure out if there\u2019s a connection between the two and how you could potentially benefit from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all experienced this to a certain extent, some of us more severely than others: you\u2019re standing on a tower, balcony or some high place and experience a feeling of instability, queasiness and trembling. Depending on the height and degree of exposure, you might even feel like everything is spinning or swaying. And you\u2019re not wrong, at least to a certain extent. Things look like they\u2019re spinning because of the lack of stationary objects in your peripheral vision<\/strong>. Stationary objects are essential as a reference to help orient you. Your head then automatically begins to sway<\/strong> slightly so that the eyes can create a sharp, three-dimensional image of the surroundings. This can then spread throughout your whole body, impairing your postural reflexes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result of disruptive breathing issues<\/strong> (usually hyperventilation), you may also experience a feeling of dizziness akin to the one you get after standing up suddenly after squatting for a long period of time. In the most extreme cases, you may even feel like you\u2019re losing control over your body and are about to fall. Dizziness can lead to paralysis, panic, fainting and unconsciousness. If you do nothing, things can get extremely dangerous (more about what to do later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This blend of feelings is known as visual height intolerance<\/strong>. Depending on the situation, there is nothing abnormal or pathological about this bodily reaction. On the contrary, some research suggest that a healthy fear of heights is an innate, subconscious survival instinct<\/strong> that prevents both small children and animals from simply falling from a drop-off (cliff-edge phenomenon). The real danger arises when we physically and psychologically overreact<\/strong> to the risk of falling. We might not be in any real danger at all, but we end up creating or increasing the risk of falling because of these overreactions. It is particularly dangerous if your body starts to sway back and forth, which causes more stress and can thus lead to a fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201ctrick\u201d to having a head for heights<\/strong> lies in the severity of stress reactions<\/strong>: simply put, the subconscious doesn\u2019t perceive the ground below as a threat. As a result, all those warning signs and symptoms associated with stress hardly manifest themselves \u2013 if they do at all \u2013, allowing you to maintain your concentration on your immediate surroundings. Thus, you perceive your position and posture as safe and stable, even when the path or route is very exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news is that you can change and reduce the amount of stress you experience by systematically desensitising yourself to such situations and using various other methods to combat the anxiety. But, before we get into that, it\u2019s worth mentioning that there is no clear distinction between having and not having a head for heights, so we don\u2019t really have a clear definition<\/strong> to work with. According to Wikipedia<\/a>, having a head for heights means that “one has no acrophobia, an irrational fear of heights, and is not particularly prone to fear of falling or suffering from vertigo<\/em>“. \u201cNot particularly prone” implies that you could be somewhat prone to a fear of falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on my own experience, I suspect that for most mountaineers height<\/strong> does indeed play a role. While most would probably be unimpressed by a 30-metre drop, a 300-metre one is a completely different story. Whether or not they experience a spinning sensation also depends on how steep and direct the drop is<\/strong>. The steeper and more direct the drop, the less there is for the eyes to “hold onto\u201d, so while many alpinists can move relatively uninhibitedly in exposed sections of a route, they would never walk over a steel girder on a skyscraper or transmission tower without the protection of a rope. That kind of nonsense can be left to extreme athletes, crazy(?) roofers and other people who work at great heights and could be described with having a \u201chead for heights\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If an individual experiences an irrational fear of heights in everyday situations<\/strong>, such as when climbing a ladder or crossing a bridge, one could say that he or she suffers from a fear of heights. The stress reactions occur despite the fact that they\u2019re well aware that they\u2019re not in any real danger. They can work themselves up to the point that they have a fear of the fear itself, which goes hand in hand with the fear of losing control. They\u2019re afraid of being drawn toward the depths and tumbling down to the ground below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n True, people with a “normal fear of heights\u201d have these thoughts as well, but they usually disappear as soon as they take a step back from the edge. If you\u2019re truly acrophobic, the thoughts persist and the stress ends up restricting your freedom of movement<\/strong>, even in everyday life. These cases require action, often in the form of professional treatment. Now let\u2019s talk about what you can do about visual height intolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a deep breath<\/strong>. This little piece of advice almost always works and has the added bonus of helping with dizziness. Taking a deliberately calm, deep breath and holding it in for a bit is the best way to respond to a spinning sensation. You should also look away from the ground below and focus on stationary objects<\/strong> in your immediate surroundings, keeping them in your peripheral vision<\/strong>. Avoid tilting your head and looking up, into the distance or at moving objects, as they will increase the feeling of dizziness. Of course, you can make quick glances toward your feet to adjust your footing, since the spinning sensation usually arises after a delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then try to stabilise your body<\/strong> as much as you can by giving your hands and feet the support they need. If necessary, sit down or crawl on all fours. Then focus<\/strong> on your immediate surroundings, next steps and movements. Some encouraging words<\/strong> and a short rope can help to overcome difficult sections as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If these situations come up repeatedly or lead to significant delays, you should play it safe and call off the ascent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A person with acrophobia would certainly never be in a situation like the one described above, but let\u2019s assume for the sake of example that an acrophobic individual does head up into the high mountains \u2013 be it because of them overestimating their own abilities<\/strong>, peer pressure<\/strong> or whatever. The only difference between the situation described above and this one is that there is significantly more stress, time and \u201cdrama\u201d involved. I say drama because it is entirely possible that the person in question feels absolutely paralysed and refuses to move, even with the help of a rope or other protection. In theory, sedatives and other medications could help, but they also inhibit motor function and responsiveness, so they should only be used for the ride back with mountain rescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, though, if you lack the experience, practice and techniques, there\u2019s really not much you can do in acute emergency situations that arise as a result of somebody\u2019s fear of heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basic recipe for success is simple: through repeated practice<\/strong>, you can become accustomed to exposed places and greater and greater heights. You can do this by deliberately putting yourself in situations at, say, the climbing gym or during less ambitious outdoor activities that would usually induce fear. Once you find yourself in the situation, wait until you feel the fear subside. If you give yourself the proper dose, the fear will indeed subside. Ideally, you will gradually start to close in your personal limits and eventually push beyond them. Do keep in mind that such training methods rarely lead to an unflappable head for heights. After all, there\u2019s got to be a biological component at play as well.<\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s important to remember that when desensitising<\/strong> yourself to heights, you should also wear the proper shoes and take bodily cues and warning signs seriously, as you would on every other trip. In a German magazine called Merkur, the therapist Petra M\u00fcssig<\/a> who specialises in acrophobia points out other factors that are normally never associated with visual height intolerance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Your endurance, strength, walking technique and equipment should conform with the requirements of the routes you choose. In an estimated 70% of all cases, a fear of heights is initially caused by fatigue or exhaustion, which can be traced back to a lack of physical fitness!<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, strength and conditioning training<\/strong> as well as selecting and planning your activities<\/strong> accordingly can help prevent you from experiencing anxiety and dizziness in the mountains. If you work on your balance and coordination<\/strong> (balancing on tree trunks, kerbstones, etc.) as well, you can reduce the severity of body sway when you start to feel dizzy as a result of height exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A previously rehearsed repertoire of exercises for breathing and muscle relaxation<\/strong> is also very helpful. This allows you to calm yourself down more quickly and effectively when you start to feel dizzy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If none of these methods helps, you should consult a doctor to see whether you have any issues with your balance organs<\/strong>. If you can exclude any physical causes, you may very well be acrophobic. In this case, a look inside yourself<\/strong> is always a good idea. You may have a fear of heights because of unresolved inner conflicts of some kind. Competent medical and psychological consultation can be very helpful. Behavioural therapy is often recommended in such cases.<\/p>\n\n\n However, uncovering and analysing those internal causes should only be the first step in the process. It\u2019s not at all rare for people to get stuck at the first step and “forget” to take the active steps to put an end to the problem<\/strong>. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I don\u2019t mean to sound judgmental. It\u2019s only a “problem” if it prevents somebody who loves the mountains from enjoying the mountains to the extent that he or she would like it to. If the person in question doesn\u2019t consider their fear of heights to be a problem, then it isn\u2019t a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also don\u2019t want to come off like I\u2019m claiming to have any qualifications. Since I\u2019m neither a psychologist nor a therapist, I can\u2019t make any concrete recommendations, nor will I refer you to any. What I will do is provide you with a great source with tips<\/strong> on how to overcome your fear of heights that you can find here<\/a>. In any case, it\u2019s easy to see that a fear of heights is anything but a simple phenomenon with single cause and that it can take intricate individualised paths to even begin to overcome it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all seen people fluidly and gracefully skipping, hopping or jumping down the steepest of trails, cliffs and scree slopes like it ain\u2019t no thing. This amazing ability to walk safely on any surface, even at higher speeds, is referred to as surefootedness.<\/p>\n\n\nWhat is visual height intolerance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When do you have a head for heights?<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/a>What is acrophobia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Immediate strategies to cope with visual height intolerance<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/a>Immediate measures to cope with acrophobia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Long-term training to combat visual height intolerance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Long-term training and therapies for acrophobia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>What is surefootedness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n