Overcoming Fear of Heights

The second-most common specific phobia, acrophobia, the fear of heights, is a very disturbing and disruptive condition. It's hard for anyone to go about his or her day without crossing a bridge, scaling a ladder, or ascending an exterior stair case. Fear of heights can make air travel difficult or impossible; even a ride in an elevator can be a challenging and disruptive experience for people with this conditon.

Fortunately, specific phobias are among the easiest psychological problems to treat, with fear of heights being very treatable. With a safe and effective exposure-based cognitive-behavioral program to work with, most sufferers will experience relief from their fear after only a few sessions. This book distills the most effective treatments for acrophobia into an easy-to-follow, effective program for overcoming fears for good. It walks you through simple steps to evaluating fearful thinking and making changes that can make those thoughts a memory. The book also covers ways to avoid relapse and emergency strategies for panicky moments.

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, treatment for fear of flying has become more difficult, owing to increased security and restricted access to airplanes for persons in need of exposure therapy. Overcoming Fear of Heights thus fills a tremendous gap for people who suffer from this disabling fear. Antony and Rowa have done a masterful job with this book. In a clear and gentle fashion, these authors walk the reader through the step-by-step process of conducting exposure, including a remarkably useful section on how to troubleshoot the typical problems that arise during this process. The book is peppered with case examples, which help to illustrate how to overcome your fear of heights. A job well-done!--J. Gayle Beck, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and associate chair of the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York, Buffalo. She is past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

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