Vertigo, otherwise known as a fear of heights, is a common phobia, as is the fear of crossing bridges. A fear of heights is often related to a bridge phobia. Some people suffer from one or the other, whilst others struggle with both. The symptoms of each have similar characteristics.
The fears both inspire feelings of panic that sufferers will go to great lengths to avoid, even if that means the end of normal routines.
Gephyrophobia, or a fear of bridges, is a Greek term: gephyra means bridge and phobos meaning fear. A fear of heights is more commonly referred to as acrophobia.
Sufferers of these phobias experience undue anxiety even though they understand intellectually that their fear is irrational. It is estimated that 1 in 15 people suffer from a fear of heights in its most severe form, but a third of the population may experience milder forms of anxiety with heights or high bridges.
Some people seem to have greater difficulty managing bridges on foot, regardless of whether it is a simple overpass or a rope bridge over a steep gorge. The Tappan Zee Bridge, which rises 150 feet above the Hudson River is a driving bridge that seems to inspire a particularly widespread panic. A reluctant driver can arrange in advance to be driven across the bridge in his or her car by a patrol operator with the Bridge Authority. They receive about a half dozen or so requests each year.
Similar contingencies are in place around the country where landmark bridges are a potential obstacle. San Francisco-Oakland Bay's Bridge Authority dispatches tow trucks to pull panicked drivers safely to the other side. Michigan's Mackinac Bridge provides a service similar to that at Tappan Zee, New York.
Hypnosis for a Fear of Heights
As with most 'partially understood' issues attributed to the subconscious, hypnosis has been found to be effective in reducing a fear of heights and bridges. Hypnotic World offers a clear and direct fear of heights and bridges hypnosis script. This script combines proven techniques such as anchoring, relaxation, regression, ideomotor signalling and post-hypnotic suggestion to recalibrate your client's reaction to heights or bridges.
The first phase of this fear of heights hypnosis script describes the situation directly to the subconscious in clear language. The greatest benefit of the hypnotic state is its open access to the subconscious. In an effort to address any misunderstandings, this script takes a few moments to summarize or recap the effects of a fear of heights or bridges. Although clients may have heard the information and processed it consciously, the knowledge may not have passed into the subconscious. Otherwise, it would likely not be affecting them.
The next element of this hypnosis script designed to reduce a fear of bridges employs regression to help clients to envisage their emotional state during such an incident. One of the benefits of the hypnotic state is emotional detachment. This detachment, or dissociation, is a form of separation from oneself and one's immediate environment. It has been described as a state in which one can "see" oneself.
Dissociation reduces the emotional impact of the memory, allowing the client to 'step away' and visualize their situation from another perspective. Via suggestion, this hypnosis script for reducing a fear of heights separates the individual from the immediacy and impact of the emotions so they can act as 'impartial', unbiased observers of their own experiences.
Once the emotional state of a person during the incident has been recreated, this script takes clients through time and space to the formative experience of fright or unease that triggered the unconscious development of these fears.
Under most circumstances, the simple acceptance or knowledge of this situation and how it came to be may ease a person's fear.
Another aspect of this hypnosis script for a fear of heights or bridges is the use of anchoring to reinforce the learning taking place under hypnosis. By using ideomotor reinforcement, this anchoring takes on additional power to help clients to control their fears. This script is strengthened by tying an ideomotor response to the anchor using hypnotic training. This provides you with the power to help resolve your client's fear of heights or bridges with efficiency and thoroughness.
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