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A brief novel intervention for acrophobia (fear of heights)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2021

E. Naomi Smith
E. Naomi Smith*
Affiliation:
South London and Maudsley Training Scheme
*
*corresponding author.
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Abstract

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Objective

To investigate a unique brief intervention, which offers a combination of neuro-linguistic programming and practical graded exposure therapy, to overcome a fear of heights.

Background

A fear of heights or acrophobia is common and often deters people from perusing activities like climbing. It can also interfere with routine activities of daily living.

Case report

This two-day intervention is set in the Peak District (Derbyshire, UK) and works with a maximum of eight individuals to four instructors. The first half-day involves working with a psychotherapist using neurolinguistic programing techniques. The next 1.5 days involves graded exposure using abseiling over gradually increasing heights, to a final height of approximately 40 feet.

Discussion

All eight individuals on the two-day course felt their fear of highs had significantly decreased. All eight individuals would recommend this intervention to others suffering from a fear of heights.

Conclusion

It is noteworthy that the group undergoing this intervention were self-selected and highly motivated to overcome their fear of heights. The sample size was small and outcome measures were subjective. However, this is a novel and effective approach to helping people overcome their fear of heights. Further research with larger sample sizes would be beneficial in further assessing the impact of this intervention.

Declaration: Permission was granted by the organizers of this intervention to submit an abstract to conference. There are no conflicts of interests. This intervention is run by a private company ‘Will4Adventure’, I have no finical or other interests in this company. I privately funded my own place on this course.

Type
Case Study
Information
BJPsych Open , Volume 7 , Supplement S1: Abstracts of the RCPsych Virtual International Congress 2021, 21–24 June , June 2021 , pp. S121
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
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