As you know, human fears are often quite irrational, and this is understood not only by scientists, but also by ordinary people, but this does not stop them from being scared. One such phobia is the fear of being stuck in an elevator. Such people will never use this auxiliary means in order to climb to the upper floor, but will always use the stairs. This causes a lot of inconvenience to those who live on the last floors of a multi-storey building or are forced to climb to a height due to work. It is precisely what the phobia of the fear of elevators is that will be discussed in this article, and we will also describe how to overcome it.
The concept
One cannot but recognize the fact that the appearance of an ordinary passenger elevator made life easier for a person, especially considering the fact that multi-story buildings are commonplace. However, their appearance also had negative qualities - people began to show a fear of elevators. The features of their operation and structure for many are a mystery and evoke fear and horror. In fact, phobias are endowed with similar symptoms, however, this fear has not yet been identified as an independent diagnosis. But despite this, if you are wondering what the phobia of fear of elevators is called , then most ordinary people and doctors will say: elevator phobia.
And if often a person manages to avoid elevators, preferring to climb stairs, in some cases he still has to undergo his own fear. It should be remembered that a phobia is always accompanied by sufficiently strong negative emotions, which in no case can be suppressed, since they can adversely affect the mental state. That is why to overcome the fear of elevators, you should find out the triggers that cause your condition to worsen, and try to overcome them.
Symptomatology
Since this phobia is irrational, the elevator ride alone cannot cause physical harm. All manifest symptoms of this fear manifest at the vegetative level. You will be able to fully experience the following symptoms:
- Severe dizziness.
- Bouts of suffocation.
- Palpitations.
- A strong rush of blood to the face and tremors in the arms and legs.
All in the end can be much more serious. Liftophobia, the so-called fear of elevators, can ultimately lead to a panic attack or loss of consciousness.
Causes
The manifestation of liftophobia can develop for completely different reasons. The main thing is to find out in time what exactly causes fear in a person and leads to a panic attack:
- Claustrophobia - fear of elevators can be just one of the manifestations of claustrophobia, that is, fear of enclosed spaces. The elevator is a closed cabin, so there may be a fear that it will not be possible to exit it if necessary.
- Fear of a dangling cable - numerous adventure films continually show how, when the hero travels in an elevator, the cable-holding cable breaks. However, it should be remembered that life is not movies at all, so in practice cable breaks are very rare, since all equipment is manufactured according to existing safety procedures and undergoes mandatory checks before operation.
- Fear of being left without light. Usually appears only in those who are already stuck in a dark room without light, and therefore again afraid to be in a similar situation. Now the elevators are equipped in such a way that, in the event of a breakdown, the light still remains.
- The fear of being pinned by an automatic elevator door is also usually manifested in those who have been pinched in public elevators. However, now special sensors are inserted into the elevators that prevent the occurrence of such cases.
- In addition, some people are afraid that going into the elevator with strangers may be the victim of an attack.
Methods of struggle
Before you start trying to fight your own phobia, you should determine its root cause. If it begins to appear due to the fact that an unpleasant situation with the elevator has already occurred, it is best to contact a specialist directly.
Therapy
Now therapy is the most popular way to combat phobias, including the fear of elevators. The effect of it can be obtained quickly and quite effective. It is best to directly contact a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist who owns a number of professional techniques. Using this knowledge, a person begins to realize the fact that there are no real threats to his life and health, and therefore gradually ceases to be afraid.
Hypnosis
When a person alone cannot understand what exactly lurks in the depths of his fears, then you should contact a hypnotherapist. Such a specialist works directly with the subconscious, so that he can "dig out" information that will help to find out what exactly triggered the phobia, as well as ways to overcome it.
Self treatment
If the symptoms of phobia are fairly mild, then you can try to deal with your own fears yourself. Quite often, it becomes clear that an attempt to completely abandon the elevator is just an attempt to at least somehow control your own life and the anxiety in it. It should simply be good to monitor your condition and behavior, because fears can often be the consequences of chronic stress or the difficult conflict situation that exists in a person’s life. They will help to solve the problems of relaxation and deep breathing techniques.
In order to start the fight against the fear of elevators, you should start a gradual short-term trip. For example, take the elevator down a couple of floors, and then overcome the remaining path up the stairs. Over time, such trips should be made longer. However, one should not proceed to the next stage if at the previous stage all fears have not completely disappeared. So over time, you can completely get rid of the phobia.
Advice
If you are trying to understand the current situation and find out exactly what phobia the fear of elevators is, then you do not need to diagnose it yourself immediately after the appearance of fear. The first step is to understand whether such a case is one-time, since there is the possibility that intuition simply warns of the presence of danger at that very moment. Understand what exactly scares you and where this fear came from.
You should also not drink sedatives. If you understand that you can’t pull yourself together, it’s best to consult a specialist rather than poison yourself with synthetic substances. It is best to learn special breathing techniques and start counting your breaths and exhalations, this helps the body escape from panic and return clarity to your thoughts.
Conclusion
At the moment, an increasing number of phobias are beginning to appear. They begin to appear in urban residents due to the high rate of urbanization, and therefore do not occur at all in rural residents. Such irrational phobias include liftophobia. Of course, walking up the stairs is good for health and a beautiful figure, but it takes a lot of time and energy. If you decide to get rid of such phobias, then you should make an appointment with a specialist or be like group therapy, during which people discuss their own fears.