Ask HN: Have you or know someone who has been cured of acrophobia (50 yrs)?

I have been having an ongoing fear of heights since childhood, based on what I could explain as some sort of genetic defect (i.e. no accidents, no memories of events associated with heights, etc.). Ever since grammar school, I haven't been able to go hiking with my friends, climb stairs too high, look over a balcony on a higher than 3rd level, look through a wall size window of a building, etc., etc. I could only fly medicated, with my doctor having prescribed Lorazepam, which I take 2-3 at a time, depending on the duration of trip. I tried CBT one time, approx 15 years ago, for approx 8-10 sessions (including hypnosis), and - besides being extremely expensive - led to no positive results.

I am now retired, and after a [working] life of missing all the fun and keeping my companion from enjoying such, also, I decided to see if I could attempt a self-healing of sorts. I borrowed a book I found closest to the subject ("Overcoming fear of heights" - Martin Antony, PhD et.al.), but I would still like to ask: has anyone out there fixed on their own such a problem, especially after so many years of "twisted" brain processing of space issues?

Flooding worked for me https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_(psychology). I did it very gradually and spent a ton of time on the process (about 4 hours a day for a month or two). I did it mostly on my own though and it surely would have been faster if I had someone pushing me (I got the blessing of my therapist, but they didn't partake).

I wouldn't say it has cured it, however, as it will come back if I don't actively exercise it. I've had to do the flooding process again when I reverted during a particularly busy time in my life.

While it may be difficult for someone in their 50s, I found indoor rock climbing, particularly bouldering and top-rope climbing, helped a great deal with a mild personal fear of heights, because it breaks old negative associations with heights.

I found top-rope climbing quickly acclimates people to heights, because it repeatedly puts you in situations where you are constantly in high places 5-30 feet off the ground, suspended by ropes, in a situation you're having fun. Having tied all your own knots so that you know they're good, having the ability to ascend gradually and have someone lower you if you get too nervous, having someone below encouraging you and ready to catch you with friction tools ensuring even if you let go of the wall, you just stay suspended at your current height, and getting a better physical sense for one's body as a physical, gravitational object, quickly get you used to being in the air in a context where you're actually having fun, which strongly helps break the fear.

Bouldering, rock climbing on walls without ropes about 5-12 feet in height over thickly-padded floors, accomplishes many of the same goals, and also accustoms and trains you to fall safely and trust in your balance and strength when up high. It's also easier to get started as a beginner, as all you need are rock climbing shoes and a gym.

Pole climbing might help. You can go up as high as you can and just stay there for like an hour and go back down. But you will need someone close by to help you when you freeze up.

You might want to see if you can get a prescription for Propranolol and have some guided exposure therapy while on it. People have used it to successfully cure arachnophobia and other phobias.

It works surprisingly well and helps you essentially erase those old memories / fear and reconsolidate new ones.

You need to follow the protocol carefully. It is roughly:

1. expose yourself to the fear

2. take propranolol

3. rest for 90 minutes (light reading, sleep)

4. wait a few days and get good sleep

5. re test

I wish you best of luck!!!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25980916/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0857-z