Elevatophobia – Beat Your Fear Of Elevators
Fear of elevators, or elevatophobia, as some call it, is unusual in so far as it’s not a fear of the elevator itself – more the confined space and fear of getting trapped associated with it. So really, it’s a mixture of fears – claustrophobia and agoraphobia to be precise. Let me explain:
Claustrophobia, is the intense fear of enclosed spaces and, when you think about an elevator, it doesn’t get much more enclosed than that! So, it’s easy to understand why an elevator could cause a claustrophobic reaction and why any person suffering from it would always prefer to take the stairs!
Agoraphobia is a little different. It’s the fear of situations and places where escape would be, at best, difficult. Such situations can often trigger extreme panic in the sufferer. Again, put into context, an elevator would not be the easiest thing to escape from if there was a problem.
You can now perhaps see why, when you combine the two, you have the perfect storm that is elevatophobia. And if you throw in a fear of heights for good measure the fear of elevators can become really intense.
As to the impact of this phobia, it really depends on how strong your symptoms are (ranges from mild to severe) and your own situation. If you live and work out in the country it’s not as much of a problem when compared to city dwellers who maybe have to work on the 81st floor of the One World Trade Center!
#1 Self-Help Treatment Program
Overcome Fear Of Elevators is a self hypnosis audio download specifically for those who suffer from Elevatophobia. There whenever you need it and especially useful when you know you’re going to need to take the elevator.
Highly recommended – Find Out More >
Causes of Elevator Fear
As we mentioned briefly above, the fear of elevators is caused by a combination of other phobias namely:
- Claustrophobia: This common but irrational fear of being confined in an enclosed space is very relevant when it comes to the any elevator. A standard elevator may be just over 5’ long, 8’ wide and less than 8’ high. Step inside, shut the door of the cab and travel up and down in a confined shaft, often with no windows and no natural light, It’s like being delivered to your destination in an Amazon parcel!
- Agoraphobia: This intense fear is triggered when the agoraphobic finds themselves in a situation where they would find escape to be difficult or impossible. This needn’t be a small confined space (an aircraft for example) but an elevator does fit the bill! These days elevators are constructed with safety in mind and there is always a way out … but it’s not going to be natural or easy.
- Acrophobia: We associate elevators with heights and, certainly the fear of heights can contribute to the intensity of the fear of elevators but only in certain cases which depend on the elevator itself and the views! A glass elevator offering panoramic views as it travels up to the 60th floor is going to create a bit of an issue to say the least!
- Historical Trigger: Of course, it’s quite possible and common to find that your fear of elevators stems from a particular negative experience from the past. Maybe you were stuck in an elevator as a child, maybe you witnessed someone having a panic attack in an elevator. Any form of traumatic event, left unchecked, can trigger a lifelong fear. Even peer influence (a close relative who was petrified of elevators and refused to go anywhere near one) can cause a fear to be ingrained for good.
Elevatophobia Symptoms
The symptoms of Elevatophobia are no different to those of most other specific fears and phobias. The issue is that they can come on rapidly and be intense. As soon as that door closes and it starts to move is enough to trigger fairly extreme symptoms which will only abate when the elevator has reached its destination, the doors have opened and the sufferer can get out.
The most common symptoms are:
- Excessive panic and panic attacks. This fear can escalate into a fully-fledged panic attack that can prevent a person from entering an elevator altogether. And panic attacks, if they are severe, can cause the person to pass out. These situations are rare, as the person avoids the elevator in the first place, but they do happen.
- Irrational fear of elevators. Sometimes, the fear is irrational and based on no particular previous negative experience. If it’s socially conditioned phobia, then we can try to resolve it through exposure.
- Excessive sweating, chills. Once the sufferer is even exposed to the possibility of using an elevator or just the mere sight of it might cause them to start sweating and feeling chills all over their bodies.
- Rapid heartbeat. This symptom is possibly the most common one, and if the heartbeat accelerates, there might be further associated symptoms, such as panic attacks, and even stroke.
- Nausea and vomiting. The person might start feeling various symptoms of malaise, including nausea and even vomiting in more severe cases.
- Dizziness. As a part of the panic attack, dizziness might start to take place, and the person can even fall out of consciousness.
- Disorientation, confusion. A sufferer of elevator fear will start to feel disorientated as a part of the panic attack and will feel confused about where they find themselves. Keeping a level head during a panic attack might be hard, but it’s possible with some practice.
Symptoms do however vary is severity significantly.
Fear Of Elevators – Facts And Data
Elevators are difficult to avoid these days. In just the US and Canada it’s estimated that some 210 billion people use an elevator each year. In New York alone there are around 63,000 elevaors making 35 million passenger trips each day!
ELPRO quote some interesting facts and there’s three that anyone with a fear of elevators should know:
- Elevators are statistically the safest way to travel.
- Elevators are twenty times safer than escalators.
- Riding in an elevator is actually safer than riding in a car.
The exact numbers who suffer from the specific fear of elevators is not know. But we do know that around 12.5% of us have a fear of enclosed spaces (Claustrophobia) to varying degrees and a much lower estimate that approximately 1.3% of us will suffer from Agoraphobia at some stage in our lives. That gives us an idea of how widespread it is.
Elevatophobia – When To Seek help
This all depends on you, your situation and the severity of your symptoms – evry case is different.
If you live in low rise accomodation with no real need to use any elevator on a regular occasion and, when you do, your symptoms are only uncomfortable and mild then it’s not too much of an issue. If, however you live in a high rise block, work in an office on a high floor or have to take elevators on a very regular basis for work or domestic reasons and your symptoms are more severe then it’s a problem.
The golden rule is that if a phobia is affecting your life in anyy significant way then you need to do something about it. If you’ve turned down a dream apartment because of an elevator, if you’re thinking about changing jobs because the base is mobving to a high-rise office or if your desire to avoid elevators at any cost is affecting your life or the lives of those around you then you own it to yourself and everyone affected to get the situation resolved. And the good news is that the fear of elevators CAN be treated and overcome!
Treatment For The Fear Of Elevators – Therapy
Hypnotherapy:
All phobia stemmed from some form of trigger. Some form of traumatic event or influence which occured in your past which has changed the way your mind naturally responds to elevator travel. What hypnotherapy will do is to re-set it back to the way it was and the natural reaction you were born with so that you ne longer fear elevators. It can be highly effective. Find Out More >
Graduated Exposure Therapy:
This involves gradually building up your confidence of using an elevator by actually using one regularly and gradually building up the level of exposure to elevator travel. For example you could start by standing inside an elevator with the door open and getting out, the next time you could close the door but not travel, then build up to travelling one floor, then two etc etc.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT):
A fear of elevators is no different to any other phobia in as much as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is recognised as the number one form of treatment. It’s basically a talking therapy which takes your specific fear of elevators and focusses on your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about it and how they affect your behaviour and emotions. Because your thoughts (cognition) result in emotions which, in turn, creates our reactions (behaviour) it’s quite simple … change your thoughts or change your emotions and your reaction will change too. We’ve put together a feature to explain how it works in more detail – Find Out More >
The Fear Of Elevators Self Help Treatments
If the mere thought of having to use an elevator fills you with fear and terror then take a look at one of our recommended, self-help treatment programs that are all guaranteed, proven and effective.
BEAT YOUR FEAR OF ELEVATORS
Overcome Fear Of Elevators is a self hypnosis treatment program specifically for those who fear elevators. It’s proven very effective, represents incredible value for money and comes with a money back guarantee.
We suggest you check it out – Find Out More >
Get your FREE Hypnosis Course today!
