FEAR OF HEIGHTS: THE PSYCHOLOGY

Will Legon, along with neurolinguistic programming expert Brian McHugh, has been running courses helping hundreds of people beat their phobia of heights for the past 12 years. Will provides some advice on controlling your fear of exposure.

Brain hijack

In our brain we have an acorn-sized part called the amygdala. In moments of high stress, where our reactions have to be heightened and quick and we need a burst of extra strength, it is then we need the amygdala and its quick thinking. It gives us our fight or flight response, kicks in our adrenal gland and gives us that vital burst of power. Some people’s amygdala is, however, overly sensitive. It triggers for the slightest stimulus, and at that moment the amygdala hijacks the brain and takes over completely. When it does so it is a negative and stressful experience. Adrenaline pumps, the heart rate quickens, tunnel vision occurs, and an inability to reason takes over.

Learnt behaviour

All this reinforces the brain’s memory and programming for the future. The brain is actually reinforced in its belief that the stimulus needs to be avoided at all costs, and so is permanently on the lookout to avoid any further such situations. In turn we have a negative spiral of events that slowly gets worse with time, making our fear of heights worse. Avoidance of fear or fearproducing situations then becomes a major factor in maintaining fear.

Ridge prep

If you are thinking of traversing Crib Goch my advice is to prepare yourself mentally for the challenge. Watch the video made by Trai●/BMC at www.tinyurl.com/trailcribgoch

Two good scrambles to complete in preparation are Striding Edge and Sharp Edge in the Lake District. If you have any issues on these then maybe doing a traverse of Crib Goch is not a good idea – it is, after all, a dangerous place to be. Or, if you have any doubts but you really want to do the traverse, hire a qualified mountaineering instructor.