The fear of elevators is quite a common phobia. Much the same as some other fears it can be made up from several different factors. Which means that you can either tackle each part on its own or get hold of something like a hypnosis MP3 that will deal with each of the component parts during the recorded session. The choice is yours but unless you’re a fitness fanatic, it’s worth reducing this fear if at all possible.
A fear of heights is one of the component parts of an elevator phobia. By definition, an elevator will elevate you above the ground (or, of course, do the reverse once you’re on a higher floor).
Heights are perfectly normal to be scared of, especially when they’re accompanied by a precipice-like drop. It’s your survival instinct kicking in to protect you from falling and injuring yourself, maybe fatally. And no amount of rationalization that you’re in an enclosed space supported by strong cables will tell your subconscious any different. Instead, it flashes back to the movie Speed and runs through all the ways that the elevator could plunge to the ground rather than gently lift you up some floors, bleep at you and let you go on your way.
Some people get over this particular part of the fear by closing their eyes. Others by making sure that they only use enclosed elevators that don’t really show you how high you’re being transported. A deeper fear of heights needs tackling at the subconscious level so that your fight or flight response doesn’t rear its ugly head. Hypnosis can work well for dealing with this as can the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which involves repeatedly tapping on a number of accupressure points whilst speaking about your fear.
The next component of fear of elevators can be claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed spaces. Depending on the design of the elevator it can either have solid walls and floors or it can have some or all of these made from glass. If you find that you cope better with elevators that have at least some view of the outside world then there’s a good chance that claustrophobia is contributing to your elevator phobia. You don’t always get the choice of design – most buildings plump for one or the other type and often the position of the elevator also makes the design choice go in one direction – so again it’s worth working on this component of your phobia.
Another common part of an elevator phobia is the fear of crowds. Unless you ride the elevator at truly anti-social times of the day there’s a high chance that you won’t be the only person on it. When a handful of other people turns into a situation where you all need to breathe in before the elevator doors can close then there’s definitely a crowd involved. You can’t escape at this point as either it would take too long to work your way back to the door or, more likely, the elevator is about to start moving. Take a deep breath, maybe close your eyes and start to think happy thoughts – rather than gritting your teeth, clenching your fists and beginning to panic. You’re there for the ride whether you like it or not.