Overcoming Fear of Heights: How to Conquer Acrophobia and Live a Life Without Limits (Pocket Phobia) [Paperback]

Martin Antony PhD (Author), Karen Rowa PhD (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pocket Phobia | Publication Date: May 1, 2007

It’s hard for anyone to go about his or her day without crossing a bridge, scaling a ladder, or climbing an exterior stair case. Fear of heights can make air travel difficult or impossible; even a ride in an elevator can be a challenging and disruptive experience.. Fortunately, specific phobias are among the easiest psychological problems to treat, with fear of heights being very treatable. With a safe and effective exposure-based cognitive-behavioral program to work with, most sufferers will experience relief from their fear after only a few sessions. This book distills the most effective treatments for acrophobia into an easy-to-follow, effective program for overcoming fears for good.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, treatment for fear of flying has become more difficult, owing to increased security and restricted access to airplanes for persons in need of exposure therapy. Overcoming Fear of Heights thus fills a tremendous gap for people who suffer from this disabling fear. Antony and Rowa have done a masterful job with this book. In a clear and gentle fashion, these authors walk the reader through the step-by-step process of conducting exposure, including a remarkably useful section on how to troubleshoot the typical problems that arise during this process. The book is peppered with case examples, which help to illustrate how to overcome your fear of heights. A job well-done!
—J. Gayle Beck, Ph.D., is professor of psychology and associate chair of the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York, Buffalo. She is past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

From the Publisher

Anxiety experts Martin Antony and Karen Rowa bring you the third in New Harbinger's I Can Do It series of books for specific phobias, and easy-to-use, exposure-based approach to overcoming fear of heights safely and effectively.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572244569
• ISBN-13: 978-1572244566
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Height phobics, this is a must, July 29, 2007

By 

Anthony Gunn (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Overcoming Fear of Heights: How to Conquer Acrophobia and Live a Life Without Limits (Pocket Phobia) (Paperback)

As a psychologist specializing in treating phobias, this book is excellent. The author is a world renowned expert in the area of anxiety and phobias. He has also found a niche market because from my knowledge, no other book exists which is written in simple terms for the general public and just covers height phobia or acrophobia. Antony's books are always a safe bet for reliability in that they are grounded in the latest cutting edge research. In other words, what he says actually works. This is very reasurring for someone with a phobia, as to face one's phobia is terrifying and something a non-phobic person can not appreciate. I previously successfully beat my phobia of medical procedures and it is such a freeing experience. If you're considering dealing with your height phobia then I highly recommend this book. Speaking both from experience and as a professional, I can say that the avoidance is much more painful than actually facing your phobia. Good luck.

Anthony Gunn, psychologist and author of Fear Is Power: Turn Your Fears Into Success

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good advice, January 12, 2009

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Gattofriulano (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Overcoming Fear of Heights: How to Conquer Acrophobia and Live a Life Without Limits (Pocket Phobia) (Paperback)

The book is well written and avoids most of the usual fillers that make the book longer, more expensive and most importantly tedious. The book is actually quite short (and indeed it could be even shorter)but it is useful in giving you a better understanding of what fear of heights is and very sensible, if not earth shattering, suggestions on how to address it. You get the impression though the treatment is simply: confront your fears directly. I would have liked a more extensive discussion of the possibility that fear of heights is caused by a dysfunction of the sense of balance. If that were the case, then cognitive therapy would lose much of its relevance, so you can see why therapist may not like it, but still the book should have included a discussion of the topic

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise, excellent book., August 16, 2011

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acehc1 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Overcoming Fear of Heights: How to Conquer Acrophobia and Live a Life Without Limits (Pocket Phobia) (Paperback)

This little book describes the most successful strategies used to treat phobias (acrophobia in particular) and goes on to help the reader develop a plan to use these techniques to make changes in their life. It is written so that the average person can understand it and put it to use today. If you have problems dealing with heights, BUY THIS BOOK AND USE IT!