Fear Of Heights Was No Barrier For Climbing Mount Snowdon

Someone contacted me about three months ago. She had agreed to go on a trip with some friends to climb Mount Snowdon. It was an adventure. It was a chance to step outside her comfort zone, to push the boundaries, but as the next few days played out, she realised that she could barely climb a hill in the South Downs without clinging on to blades of grass for safety.

She called me and said we had three months. Plenty of time. We were going to get her up the mountain with a smile on her face.

All my work now is a mixture of resolving invisible stories and seeing through the illusion of the anxiety. Whatever the specifics of a phobia, it is an intense fear reaction when there is no danger. The height itself is not a danger, but the way you come to think about it makes it appear dangerous.

We could not bring Snowdon closer to the ground, so we just needed to change her thinking as she ascended.

Three sessions later – she was off on her adventure, and apparently it went really well. She experienced a little anxiety at certain points, but the anxiety did not escalate, spiral or spin her out of control. It was part of the adventure.

I was delighted to receive a picture from her, shortly after she'd got back down – ironically feeling on a real high. The picture illustrating this blog post is that of her standing on the summit of Mount Snowdon.

I love getting this kind of feedback from clients. I have had a number of clients email me from their holiday destination, having enjoyed their flight there for the first time in a long time.

Then there is a friend of mine who overcame her fear of flying to do a skydive and a wing walk.

I had a client once who could not bear to walk on sand, but his family liked beach holidays – and I got a lovely picture of his feet and his family's feet all covered in sand.

I had a picture from a client standing on the glass floor at the top of Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

I got an enthusiastic email from a client travelling in India. She had come to see me about her fear of snakes in preparation for the trip, and the day she emailed, she had come face to face with her 'worst fear' – a man walking through the crowd with a large snake wrapped around his shoulders. She crossed the street... but no running or screaming or embarrassing herself. She felt very chuffed.

If you experience a specific phobia or if you experience more general anxiety that is holding you back in life, please feel free to contact me for a friendly chat or book an appointment.