Can you remember how as a kid you always wanted to walk along the tops of walls, or to climb trees? I doubt there's any kid who did not share this compulsion to somehow reach a higher point or be able to see things from a different perspective or else to, quite simply, do what you're told not to do.

There are only two fears which we are born with and a fear of falling is one of them. A fear of loud noises is the other. Most of us learn quickly to temper this fear of falling and do not go through life plagued by a fear of heights. The majority of children are able to conquer this fear at an early age and climb walls and trees to their hearts content. The desire to climb can clearly be seen to outweigh the instinctive fear of falling.

Yet some of us relearn this fear at a later date, and consequently find ourselves shaking like a leaf at the mere thought of climbing a ladder or looking out of a top floor window. When consumed by fear one's ability to pay attention to logic momentarily evades us; a mist seems to grip the mind and one has a sense of pure emotion. The fear itself has the ability to create a loss of balance which of course is that last thing you would want to happen when perched at the top of a ladder.

Once standing firmly upon the ground, far away from anything to do with heights, your logical mind returns to its full functionality and you ask yourself why you are so afraid; your logical mind tells you that there is no need to hold this fear of heights, that other people climb ladders and mountains or enjoy the view from the tops of buildings.

To be completely free from a fear of falling would not be to one's benefit. The fear of falling and fear of loud noises are inbred as a matter of adaptivity. These fears have proven to be beneficial to man; so beneficial they are passed from one generation to another within our genes. But to allow this fear to take over your life and to inhibit you from doing things which most people would perceive as normal is to allow the fear to have too much power.

If your fear has escalated in such a manner then you can do something about it. Your increased fear is something which you have learned and thus it can be unlearned. A feeling of balance and moderation can be reached, but only if you know how to get your mind around the issue.

Fear is felt instinctively and automatically. It is emotional as opposed to logical. Fear comes over you automatically. Therefore you need to find a way to access the automatic thinking part of your mind in order to be able to effect a change. Hypnosis provides a way in which you can easily access your subconscious mind, and hence change the thoughts and beliefs which are stored there. With hypnosis you can retrain your brain to overcome fear of heights and to feel comfortable in situations which you know logically to be safe.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in phobia hypnotherapy to help overcome fears.

P.S. Want to overcome a fear? Grab a free hypnosis mp3 from my website.