How our Overcome Your Fear of Heights course works, and why it’s so successful at curing fear of heights …
Since 2005 we have helped thousands of people, to face and to overcome their fear of heights (see the reviews on Google and TripAdvisor). Hopefully if you’re reading this you might be thinking about joining one of our courses. And if you are, to help start the process of curing you of your fear of heights (acrophobia) it would be good to understand what we do and why.
In order to help you, we need to help you to change your brain’s narrative …
This is how …
First of all a phobia, including Acrophobia (Fear of Heights), is an emotional problem and it needs an emotional response. It’s no good trying to reason with yourself: phobias aren’t rational! So our courses start indoors with a hypnotherapy session, led by a clinical hypnotherapist, Alison.
This therapy session is about communicating with your subconscious mind and rewriting the narrative. Psychiatrists call the subconscious part of your brain the Parietal. Steve Peters, in his book The Chimp Paradox refers to it simply as the Computer. This is the bit that stores information on what we did last time and what we should do next time.
So we start by talking to this part of the brain, suggesting that maybe there’s another way forward that doesn’t involve having a panic attack… Another way forward where you won’t end up feeling crap about yourself. This is our first phase – working at the subliminal level.
(After this session we give you a recording of the session, which we encourage you to listen to, everyday for three weeks).
Outdoors we work on creating a new narrative for your brain …
In the past, your experiences have been along the lines of – stimulus, panic, survive … and then repeat.
What we do outdoors with you is a lot more concrete. In essence, we slow everything down, and we use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to change your narrative. We use the outdoors as a medium through which we can nudge you just enough out of your comfort zone, in order to help you make progress, and for you to see how you can now be.
Now we give you lots of experiences at height where the new narrative becomes: stimulus, PAUSE, think, decide, act, survive …. and then repeat! Slowly you start to feel that heights become normalised for you, and your acrophobia gradually becomes less of an issue for you.
On the second day we consolidate on this
By the end of just 1 day with us you will have made a seismic shift from where you were, just 9 hours earlier that same day.
On day 2 we consolidate on this progress by giving you more positive experiences at height to bank. We do this by getting you to work in an unfamiliar environment, and by giving you the skills and the tools to overcome simple problems.
This gets you used to using the intelligent part of your brain (the Human) to work through problems associated with height. When we are working intelligently, we are better placed to recognise and interpret the stimuli for what they are, and less likely to panic!
Now you start to bank more, new, positive, (happy?) experiences. Your brain starts to learn a new narrative. It starts to learn that actually, if you allow yourself to pause, when you experience the stimulus, the more intelligent part of your brain is given the time to think things through instead. The Computer then banks these new experiences and thus begins a new, virtuous cycle.
And when you learn this about yourself, you’re then set, and free to start enjoying a new you!
Book a place on one of our Overcome Your Fear of Heights courses here
Why does our approach work?
So why does our Fear of Heights course work so well?
There are lots of reasons, but these are the three that matter most.
#1 – Because I know exactly what a fear of heights feels like.
I’m Will, and I have lived with a fear of heights for most of my life. In truth, I still do. The difference is that I’ve learnt how to manage those feelings rather than let them control me.
When people come on one of our Fear of Heights courses, I’m not pretending to understand what they’re experiencing—I genuinely know how it feels. I’ve stood where you are now, and I still revisit those emotions from time to time. Over the years, I’ve learnt how to manage my reactions, expand my comfort zone and enjoy activities that once felt impossible.
That’s where this course began. Back in 2005, I wanted to answer one simple question: is it really possible to overcome a fear of heights? Everything we’ve developed since has been built around helping other people do exactly that.
#2 – Our unique combination of therapy and real-world experience.
When we launched the course in 2005, my web designer, Simon, was working with an NLP therapist. He suggested that we combine therapeutic techniques with practical outdoor exercises, and that idea became the foundation of our approach.
Rather than relying solely on classroom-based techniques or simply exposing people to heights, our Fear of Heights course combines indoor therapeutic methods with carefully structured outdoor challenges. This blend helps people understand their thoughts and emotions before applying those techniques in real situations, giving them the confidence to gradually overcome their fear of heights.
It remains an incredibly effective formula and has helped thousands of people manage acrophobia and build lasting confidence.
#3 – The people who deliver the course.
Even the best course design is only as good as the people delivering it.
Our instructors are experienced, highly qualified outdoor professionals who genuinely understand fear of heights and the impact it can have on people’s lives. They know how to create a supportive, relaxed environment where you never feel judged or pressured.
Their patience, empathy and experience allow you to progress at your own pace while feeling safe, encouraged and looked after throughout the course. For many people, that supportive environment is just as important as the techniques we teach.
Back in 2005, we were the only company offering this combination of therapeutic techniques alongside practical outdoor coaching. Since then, others have copied our ideas, but a course is much more than a concept.
What makes Will4Adventure different is the experience we’ve gained over two decades, the thousands of people we’ve helped overcome a fear of heights, and a team that truly understands both the practical and emotional sides of acrophobia.
That’s what makes our approach unique.
Book a place on one of our Overcome Your Fear of Heights courses here
Further Reading
The Chimp Paradox – Professor Steve Peters
Everything there is to know about acrophobia and a fear of heights
Climb Smarter – De Rebecca Coles (really good reading and not just for climbers!)
UKC.com – Playing With Fear February 2018
The Scientist – January 2018
Esquire Magazine – How to Cure a Fear of Heights March 2017
UKC.com – How to Conquer the Fear of Falling – November 2016
Will Legon (of Will4Adventure.com) works professionally in the outdoors as a mountain leader, rock climbing instructor and mountain bike leader. Since 2006 Will and his team from Will4Adventure have been helping people overcome their acrophobia/fear of heights.
