Learn how to conquer your fear by channeling your inner skywalker.
"The fear never goes away, you just get better at facing it," says Angela Nikolau, the seemingly fearless rooftopper from the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. As she and her partner, Ivan Beerkus, perform stunning acrobatics atop of skyscrapers, viewers are left breathless — not just by the dizzying heights, but by their unstoppable drive that transcends fear.
Skywalkers isn't just a spectacle of extraordinary human capability. It's a testament to the innate desire to push boundaries, to love, to trust, and to live lives that are anything but mundane. "Their motivation to lead an extraordinary life is what gives them strength to overcome a very natural fear of heights or even potential jail time," says Maria Bukhonina, the film's co-director and producer. "Creating one-of-a-kind art, far away from the ordinary routine, is what seems to drive them every day."
While most people won't be scaling Dubai’s Burj Khalifa anytime soon, everyone has their own mountains to climb — those personal challenges that trigger your deepest fears and hold you back from reaching your full potential. And like Angela and Ivan, you can also learn to face your fears, reframe your relationship with them, and channel them into a source of motivation and personal growth.
Understanding Acrophobia: The Fear of Heights
Heights have a way of stirring a primal fear. It's a healthy evolutionary response, a survival mechanism. But for some, this fear escalates into a full-blown phobia known as acrophobia.
"Everyone is going to have some degree of fear, and that's woven into us to keep us safe,” says David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. "The difference between that and a phobia is when it gets in the way — when you can't do what you need to do."
For those grappling with acrophobia, the mere thought of heights can trigger a cascade of debilitating symptoms. It's not just a mild unease, it's a visceral reaction that can manifest as "symptoms of severe anxiety or even panic," says Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The heart pounds, palms sweat, and a sense of "instability, vertigo, little spinning" takes hold, describes Stéphane Bouchard, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Even everyday situations like climbing a staircase or standing on a balcony or a small stool can become insurmountable obstacles. This fear, though irrational, can significantly impact daily life.
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The Paradox of Avoidance
The most instinctive response to fear is often avoidance. It feels logical, even protective. "Avoidance makes sense — it keeps human people alive," Bouchard explains. "If a lion comes to you, you'd move away.” However, when it comes to phobias, avoidance is a double-edged sword. "If you avoid things that are not objectively threatening, you maintain the perception of threat," says Bouchard, "and the more you avoid, the more you will get a phobia."
In essence, avoidance creates a self-perpetuating cycle, where the fear grows stronger with every evasion. It's a trap that many fall into, believing that the only way to cope is to steer clear of the trigger. However, as Angela and Ivan’s journey in Skywalkers shows, true strength lies in confronting fear, not fleeing from it. "I have always had a fear of heights and I have to make an effort to push through it," Angela admits to Equinox+, "but my motivation is bigger than one climb or one day."
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Reframing Fear: From Debilitating to Empowering
While Angela and Ivan's approach to overcoming fear may seem extreme, their determination to push through their anxieties offers valuable lessons. Overcoming acrophobia, or any fear, often involves a combination of professional guidance and personal resilience.
Below, experts offer several strategies for overcoming fears and phobias. Be sure to chat with your healthcare provider to determine the best course of action for you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps people identify and challenge the irrational thoughts and beliefs that fuel their fears. "CBT clarifies the relationship between people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors," explains Dr. Nadkarni. It enables patients to "gradually face one's fears and begin to question the automatic reactions that occur," adds Alex Dimitriu, M.D., a practicing psychiatrist.
Exposure Therapy: According to Rosmarin, this "gold standard” in treating anxiety involves gradual and systematic exposure to the feared situation or object, leading to desensitization. He draws the parallel with Angela’s experience: "She had to push herself through her anxiety first and make herself fully vulnerable, and then embrace it, and then it fueled her — that's the process," he says. "And exposure therapy is the exact same. You face that fear, take on the vulnerability, it feels terrible, and then all of a sudden, it's like, ‘Wow, that was freeing.’"
Virtual Reality (VR): VR offers a safe and controlled environment for exposure therapy. "You put on goggles, and it bluffs the brain to think that it's real. And then you can face your fear of heights in the safety of the office," explains Bouchard. His research finds that VR can be particularly effective because “we can do things that we would not dare do in real life."
Medication: In cases of severe anxiety, certain medications can provide additional support alongside therapy and "be helpful in reducing the intensity of the fear response and level of anxiety," says Dr. Nadkarni.
Embrace the Extraordinary
Fear is an inherent part of the human experience. It's what keeps you safe, but it can also hold you back. By reframing your perception of fear, shifting it from a debilitating force to a source of motivation and personal growth, you can push through the discomfort toward your goals.
Skywalkers: A Love Story serves as a powerful inspiration, and Angela hopes that it will encourage viewers to pursue their dreams no matter how scary it might feel. "Maybe our story will help you believe in your ability to find or create the life you really want," she says. "Our full potential is on the other side of fear."
Disclaimer: The activities depicted in "Skywalkers: A Love Story" are performed by highly trained professionals and involve significant risks. Do not attempt to recreate or imitate these actions. Equinox promotes a high-performance lifestyle grounded in safety and responsible practices.
Photo Credit: Netflix