Fear of elevators: a step-by-step ladder you can edit
If elevators make your chest tight, you need not start with a long ride. Below is an example ladder of twelve steps, from watching a video to the rides you find hardest. It is a starting point, not a tested program: reword the steps and replace the fear numbers with your own. Pick the first step that feels uncomfortable but doable, and repeat it until you have tested your prediction safely, even if some fear remains.
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Elevators
Easiest first. The suggested steps, their order, times and distances, and the fear numbers are illustrative examples, not a tested program. Rate each step yourself from 0 (no fear) to 100 (the most afraid you can imagine), change the wording to fit your life, and add your own steps.
Watch a 5-minute video showing the inside of an operating elevator cabin.
Notice any tension in your shoulders while watching, and let your breath slow down.
Stand in a spacious building lobby 10 feet away from the elevator doors and watch people enter and exit.
Stand next to the elevator doors on the ground floor and look inside when an empty cabin opens.
Start here — uncomfortable but doable
Step inside an empty elevator, hold the door-open button yourself for 30 seconds, then step out.
Do not let the doors close yet. Focus on steady breathing.
Step inside alone, let the doors close on the ground floor, press the door open button, and step out.
Ride one floor up with a trusted companion in a modern, well-lit building at a quiet time.
Ride two to three floors up and down with your companion, who stays quiet so you notice the ride itself.
Ride one floor alone at a quiet time of day, noticing your feet flat on the floor.
Ride three floors alone, letting your arms hang loose at your sides instead of hovering over the buttons.
Ride five to eight floors alone in an office building or shopping center outside rush hours.
Ride five floors with unfamiliar passengers sharing the cabin.
Keep your gaze relaxed rather than staring rigidly at the floor indicator.
Ride at a busier time with several passengers getting on and off, letting any car that looks full go by.
Keep your ladder
Stay safe while you practice
- Chest pain or discomfort, pain in your jaw, neck, back, arms or shoulders, or feeling weak, light-headed or faint can be signs of a heart attack. If you notice them, stop and call 911 (US).
- If the fear feels too strong to stay with, stop safely and pick an easier step next time. Stopping is not failing.
- If a panic attack starts, get somewhere safe first, then use the free Panic Reset.
- Questions about medication belong with your doctor or prescriber, not with this ladder.
- Only practice in public passenger elevators that are in normal working order.
- If the elevator stops between floors, press the alarm or call button, stay inside and wait for help to arrive.
- Never try to force the doors open or climb out, and never touch service panels.
In the US
Sources: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (CDC) · About 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) · Contact Us (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
A self-help tool. Not a medical device or a substitute for professional care.
Why elevators can trigger panic
KONE, an elevator maker, says common anxieties such as fears of enclosed spaces, heights or those related to vertical mobility can all make someone uncomfortable about taking an elevator, and that for some people social anxiety can too. NHS inform notes that with a phobia, sometimes just thinking about the thing you fear can cause anxiety or panic.
The NHS lists a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, feeling faint and dizziness among the symptoms of a panic attack. It also says that although panic attacks are frightening, they are not dangerous, and that most last between 5 and 20 minutes.
NHS inform says that with a phobia you may feel an overwhelming need to avoid all contact with the source of your anxiety, and that fear becomes a phobia when you begin to organise your life around avoiding it. A gradual ladder lets you approach elevators in small steps you choose.
Predictions people make about elevators
Before a step, write down what you expect to happen. Some predictions you might recognize:
- •“The elevator will get stuck between floors for hours”
- •“The cables will snap and the car will fall”
- •“I will run out of air inside”
- •“I will have a panic attack and make a scene in front of others”
- •“The doors will not open when we arrive”
- •“I will pass out and nobody will know what to do”
Safety behaviors to watch for around elevators
Things people do to feel safer in the moment. As you move up your ladder, you can try dropping them one at a time. Only drop what anxiety adds; anything that genuinely keeps you or others safe stays:
- 1Always taking many flights of stairs, even with heavy bags or luggage
- 2Only getting in if the stairwell door is right next to the elevator
- 3Standing right next to the buttons and staring at the floor numbers
- 4Refusing to get in unless a trusted person comes along and keeps talking to you
- 5Holding your breath from the moment the doors shut until they open again
- 6Checking the alarm button and emergency phone over and over before the doors close
- 7Waiting in the lobby for an empty car so nobody can see you are anxious
Tips for elevators
- Plant your feet on the floor and feel your weight in your heels while the car moves.
- If panic rises, breathe slowly and deeply, as the NHS suggests. Treat it as something steady to do while the doors close, not as something you must get right for the ride to count.
- KONE says oxygen will never run out in an elevator, simply because the car is not airtight.
- If you hold the handrail for balance, keep holding it. If you grip it only because of fear, try loosening your hand a little on later rides and notice what happens.
- Practice during quiet periods first, such as early weekend mornings, so you control the timing and the number of floors.
When to get professional care
This ladder is a self-help tool. Consider professional support in these cases:
- •You cannot reach your workplace, doctor appointments, or home because there is no stair option you can use.
- •Avoiding elevators comes with avoiding many other places, or you find it hard to leave your home.
- •Your fear began after being trapped in an elevator and is interfering with your day-to-day life. NHS inform says a GP may refer you to a specialist, like a psychologist, who can help.
- •You have ever fainted or lost awareness. Talk to your doctor before practicing.
Questions about elevators
Can you run out of air if an elevator stops?
No. KONE, an elevator maker, says oxygen will never run out simply because the car is not airtight. If the elevator stops between floors, press the alarm or call button, stay inside and wait for help.
What happens if the elevator cables break?
KONE, an elevator maker, says elevators have several cables, never just one, and each can support the full weight of the car by itself. On top of that there are brakes, rails and buffers, and a safety mechanism called the overspeed governor, which stops the elevator once it reaches a certain speed.
How many times should I repeat a single floor ride?
Repeat a step until it feels clearly more manageable, or until what you feared has not happened a few times in a row. Then move to the next step, or stay with this one longer if you need to.
- •Panic disorder (NHS)
- •Phobias (NHS inform)
- •Say goodbye to elevator fear (KONE)
- •DOB Launches "Stay Safe. Stay Put." Campaign for Elevator Safety (NYC Department of Buildings)
- •Maximizing exposure therapy: An inhibitory learning approach (Craske et al., 2014) (Behaviour Research and Therapy)
A self-help tool. Not a medical device or a substitute for professional care.
Take your ladder with you
We're building a companion mobile app that keeps your ladder and practice log on your phone, so you can record each practice once you're done.
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