The usual approach to helping people deal with their fears (fear of high places, fear of flying, and so forth) is to do a kind of behavioral and emotional response modification.

There have been a lot of studies that show that, as people have some time and distance from the object of their fear, and then gradually close the gap, they can manage their fears, some more effectively, some less.

Tranquilizers have been shown to help. Prayer, also, which is a form of meditation and mind/emotion settling down, quietening. Many psychologists recommend self-talk to calm oneself.

What researchers at UCLA discovered was that speaking your fear out loud was remarkably effective in controlling that fear. I found that was true when I finally admitted, loudly, that earthquakes terrify me.

Somehow the power of earthquakes to completely unnerve me lessened (though I'm still plenty scared) and instead of coming completely unstrung, I'm able to cope effectively when we experience a strong shaker.

The feelings haven't changed, but somehow I'm able to be present to my experience and then let go of the fear, having verbalized it.