Haunted Mansion for a Claustrophobic

[Sammie]

They will let you skip the room but if you wish to ride with someone, they too will have to skip it in order for you to stay together. You will need to tell the CM at the front entrance and not go into the queing area.

 

[YodaGirl]

OK, I'm not a mental health professional but as an ALJ with Social Security adjudicating disability claims and seeing these issues come up (actually not claustrophobia but panic quite a bit) - my take is that when we call these "irrational" fears I think we're really missing the point. To me it seems that these fears have a very rational cause, it's just that it was never recognized and dealt with at the time and got ingrained. So it's only irrational in an objective sense - from someone who didn't experience the event and doesn't think it "makes sense."

I have a fear of getting into a tunnel and getting stuck. Most likely the result of getting trapped in a refrigerator box when I was little, but who knows. Managed an MRI by going to a "happy place" (actually THE happiest place), but there's a water slide at Typhoon Lagoon that has a dark tunnel option (one of three options, I think) that I definitely won't use.

I was the one who used the term irrational, so I'll respond.

A phobia, by definition, is an irrational fear.

I can point to when I became scared of heights (freaked out on the kiddie ferris wheel when I was a toddler/preschooler).

I probably developed claustrophobia when I was two and got stuck between bedsheets and couldn't breathe.

I still am aware that the things that I'm afraid of are perfectly safe. I know that there's no reason to be afraid, yet I am. Hence, it is an irrational fear.


To the OP, I hope your DD and her DH-to-be have a wonderful time, no matter what they decide to do.

 

[nytimez]

OK, I'm not a mental health professional but as an ALJ with Social Security adjudicating disability claims and seeing these issues come up (actually not claustrophobia but panic quite a bit) - my take is that when we call these "irrational" fears I think we're really missing the point. To me it seems that these fears have a very rational cause, it's just that it was never recognized and dealt with at the time and got ingrained. So it's only irrational in an objective sense - from someone who didn't experience the event and doesn't think it "makes sense."

I have a fear of getting into a tunnel and getting stuck. Most likely the result of getting trapped in a refrigerator box when I was little, but who knows. Managed an MRI by going to a "happy place" (actually THE happiest place), but there's a water slide at Typhoon Lagoon that has a dark tunnel option (one of three options, I think) that I definitely won't use.

If it was rational on any level, it wouldn't be a phobia.

 

[Sneezie]

I have so many fears, it's like I gain a new one everyday and most of them deal with me getting caught somewhere and not being able to get out: revolving doors, lap bars on rides, elevators, airplanes; you name it, I'm probably scared of it. I've figured out a way to either avoid or adjust them and I've often considered bypassing the stretching room, but have muscled through it with the help of my sister. I know it can be done, as I've come close enough to bowing out to actually ask to go around and was told yes, with no hesitation.

I would suggest that your son-in-law ask to bypass the stretching room as it is not worth the anxiety.

Congrats to them!

 

[Pepperldy]

I am claustrophobic, but I have been able to deal with the stretching room and love the HM. I just make sure that when we go into the room, I stand next to the wall that will open. My DH stands in front of me so that no one will crowd me. Also, I hate it when the room goes dark, so I have my cell phone out so that I can make it light up if I need to. So far, I've never had to do this since the time spent in the dark is so short, but it makes me feel better to know that I can. Since I'm standing next to the wall that will open, I usually don't get crammed in the mass of people exiting the room as I'm the first one out.

 

[larryz]

Gee Larry, I suggest you don't begin a career in mental health. I'm sure he knows it's not an actual dangerous situation, but knows his "baseless" phobia is real, and his mind will react in a certain way in certain situations. The same way I will sneeze, and my nose will run, when I come into contact with things I'm allergic to, even though they don't endanger me. My body justs overreacts to things, because I'm wired wrong (as are many people who suffer from allergies, or panic attacks).

Just as you take antihistamines to control your allergic reactions, (future)DH can take steps NOW to reduce his reaction to panic-inducing situations through some behavioral modeling and systematic desensitization.

(future)DH is claustrophobic, and is probably not responsible for that, but he can just as certainly condition himself to NOT be that way, given the desire and appropriate support. Systematic and gradual desensitization by actual exposure to triggering stimuli using successively more specific exposure to the phobia-inducing condition in controlled situtations is useful in helping phobics learn to control their reactions to their particular phobia, and eventually overcome them completely.

Like the old joke says, "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is "Only one, but the light bulb really has to want to change."

Now, did you really want to talk about psychology, or were you just making conversation?

//disclaimer -- I am not a psychologist, nor do I play one on TV. Anyone who would consider taking psychological advice from a stranger on the internet should consider getting professional help.//

 

[benedicttw]

I want to thank everyone for their information. By the way my future son knows that he needs to work on this and wants to do what he can to overcome the situation but on your honeymoon may not be the right time. What the people in this thread that just said get over it don't know is why he has this. Being locked in a dark closet many many nights at a young age by your mother can cause many mental situations that you need to address. So I also thank the mental health professionals for their advise.

We leave in 3 days.