Help getting over ride phobia

[RedfromNL]

I am really scared of heights. But there are a few rides that I found I can cope with and actually enjoy the ride. Like Thunder Mountain or Kali river. There are also rides that are just too much for me. I don't enjoy the sensation, I'm not having fun.

For me that's the whole key here, am I having fun? Everest was just too much, the curves were a bit too steep. Space mountain goes too hard and it hurt my back and neck, not a repeat either. I won't go on RnR coaster: I will not do anything that goes upside down, ever.

So I stick to the milder ones and still have fun.

Oh and give yourself time. Sit nearby and watch the ride. As others said: join the queue with your friends/family and you can leave at the last moment. It took me several visits to Disneyland Paris before I could convince myself to give Thunder mountain a try
Now it's my favourite ride! I DID miss the scenery the first times due to me having my eyes shut real tight!

Whatever you do: remember it's not work, you are there to have fun and enjoy yourself! Good luck

 

[Leona Fishback]

I was in line with my friends for Sorin and could not do it,
I was worried I would get motion sick.
in 2011 I went on Big Thunder and closed my eyes and got very motion sick.
We were sitting in the very back and I was adraid. I am a grown woman and I need to get over this

Why do you need to get over it? I understand wanting to ride the rides, but your post sounds a little like you're being critical of yourself.

If it's truly something you want to do, I hope you pull it off. But if it's something you feel like you SHOULD be able to do, that others or even just yourself expect you to and will think less of you until you do -- hang on, remember you're on vacation! Should-do's are for the real world, you're at Disneyworld!

Would you think a friend with a bad back should "toughen up" and ride the big rides? Would you judge a diabetic friend who can't do the Dole Whip? I didn't think so. So you're prone to motion sickness. Be as nice to yourself as you are to your friends.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[W.E.D.]

I know where you are coming from. I didn't get on Space Mountain until I was 22, let alone BTMRR or Splash, ToT, etc.

What follows is the mantra I repeat over and over in my head as I stand in line for a new ride at WDW. By "new", I mean for me, the ride chicken. It worked last December when I bravely rode EE for the first time, and maybe it will work for you.

"I am at Walt Disney World. These rides are meant for everyone to enjoy them. There is nothing extreme at Walt Disney World. Look at all the smiling, laughing people coming off the ride. In the end, this will be fun. You know it will. You're at Walt Disney World."

EE is now one of my favorite rides!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

thank you all for your continued posts.

I want to get over it for me. I want to see if I can pull up my big girl pants and see if I like it and have fun. In 2011 I went to WDW by myself, no family to run the princess half. I met the most wonderful women. I went back in 2012 with the women I met, so for 2 years now, they go on rides, they are all having fun, and I wait in line with them then I step aside. They are all wonderful not to push me,but give words of encouragement to help be board the ride. But I don't.

So when it comes to my trip with my family, I want to join them on the rides, not all the rides, but at least 1 or 2 "big" rides. Then when I go back in 2013 for the princess I can join my friends too.

 

[laceemouse]

There is a big difference between being scared of getting hurt on a ride and being scared of getting sick on a ride. I have extreme motion sickness, I take drugs to ride in the car more than 20 minutes and on planes and boats. Different people are bothered by different motions. Some can do coasters but not simulators. Some can do smooth coasters but not bumpy ones. Some can do anything that doesn't spin. Some are scared of heights.
I can do TT and Soarin'. Dinosaur is fine for me too. I almost get a headache on Kilaminjaro Safari. I can handle water rides with big rafts. I can not handle big drops or coasters or spinning.

I am not scared I will get hurt on a ride. You should be able to get over that. Being scared of getting sick is another thing altogether

 

[Royal Consort]

Why do you need to get over it? I understand wanting to ride the rides, but your post sounds a little like you're being critical of yourself.

If it's truly something you want to do, I hope you pull it off. But if it's something you feel like you SHOULD be able to do, that others or even just yourself expect you to and will think less of you until you do -- hang on, remember you're on vacation! Should-do's are for the real world, you're at Disneyworld!

Would you think a friend with a bad back should "toughen up" and ride the big rides? Would you judge a diabetic friend who can't do the Dole Whip? I didn't think so. So you're prone to motion sickness. Be as nice to yourself as you are to your friends.

I hope you have a great trip!

I agree with this statement. I don't like coasters either; or being dropped, swung, flicked, inverted, launched at high speeds. I hate the feeling in my stomach and I don't feel physically comfortable. I know I'm safe and I don't believe there is a real risk of injury but that sensation is unpleasant. I don't enjoy it, I won't go on it. Disney offers many rides for varying different touring styles. If you don't enjoy it then why would you go on it? There's fear of a ride and that can be overcome but if you've done something similar before and you haven't enjoyed the sensation, there's little point of repeating it.

Big Thunder Mountain is the furthest I'll push myself and so everything else is off limits. That doesn't stop my enjoyment though.

 

[Stitch123]

I am going in Sept, with DH, DD's 8 & 5. I have always been to chicken to go on most of the rides like RnR, TOT, Sorin. I have done Splash twice but get butterflies when it drops.

I was there with friends in Feb and I could not join them on the rides. I want to, but I am just to afraid.

I want to get over this so I can join in with my family and then my friends again.

Any suggestions?

Another ride chicken here. I can do Splash Mountain because for some reason I don't mind the drop - just close my eyes firmly and hope Disney knows what they're doing. But roller coasters are not my thing and just watching the tea cups makes me slightly nauseous. However, a couple of years ago it was just DS, then 10, and me for a trip and I forced myself to go on ToT and RnR with him. It was awesome and I'm really glad I did it. Scary, yes, but so worth it. Perhaps you could split up and take your older daughter on the "scary" rides she likes to go on while your huband takes the younger one on other rides. I found that when there is no one else around to take the kids on these rides, I actually managed just fine - and had a ton of fun, too.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

If you want to try...I suggest baby steps. I remember reading a study a while back where they had coaster lovers and coaster phobics ride roller coasters. The coaster lovers' brains had neurotransmitter releases that essentially had an opiate like effect. On the flip side, the brains of the coaster phobic people responded like a person in pain and the people reported feeling actual physcial pain from the fear.

That's not to say that thrill ride phobic people can't become thrill ride fans, but the treatment was a very gradual process. This can be tough w/some of the Disney rides b/c unlike some of the more standard theme park coasters and thrill rides, the superb Disney theming hides a lot of the structural aspects of the ride. i.e. being able to really see what's coming next can decrease the anxiety. Waiting too much can also increase anxiety and fear...so rides like Splash where the big drop is towards the end can be torture.

Soarin' is probably the most mild of the bunch you named and might be a good place to start. You just need to put in your mind that it's really just a different take on sitting in a theater. You didn't mention BTM, but this is the most mild of the coasters and is a good starting point b/c of this. Test Track is also fairly mild. Of course while in the dark, RNR has such a fast start and is fairly short from beginning to end that it might be a good "ripping the band aid off" approach to the fear of a more intense ride. ToT is the one I'd avoid until you're really ready... just so much uncertainty with how and when you'll drop. I love thrill rides- even consider WDWs to be pretty mild as a whole, but it is that aspect of ToT that doesn't have me running back to ride again. ANd most of all- ride with supportive comforting people.

 

[MikeOhio]

I wish I still got a little scared on disney rides, it's much more fun that way!

As for your issue I think you simply need to tell yourself you will go on the rides and do it. Like you said you are a grown adult and it's ridiculous to not go on rides that are much safer than driving on the road. I used to be very scared about flying and eventually I just had to tell myself how ridiculous I was being and control my emotions like a rational adult.

 

[Mama Who]

I only recently worked up to ToT myself. Took me years.

For your first ride, go with someone you trust- someone who you know has your back and won't try to up the scare factor to be "funny." Having someone reliable next to you can be a big boost.

 

[nessz79]

If motion sickness is part of the problem, then why not take a Bonine or Meclazine the night before or even the day of? Not only will it quell your motion sickness, but it has a mild sedative effect that may make it easier for your phobia. I've suffered from panic attacks in the past (been free of them now!) and occasionally, I found that something like Bonine can have enough of a mild sedative effect to really help.

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

thank you so much for all your posts.
I am feeling alot better about Sorin.

 

[Princess Row]

I am absolutely TERRIFIED of tons of rides. I am a DL native and do everythign there (not in ca adventure though), except Splash mountain.
WDW scares me with alot of rides. TOT RnR HECK NO! I am TERRIFIED!

Well DBF promised me a poohbear for this next trip to WDW if I go on Splash mountain! So I will do it.
Although I am scared of huge rides.....soarin does not bother me one bit. I find it truely relaxing.

 

[dawnhaze]

I used to love thrill rides when I was younger but I didn't want to go on anything that went upside down until I was in my late teens, and I'm still pretty picky about them... The main sensation I really hate is steep drops, though. The stomach-in-throat feeling is just unpleasant for me.

RnR doesn't sound that bad to me - but I will definitely NOT ride ToT. Everest looks a little scary but I'll probably make myself do it at least once. 80 feet is about my limit for a drop on a roller coaster.

I'd say: Don't eat a big meal ahead of time, take some motion sickness tablets, and go with your gut feeling. (No pun intended.) If something gives you anxiety and fear that's bad enough to ruin your fun, it's not worth it. Your limits aren't something to be ashamed of - some people just aren't thrill ride people, and people's tolerance for this sort of thing can change over time in either direction.

 

[YankeePrincess]

I recommend going on Youtube and watching videos of the rides. You can pretty much find a video of most rides. This way you can get an idea of what the ride is about and what to expect. Sometimes it is the unknown that we are most afraid of. For space mountain and RNR you can see versions with the lights on.

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

thanks for the tip on you tube I will check that out.

You all have be so wonderful and supportive

 

[larryz]

Life is too short to feel bad about missing a silly little ride, and I can't see anyone sitting at their deathbed going, "I wish I'd rode Expedition Everest."

On the contrary -- I'll go to my deathbed regretting that I didn't ride Ferrari World's Formula Rossa when I had the chance ...

 

[DeaverTex]

On the other hand, life's too short to take time to do things you're pretty certain you won't like on the off chance that you just possibly might be mistaken. I won't eat snails.

OP: Good advice in this thread. YouTube is your friend, use something for motion sickness (my favorite is ginger gum and for me the effect of one piece lasts several hours), and try not to overthink the situation. If you want to try a ride or rides, then the only way -- ultimately -- is to DO the ride. For things like this, in the words of Master Yoda, there is no try. There is only do, or do not do.

 

[larryz]

I won't eat snails.

You'd be surprised how good a little garlic and butter can make a slug taste...

 

[Disney Sheri]

One piece of advice-Do NOT close your eyes! I am very prone to motion sickness and I have learned to not close my eyes. I have ridden almost everything at WDW (exception is the wild version of Mission Space, tea cups and Star Tours). I have to say that RnR is the most intense ride for me, followed closely by TOT. Everest is awesome-but I love coasters. The backwards part is so brief I don't let it bother me.

Give it a try..start out with something more mellow-maybe BTMR but with your eyes open this time! Have a great time whatever you do.