Space Mountain for the World’s Biggest Ride Chicken.

[samsteele]

If you can't stand the drop in POC, then don't do SM.

IMO dark rides like POC and SM make the drops seem worse than they are.

SM is an old school wild mouse ride in the dark. The dark makes it more intense than it really is. For some, that's a plus. For others, it makes the experience too much to deal with.

I'd suggest BTM before SM because you can at least see the drops and corkscrews before you get to them. Let's your mind process what's happening and prepares you for it.

Unless you really need to experience SM to prove something to yourself, just go and enjoy the rest of the park and its many attractions. You don't have to pretzel yourself all up before your vacation. Accept what you enjoy. If the thought of the ride makes you ill, then its not worth the worry for a few minutes' experience.

 

[Meteora]

The upside to the takeoff is you know when it’s coming. Steven Tyler does a countdown from 5 and off you go. But that takeoff is intense and gives the same sensation as a large coaster drop (for me anyways). My DD makes sure she is exhaling through the takeoff which seems to make it a little easier to stomach.

I am a drop hater, and the best advice I was given is to scream. It really does help relieve that stomach dropping feeling. I might feel ridiculous, but I’m never the only one screaming, and it helps me get through rides with longer drops like Everest and Splash (and universal rides like the Mummy and Gringotts. But maybe this year I can try the exhale instead and get the best of both worlds.

That said, while I have done space mountain multiple times, I don’t enjoy it. There’s no fun in it for me to balance out the unpleasant sensations. I used to go so my sister wouldn’t have to ride alone, but it was a “stiff upper lip and this will be over soon” experience for me. Of the Disney thrill rides I have been on (I won’t touch RnRC or ToT), it is by far my least favorite.

 

[michelleryan]

I too am a ride chicken, but over the years going to Disney have managed to work through a lot of anxiety and fear and have made my way from 0 coasters or thrill rides on my first 2 visits (not even TT), to now being able to go on all rides at Disney (even multiple times in a row), and I actually enjoy them. Like you, I spent countless hours researching, getting opinions and looking at ride stats for speed, number of drops, etc, and I found a few things that helped, so will share those here:
1. Work your way up. As others have said, BTMR is much easier than SM. But what about Barnstormer? I went on that many times when I first started with coasters and would scream my head off during the drop.
2. Know where to sit. The back of BTMR is much more thrilling and you even get some air during a few bumps. Conversely, if you sit at the front (even front row), you don’t feel the drops or bumps as much (this goes for all coasters). I now do EE and RNRC, but will only sit at the front or middle, never the back, due to increased G forces and dropping feeling.
3. Deal with physical symptoms - I wear arm bands that are meant for motion sickness and chew ginger tablets, just in case I feel motion sickness (although this isn’t my main problem).
4. Watch POV videos before so that you know what to expect (this helped me a lot with EE).

I know this all sounds like a lot of prep, but for me it has been more than worth it, to be able to enjoy these rides with DD (and we have done several trips just the two of us, so was important for me to be able to go with her). Hope this helps!