Dear Dr. Norquist:
I have a question I’ve been wondering about for a long time. Maybe you can shed some light on my "phobia". I have a 9 year-old daughter and I have gone on many vacations and summer trips to amusement parks. It seems it’s all about he "Roller Coasters" (the bigger, the scarier, the more extreme, the better). Everyone lives to go on the roller coasters. We separate at the amusement parks – my husband goes on as many roller coasters as possible. My daughter goes on some. I’m terrified of roller coasters and won’t go on them EVER. I’m afraid of heights and usually the Ferris Wheel, when it starts to move and shake, it scares me and I am white-knuckled. I’m really, really frightened.
However, I’ve watched time and time again, young children happily waiting to go on the roller coasters. I’ve begun to dislike these amusement parks, because I spend most of my time waiting for my husband and daughter (sometimes) to come back. I go on the "baby rides" and boat rides (water rides)
Is it possible to overcome my fear of roller coasters? People go on them with their hands in the air, totally fearless. I don’t even like the children’s coasters. One I went on was really, really fast. I hate really fast or high rides. I’m such a chicken. Can I overcome this? People overcome their "fear of flying." Can I overcome my absolute fear of roller coasters? Is this a normal fear or a "phobia"? Help, we’re going on vacation soon. Thanks so much for your advice.
Dr. Norquist responds:
The reaction that you have to roller coasters could probably be labeled a "specific phobia" which is defined as a strong fear of or avoidance of a particular situation or object. Yes, there is a good possibility that you can overcome this phobia, with enough desire, a willingness to experience some level of discomfort, the willingness to practice, and the right kind support. There are several psychological techniques that are helpful for treating phobias. These include Desensitization (through imagery or real life exposure), Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and EMDR.
You may have experienced a high level of anxiety or fear sometime in your past while on or near a roller coaster. Your brain has now made a connection (probably neurologically as well as through association) between fear and roller coasters. To change this, you need to unlearn this association. This is what desensitization accomplishes. Because anxiety and relaxation are incompatible responses (i.e., if you are experiencing one, you can’t experience the other), the goal is to pair relaxation with the phobia situation. After developing a hierarchy of anxiety producing situations related to roller coasters, you would progress through this hierarchy one by one. By training yourself to relax in response to progressively more anxiety-laden images (and then real-life roller coaster situations), you would be desensitizing yourself to, or unlearning your phobia of roller coasters. This approach can be done without professional help, however, professional help is recommended (see The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by E. Bourne, Ph.D.)
The other two techniques I mentioned, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are more difficult to explain in a few paragraphs. TFT combines psychotherapy with tapping on acupuncture meridians. It is probably the least anxiety producing of the 3 techniques, and you can learn to do it for yourself when you feel your anxiety coming on. EMDR combines the desensitization process with bilateral eye movements that stimulate both sides the cerebrum. The theory is that this somehow allows the anxiety/trauma to be processed by the higher brain centers, such as the frontal lobes, rather than stored unprocessed in the limbic (lower more instinctual brain) system. If you’d like further information on these techniques, we have a psychologist on staff (Dr. Jay Kind at 201-659-3060 ext. 21) who has a good deal of experience with TFT and EMDR. I’m sure he’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Reading your question leaves me with a question for you. Why do you continue to go to amusement parks when it appears to be so unenjoyable for you? Would it be better to leave this as an activity that your husband and your daughter enjoy doing together?
(Dr. Sallie Norquist is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and is director of Chaitanya Counseling and Stress Management Center, a center for upliftment and enlivenment, in Hoboken.)
Dr. Norquist and the staff of Chaitanya invite you to write them at Chaitanya Counseling and Stress Management Center, 51 Newark St., Suite 202, Hoboken, NJ 07030 or www.chaitanya.com or by e-mail at drnorquist@chaitanya.com, or by fax at (201) 656-4700. Questions can address various topics, including relationships, life’s stresses, difficulties, mysteries and dilemmas, as well as questions related to managing stress or alternative ways of understanding and treating physical symptoms and health-related concerns. Practitioners of the following techniques are available to answer your questions: psychology, acupuncture, therapeutic and neuromuscular massage, yoga, meditation, spiritual & transpersonal psychology, Reiki, Cranial Sacral Therapy, and Alexander Technique Ó 2002 Chaitanya Counseling and Stress Management Center