Phobia Relief

Lisi Tesher writes about the way she overcomes fears.

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Conquering fears delivers rewards

Lisi Tesher
MetroNews.com

I inherited a fear of heights from my mom. If I get too close to the edge of a precipice, my knees go weak and I get the feeling of vertigo. Imagine how I felt when told I had to absail (rappel) down a mountain as part of a summer program which I was leading. But, like Oprah did on one of her recent episodes, I bit the bullet, listened carefully to directions, and leaned back until I was parallel with the ground below.

Now it’s an extreme activity that I love — but I’m still scared and shaky while gearing up and getting into first position. Staring your fears in the eye takes guts and courage, but it’s well worth it. How many people do you know who’ve hung on a rope down Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa?

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In this article, a famous New Bedford mural breeds controversy as this artist works to overcome his acrophobia.

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Controversial artist works up high in spite of fear of heights.

By Joe Segura
presstelegram.com

However, the famed muralist did find himself trapped April 16 on a scaffold about 95 feet up, after a motor broke down.

Wyland admits to a fear of heights, but said he’s usually able to put it out of his mind. However, when the motor quit, the fear kicked into gear.

Wyland and two volunteers with him tried at first to make repairs, but rejected advice from the ground to unlock the motors and lower the scaffold by hand. Eventually, Wyland and the volunteers had to be rescued by Long Beach firefighters.

“I’m trying to save the whales, and they’re trying to rescue the whale artist,” he quipped.

That incident was about a week before the annual Long Beach Grand Prix, when Wyland enjoyed a panoramic view of the race. The work in progress attracted considerable attention from race fans and racers alike.

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In this article, John Derrick talks about how he used his own version of exposure therapy to self-treat his fears.

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It is possible to get over a fear of heights
Staff Reports

By John Derrick
For The Star Outdoor’s Page

When I was a little, little boy, I said I wanted to be a mountain climber when I grew up. Then I figured out I was afraid of heights.

So to combat my fear I have exposed myself to all manner of acrophobic horrors.

I have rock climbed; I have rappelled; I have skydived.

I have also been to the top of every building, tower, mountain and cathedral I could. While I was studying in Freiburg, Germany, I repeatedly climbed the town cathedral’s spire. I traveled to Ulm, home of the tallest cathedral in the world. And I climbed that one too.

I like to think the repeated self-traumatization shows “spunk.”…

thought back to the fear of my father and myself of suddenly jumping. I realized we’re not irrational, we’re Airborne, and that’s not bad.

Anyway, my acrobatic skills occasionally come in useful in this job. Check out my flamingo-filled blog, jderrick.blogspot.com, for some photos, courtesy of Tommy Forney (who seems to be everywhere), of me clinging to a climbing tower during the recent Merry-Go-Round festival in Shelby, snapping photos of young Renee Shannon on her way to the top.

And I wasn’t even scared. I was too busy…

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