Anxiety attacks on rides

[Prosdog]

Went the last 2 summers, stayed at CR and POR. Had a great time with my wife and 3 sons. I suffer from fear of enclosed spaces and being trapped.

On several rides, mostly ones where you're heavily restrained (Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Mission Space Orange), I felt the beginning of an anxiety attack coming on after being harnessed but before the ride started. I managed to take deep breaths and calm myself down, but I was wondering on rides like Mission Space, if you start to have a panic attack, do the CMs have any way of knowing? Can they stop the ride?

[DisneyNut6777]

:mickey: Hey there. I don't have an answer for you, I hope someone might tho. I feel your pain in that area. During our 2009 trip to WDW, DW and I were on Buzz Lightyears ride when the ride stopped in the tunnel towards the end of the ride, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack right there. My wife had to literally talk me down and try to keep me stable.. Needless to say I won't ride that ride again. I also have epilepsy, and when I went on the dinsaur ride in Animal Kingdom, they turned the strobe lights off for me, as it was just My DW and I. :blush::mickey: Very nice of them.

[Jillirose]

Have suffered panic attacks over the years - even at tame Disney rides. For me, the breathing and changing the inner dialogue works. Most rides are so short, I just tell myself that I can make it through anything in 2-4 minutes!

Kudos to you for trying all the rides you have. I avoid enclosed/intense rides, but have been slowing adding one at a time to my repertoire.

It will be interesting to hear from a cast member if/how they might monitor this on rides. I assume they are watching for health issues.

[alpro2]

I believe you are monitored while on Mission Space. Now whether or not they stop the ride because of a panic attack, I am not sure.

[Dulcee]

Hmm might want to poke around the board for guests with special needs/disabilities. There's a number for WDW that you can call for food allergies, questions regarding special needs etc. You might be able to get in touch with someone who can answer your question. I suspect it varies from ride to ride and its very unlikely that you would be the first to call with your concern.

However, knowing help can be there quickly might be enough to give you peace of mind on more enclosed rides.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Not sure but each ride usually post warnings...you may want to check those carefully before getting on a ride.

[BrerGnat]

I'm not sure how quickly they can stop Mission Space. Since it uses Centrifuge technology, you can't just stop it...it has to come to a gradual stop. Maybe on the Green side, they could abort the ride, since it doesn't spin.

This is the reason for the Warning signs, though. By entering a ride that you know might trigger a health condition, you are doing so at your own risk. Those warnings are posted because, usually, once a ride starts (like a roller coaster), you can't just stop it mid ride.

[KatieDuck22]

That must be a scary experience. All of disney's rides are extremely monitered if you were in a serious condition you wouldn't be stuck. They watch EVERYTHING.

[AXOAlum]

The last time (oh... and first time coincidentally!) I experienced SGE, I deliberately kept the shoulder restraint a little off my shoulders (I knew it was not a moving ride) - I did this all the time during AE and never had a problem, but still experienced the "fun" of that attraction. Well, just before the show started, a CM walked by and pushed it all the way down on my shoulders - as in painfully onto my shoulders! I have claustrophobia so this was a nightmare for me (and then I got the "joy" of experience SGE... yay, so worth it... NOT!) - it was all I could do to make it through the show! :ack:

[Mickey'sGirl]

I'm claustrophobic and I avoid close or tight rides. Last year I rode that design your own roller coaster in Innoventions at Epcot. ... When they lowered the hood, I thought I would die. ... but I did not (Thankfully, as that would have spoiled the trip for my kids!). There was a panic/stop button on that ride that I really wanted to push, but I was able to see a video of my son on the image screen and it calmed me down. I was also able to follow the progress of the trip on a visible status bar on the screen. Incredibly, I made it without pushing the red button, but I won't ride it again. That is the only ride I know of with a panic/ escape.

In all honesty, from one panic-er to another, I would simply avoid those rides. I once got all the way into Mission Space when I realized I just couldn't do it and I left the ride before it started.

I wish you luck!

[Mendelson]

Wow - so I'm not alone!

I'd never call myself claustrophobic in any sense, but in the last five years I've noticed something similar on rides, but only when my upper body is restrained, and not while the ride is in motion. But as the OP said, when you're just sitting and doing nothing and harnessed in....I get really... I guess "freaked out" is the right term and it's the strangest feeling in the world - I can't figure out what's bothering me and logically it makes no sense, but still...

We were on Mission Space and it stopped in mid-ride and we had to sit there and wait to be off-loaded. At first I was fine, but they just kept coming on the speaker and saying, "we'll have you off-loaded in a moment." And for some reason after the first couple times I started feeling that feeling and then each time after it made the situation worse. I asked my wife for the camera and looked at the pictures we'd taken and that took my mind off of things and calmed me down.
But yeah - not fun!

[CanadaLovesDisney]

When I tell people I suffer from panic attacks nobody can believe it because I'm outgoing. But when I get in situations where I cannot easily escape I panic. Spaceship earth has given me a problem ever since I was trapped on it when it got stuck for about 20 mins and we were turned backwards. All other rides I'm fine but that time I thought I was going to die!

So I feel your pain but a book called "from panic to power" really helped me talk myself out of my fear of fear!

[MushuGrl]

I can't do Tough to be a Bug anymore for that reason. I can handle ANY other 3D attraction, but TTBAB I just can't.

I also hold my breath during the "bug spray" scene, hehehe. Dang near hyperventilated the first time.

Anyway, I feel your pain. I always stress right before I get on the ride, and I'm fine during it (except Mission Space. Had a bad time of it last time I did that one.) And what I can't understand, these rides are ones I've DONE before! My first ride is NEVER as bad as my last!

I love Soarin', and try to ride it at least three times per trip, but right before I get on I panic. Every time. Even KNOWING once I get up there I'll be fine, my chest gets tight and I panic and I'm holding on to strangers. Once those clouds clear, though, I'm good.

And I still haven't made up with EE for stopping on the side of the mountain. Sad about that. LOVE that ride but the though of hanging out on that little track again makes me physically ill.

There's other parts that get to me, and I'll do them anyway but for some reason I get a bit freaked out. The dark part of the TTA, when you're going through Space Mountain, always freaks me out. Spaceship Earth does as well when we get to the top and start coming down (I gotta say, though, since they've redone it, it's not been that bad.) Some of you mentioned SGE and I don't like the restraints either.

[ransam]

i think it would depnd on teh ride if they could stop it or not...