Another vertigo/Acrophobia thread

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Lifeismeaningless 21 May 2019

Apologies as I know this has been done to death on here but I couldn't quite find what I'm looking for. 

Last week I had the pleasure of doing the An Teallach ridge across to the two Munros the other side in perfect conditions, I was very happy with the climbing/bouldering elements so continued onwards. Once we reached the top of the ridge I started to lose it, I made it to the second pinnacle then climbed off down the back to the escape route. It took me a good twenty minutes of staggering along with my hands on the floor to get across to Sgurr Fiona and return to normal. 

A few of the people I was with were nervous of the climb which didn't bother me in the slightest, once we were on the ridge they switched to hopping about all over the place and I was like Bambi on ice.  I was very grateful for them being so supportive but I'm also very frustrated with myself. 

I love adrenaline sports, very keen downhill/enduro mountain biker and skier so I'm quite good at being 'scared', but this was very similar to going into shock to the point were no amount of rational thinking can help. Symptoms were visual distortions, nausea, jelly legs and the like.

Is it something I can overcome with practice? I have noticed that I start going into shock (nausea & visual blackspots) a lot more recently than I used to whilst watching A&E type programmes, and I seem to get carsick while I'm driving; does anyone have any experience with visiting their GP for this? I use quite a lot of decongestant sprays as I seem to be regularly blocked up (could be relevant), and my job has recently become significantly more stressful (maybe not relevant).

Not sure if I've always had it or it's come on more recently, I remember as a kid being quite nervous of edges and having to lean 'inland' when watching other people near edges

Thanks 

 Gone 21 May 2019
In reply to Lifeismeaningless:

Sounds like classic acrophobia to me.  Work stress sounds more likely to make it worse than decongestants are.

Cure is repeated exposure. As well as walking along more ridges, you could try skyscrapers, cliffs, clip drop at a climbing wall, anything that brings on similar feelings. If you fancied a holiday, Via ferratas are great for this as they are technically not difficult for a climber but get into some very airy situations above what feels like a void. But obviously you need to work yourself up slowly to the scarier situations so you don’t risk getting cragfast.

good luck. Most climbers have it to some  extent and find that their hobby makes it better.

Lifeismeaningless 21 May 2019
In reply to Gone:

Excellent, thanks. My only concern is that I end up either solo and getting stuck, or ruining some friends' day out by being a whimp. The others were saying how nervous they were beforehand but none had the physical symptoms and seemed fine at the top which made me think it was maybe something a GP could help with. The bunged up-ness might impact on vertigo but just a thought. 

Always fancy a holiday, and an excuse to buy some gear so Via Ferretas looks like just the ticket!

I'll maybe look at some mental exercises for coping with stress/shock/acrophobia to stem the onset of physical symptoms in the meantime. I feel extremely confident now I'm back on the ground... 

I briefly considered if roping up on ridges might help but I have no experience, it seems unnecessary for relatively simple scrambling and I'm not sure if it would help anyway 

Thanks again 

 freeflyer 21 May 2019
In reply to Lifeismeaningless:

In addition to the good advice above, I would look at how to understand and manage the anxiety and stress in your life. You may want to consider fessing up to your mates if there's a chance they'll be sympathetic and help out, as well as giving you an opportunity to discuss how you're feeling on the hill. CBT / mindfulness techniques should be helpful to reduce the chance of emotional overload in a sticky situation.

Unless you have other symptoms, it doesn't sound much like a physical problem, and definitely something you can improve or overcome. Think Honnold

HTH

 it624 21 May 2019
In reply to Lifeismeaningless:

I know it sounds a bit corny, but meditation can help with this sort of thing - learning to control your breathing, be very present in the situation, and (to steal a line from Tom Randall) focus on performance, not the goal.

Mark Twight (in Extreme Alpinism) talks about focusing very intently on a sound or sensation, and allowing that to calm you. He uses the feeling of an ice tool sinking in, or the clipping of a carabiner gate, and I'm sure you can find an idea that works for you.

 EdS 22 May 2019
In reply to Lifeismeaningless:

The bunged up bit sounds like nasal polyps.....get GP to check

 humptydumpty 22 May 2019
In reply to Lifeismeaningless:

> Not sure if I've always had it or it's come on more recently, I remember as a kid being quite nervous of edges and having to lean 'inland' when watching other people near edges

I suffered from this into my mid-twenties, including getting scared when other people are sat on the railings of high balconies.  I then started rock climbing and the fear/nervousness has gone completely.

I've not been to An Teallach, but after climbing for a few years, I've since done a few ridges including Crib Goch and Cresta de Bernia without problems.

Good luck!


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