How can i overcome my fear of rollercoasters?

ride one.

There’s really no need. You don’t have to go on them, you know.

But here’s what I did. I was scared to death of them for most of my young years, maybe because my parents had done too vigorous a job of warning me about safety. We used to go to Paragon Park at Nantasket Beach (Massachusetts) all the time when I was a kid, and I was petrified of the big roller coaster. When friends when on, I was the one who said “I’ll wait for you here.”

But finally, when I was about 21, I went to the park with my boyfriend and another guy friend and, feeling brave, I asked them both to go on it with me. I volunteered to sit in the middle, safe and snug. To my surprise they both looked a little queasy at the suggestion, and that is when I laughed and said that if they were too chicken to go on it with me, I would do it alone. Feminism was still pretty young then, and guys still thought girls were delicate flowers that they had to protect. But they both wimped out. Pride got me through where courage would have failed. I would never have dared, but it was a chance to show them up. I rode it alone. The first big hill was terrifying, but no one I knew was there to hear me scream. I got thrown from side to side a lot, but not a whole lot worse than riding the Riverside line of the MBTA hanging onto a strap. By the time we splashed down at the end, the worst was long past and I could laugh.

Then the two of them gave me a squinty scowl and marched on together while I stayed behind. When they staggered off looking positively green, my day was complete. One of my regrets when I eventually broke up with the guy was that I couldn’t rag him about it any more.

Don’t ride ‘em. I used to love them, now they make me sick. Read a book instead.

You really just have to try it to realize they’re not scary at all. They’re fun. Thousands of people ride them every day, and they’re all fine. You’re not gonna fall out and die. Ride restraint systems are safe, tested designs. What’s the worst that can possibly happen? You get dizzy? A little nauseous? You’ll get over it. Roller coasters are usually only 30 seconds to 2 minutes long… you can handle it. Not only can you handle it, you’ll probably enjoy it. Very much.

Ride with friends who aren’t afraid of them, hold on to the restraints and squeeze as hard as you need to, or hold someone’s hand.
I got over my fear by shutting my eyes the first time to get a feel for it, then going again with them open.

I am so going to follow this thread… since I too, am terrified of roller coasters. For me it’s not a fear of heights, but rather that feeling when you lose gravity. I just can’t handle it, and now that I’m older I can say it might trigger cardiac arrest… so that’s my cop out.

I really do wish I could just overcome that fear though, from an intellectual point of view.

Start small. There are baby coasters out there. Or Disneyland rides. Once/if you get the feel for them you’ll love the increasing speed, loops, drops. Yay! Now I want to go on some rides.

@le_inferno Beg pardon, but ride restraint systems are not always that great for small people. I’ve had a scary moment, and I know DominicX has had a similar experience. But I’m not afraid of them – just very careful to make sure I’m strapped in as safely as everyone else before the ride starts. I used to be afraid when I was younger, and what people are saying above is correct – you just have to ride one, and then you’ll wonder what took you so long to get over your fear. I would not suggest beginning on a wooden coaster, though – while they are also awesome, they can be more rickety. Maybe try the type where your torso is strapped in and your legs are dangling – they make me feel more secure than the rail-car kind.

Yeah, my fear of roller coasters still exists and I have no desire to get rid of it. I can have plenty of fun without them. I just don’t like them (and mind you, the worst I’ve been on were the ones at Disneyland which are pretty tame compared to something like Great America in Santa Clara). But I didn’t like the two “big” roller coasters I went on there. The Matterhorn felt like I had to hold on for dear life or I would die and fly out or something and Space Mountain made me very dizzy and nauseous and I threw up afterward. Not interested. I think the reason why I like Disneyland is because it isn’t dedicated to big “thrill rides” like Great America is. Yes, I’ve been to Great America and had fun, but I prefer a place whose focus isn’t thrill rides.

It’s not like I went on those rides expecting to not like them, I thought I would. I had no fear beforehand, but I ended up not liking them after all. Not everyone has good experiences with them. Whatevs.

I used to absolutely hate drops. It was the only reason I didn’t get on roller coasters. Eventually I learned to like them by forcing myself to get on them. Not much else to it. The only problem is that some people have different reactions to the adrenaline high and the subsequent release of neurotransmitters to calm them down. Some people have the tendency to come down off their high and feel agitated or sick rather than elated.

I hate drops, too. I don’t mind rides that spin, but drops are not for me.

Like others, I am not a drop person. I hate the feel of falling that I can’t control.
I haven’t been on a “big” rollercoaster since I was ~8 years old it was the Texas Cyclone at Astroworld.

Now that Astroworld is but a memory (and an empty waste of a huge parcel of land), I don’t have social run-ins with rollercoasters much, but working toward overcoming the dislike of them just isn’t something I would care to do anyhow..

For years I couldn’t handle them beyond gripping tight, squinching shut my eyes and then saying afterwards, “that was great!” Yeah right. Anyways, what has made it fun for me is to ride with someone more terrified than myself and for some reason, their yelps, squeals and howls of terror make it truly fun for me to where I love them now. sorry mom

Also. Don’t watch Final Destination.

Ever had sex on a rollercoaster? We only three minutes anyway, right?

I used to not like roller coasters. It was just 2 summers ago that I realized how awesome they were. But before that I had only been on Space Mountain, the roller coaster that used to be on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and the Manhattan Express (I didn’t enjoy it) in the NY NY in Las Vegas.

So, my church youth group would go to Magic Mountain at the end of every summer and I basically decided that I was going, and going to ride some coasters. To get over my fear I just kept telling myself that rollercoasters are the safest form of transportation in the world. The main thing I didn’t like were inversions, but I rode Viper, which has about 7 inversions for the first time and I was hooked!

thanks!!