WDW Attractions & Claustrophobia

[Purr_Meow]

I just started getting that way recently. I have been going to theme parks my entire life, being a native Floridian but I recently went on my first plane ride a few years back and the turbulence was so bad that it must have awakened some crazy anxiety/claustrophobia monster inside of me to the point that it is sometimes hard to even get to Disney. The hour trip there makes me anxious, being confined in the car for so long. I can’t ride the monorail because I feel trapped. It’s basically anywhere I feel trapped or I feel like I wouldn’t be able to easily escape. That’s usually dark rides for me, even though I know in an evac they would turn the lights on. I have the hardest time in PoTC and HM.

 

[Susannah]

I don't know how short people deal with Disney crowds.

I'm 5'3. I grab my 5'8 sister's shirt like I did with my mom when I was a child. I have only had to do it a handful of times, but it is especially bad when you're in a tight crowd and someone decides pushing you from behind will make everyone in front of you move faster. That tends to make me feel like I am about to get trampled or swept away.

I have only had one case of claustrophobia, and it was at an aquarium. It was an awful experience, and I genuinely feel for anyone who has one while stuck on a ride and are unable to free themselves.

I don't like heights, so Peter Pan's Flight, of all things, can cause me to panic halfway through the ride. I have a fear of it breaking down. I no longer ride that one or Tower of Terror. I am good at hiding my anxiety, but the panic attack I had on ToT was horrible. It's better to cull those rides than deal with the repercussions.

To the person who posted the technique to calm down - that is the same technique I was given by my doctor, and it does work like a charm. I would recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in that situation.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

During my visit to WDW last week, I rode RnRC at DHS, which I had been on quite a few times previously, with no issues. Right at the end, where you slow down in that corridor right before unload, we stopped, and were stuck there for 10 minutes. Now, I get claustrophobic occasionally, especially when I am held down and can't move, but shoulder restraints on a roller coaster have never bothered me before. Well, after a few minutes of sitting there, not moving, not knowing when we will be getting off the ride, I started having a bit of a panic attack. My DD, who suffers from the same claustrophobia, was feeling the same. It is this reason that I have never been on M:S at Epcot, because the thought of being in that small space and have the ride go down, unable to get out-no thank you. My DD has panicked a bit in the past on HM, getting caught in a large, unmoving crowd between the stretching room and the start of the load queue.
Does anyone else get this reaction from anything at WDW? What is the best way to deal with it? The stranger sitting next to me on RnRC helped talk me down, and I was fine after a couple of minutes.

I don't usually like to openly say this, but I had a severe issue with anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Almost to the point of agoraphobia, which is when I really put my foot down. No amount of psychiatrists or drugs helped / tackled the root of the problem, and all they ever did was give me a false cure (MEDICATION!!). Anytime an attraction stopped i'd start having the same reaction, even when I was dosed up on alprazolam and anti depressents. I had a tremendous fear of vomiting on rides (I still do today, but it's controllable without medication).

I made some huge life changing habits to the point where I don't have to take Alprazolam or anti-depressants anymore. I am confident enough to admit that i'm almost 100% cured, and I can give you some great pointers. First it is vital that you realize 2 extremely important things; 1, you must accept that you have an anxiety disorder. Never question it, never wonder "why me", and embrace that you've been blessed with this ability (it's not necessarily a curse). 2, it WILL take some time. There is no easy answer or overnight cure.

-Check out the book "DARE" on Amazon. It helps put things into perspective. I can ultimately credit this book to really starting me out on my journey
-watch what you eat. No more greasy, acid reflux inducing food. Start eating healthier, meaning free-range eggs / chicken , salads, fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate, nuts, with the occasional burger and fries to satisfy your cravings.
-Exercise. I can't begin to tell you how important this is. Exercise is everything. I find weight training to be the best type for this issue.
-STOP YOUR BAD HABITS. This includes, ehem, watching people doing things to each other on the internet. Give it up for good. Give up social media. Give up MEDIA. It fogs your brain and kills your confidence. Get outside more.

If you really want more help, PM me and i'll be more then happy to respond. I noticed everything started to help when I could be on a ride and not have my heart shoot into overdrive. I still have the mindset that I may have a panic attack but oh man, I am a million times better today then I ever was.

 

[danyoung56]

I can't stand MS, I've been on it twice and that's enough for me. Locked in a steel coffin with no way to get out is not for me. In my case that's the problem, not be able to get out on my own. Once the ride started going it wasn't a problem but waiting for it to get going started to freak me out.

I know I already posted on this thread, but you and I have had EXACTLY the same reaction on MS. When that control panel moved into my face I almost lost it. I was kinda freaking out to the two other guys in my capsule (didn't know them at all!), but once the ride started I pretty much settled down. Still, I have no desire to do it again!

 

[Starlight67]

My DD has panicked a bit in the past on HM, getting caught in a large, unmoving crowd between the stretching room and the start of the load queue.

Yeah, the combo of the tightly packed crowd and the darkness of HM stretching room kind of freaks me out a bit too. I just try to think how there's no way Disney is gonna keep us trapped in here. Imagine the bad publicity???? 'Disney traps guests in pitch black Haunted Mansion Stretching Room for 17 hours.'

 

[danyoung56]

I was actually really worried about this when they redid the subs. I wanted to see the new show, but going into the sub scared me. Fortunately the light breeze from the window blowers was enough to keep me chill.

 

[correcaminos]

I don't know how short people deal with Disney crowds. I've been in a few crowds where I was pushing people around so my kids didn't get crushed and I can also see over most people so that annoyed me but didn't freak me out.

Being 5' tall I can tell you I don't try to look over the crowds, I look through them. In fact I'm better at getting through crowds because I look for space directly in front of me vs, tall people trying to look above.

Something about being able to see through the crowds works well for me. I will say I have no issues putting my arm out a little to give space too as well as saying "excuse me" Most of the time people simply don't see me.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

I'm not claustrophobic as such, however if I'm stuck somewhere and we're not moving and I can't see if anything ahead is moving, I start to feel very uncomfortable on the verge of a freak out. It's happened when I've been stuck in traffic before. It actually almost happened on POTC once as well.

Having said that , wWhen the Omnimover rides (e.g. Spaceship Earth and Haunted Mansion) stop, I don't feel as uncomfortable because I know these stoppages happen often and are fairly short duration. But if they were to stop for a longer time, then I might suffer my discomfort again.

 

[LUVofDIS]

I am not sure if this fits here because it is more about feeling sick than closed in. A friend was going to WDW for the first time in many years last year and wanted to know how to plan and what to do. His family was staying for ten days. We spent hours planning. One of the things I suggested was to ride MS. No one in his family had ever ridden including himself. I asked if he was ok with tight spaces and liked to spin. He said he loved it. I told him to ride MS and to do the orange side first and than do the green. The ride was just finished with its upgrade.

Well he went to EPCOT one morning and rode SSE first and than headed to MS. Him and his daughter rode the orange mission and by the time the ride was over he didn't feel well at all. He walked outside and sat on the concrete wall just outside the ride where the rest of the family was waiting. He told them he just needed to sit for a few. Well fifteen minutes later he decided he needed to go back to the campsite. He said he felt like crap for the rest of the day. So because of my suggestion he wasted an entire day.

 

[DisneyAndADoleWhip]

The submarine in California. Especially on a hot day with the sun beaming through the glass and not much oxygen in the sub thought I was going to die.

This.
I handled Mission:Space fine, Star Tours great..anything Disney has thrown at me...But the subs nearly sent me into a panic attack.

 

[Raineman]

The submarine in California. Especially on a hot day with the sun beaming through the glass and not much oxygen in the sub thought I was going to die.

I went on 20KL when I was a teenager at MK, and I don’t remember the subs triggering my claustrophobia at all. If I were to go on a similar attraction now, I don’t think I could handle it. The thought of being in that cramped space and having the ride go down-no thank you. That is one reason why I have never, and will never ride M:S at Epcot-it would be like laying down in a coffin and closing the lid.

 

[Fankle]

I suffer with claustrophobia too. Discovered it as a teenager on a sleepover when I was given a sleeping bag that narrowed at the feet. When I tried to put the second leg in, my body just wouldn't obey the instruction from my brain. Ended up sleeping with the bag on top of me, cold all night. As I've gotten older I've learned what triggers it for me. I'll climb several flights of stairs to avoid crowded lifts. On planes I reserve an isle-seat. I can sit in the middle if it's a family member on the outside, but the thought of being 'trapped' by a stranger makes me panic even thinking about it. I hate being hemmed in in a crowd. Then I find myself hanging on to my husbands hand for dear-life while we get out.

Strangely, with the exception of Mission Space, I've been okay on the rides, even with harnesses. (That said, I've never been stuck on a ride ever.....) When it does start to bother me, I shut my eyes, breath deeply and pretend I'm somewhere else...