how to overcome the fear of rollercoasters?

<p>my cousins will be heading down to six flags magic mountain in southern california (i live in northern CA). they asked me to come with them. however i am afraid of "the drops" in roller coasters. i have been to universal studios and disneyland and i have ridden every ride. but those rides are more of twists and turns rather than drops. (except for jurassic park in universal or the log ride in disneyland). i am NOT afraid of the twists and turns. it is the drops which scare me. As the roller coaster is heading up the ramp and about to drop, it feels like my heart stops, and i feel scared. however after riding jurassic park i enjoyed it and did it again. but it has been a while and i still feel scared of roller coasters with big drops, such as the rides in Magic. i have never been to magic before. should i just go with my cousins to magic and bear the fear of the drops. i am afraid i might get a heart attack, faint, vomit, etcc.... (or maybe im just tooo afraid). what do you guys think? is it safe for a scared person like me to ride the coasters in six flags? and what tips can you guys give me to overcome this fear?</p>

<p>just go on the ride...when you get scared just yell...it relieves the scary feeling in your stomach..</p>

<p>Go on them. That's it. You can even close your eyes at first, but it's really the only way.</p>

<p>It's definitely safe. I'd say if you are afraid, stand at the exit of the rollercoaster and watch the faces of people coming off. They will be happy, and you will be too if you ride.</p>

<p>Go on them. When you get scared feel free to close your eyes or scream your head off. You live in NorCal so you must be familiar with Great America in San Jose....I rode Top Gun twice in a row...and I'm acrophobic....you'll be fine. Feel free to scream your head off....for every person who's not screaming, there are 9 other people that are. :)</p>

<p>I was actually scared of roller coasters until I was about 13. I guess you just have to let go of the fear at some point in my life and just enjoy the ride. Disneyland doesn't really have any malfunctions, with the roller coasters, but they do have some problems with the little train track / mansion rides from time to time. I have gotten stuck on one of the Alice in Wonderland rides, unfortunately, and it was not pretty.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I rode Top Gun twice in a row...

[/quote]
Top Gun is actually literally sinking into the water (on one portion). I don't know if they're still thinking about taking it out. That is the only roller coaster that I have never ridden on in all of my trips to Great America. My friend rode on Top Gun and almost fell out of her seat because the seat belt was not secured for some peculiar reason. She was crying throughout the entire ride. Pretty scary.</p>

<p>are you supposed to breath when you are going down a slope. because usually i hold my breath when i am going downhill. i feel as though i can't breath when i am going downhill. i really want to go but im afraid i will get some kind of injury for being too scared. (is it true that some coasters can cause brain damage if you are afraid)</p>

<p>also, when you yell, do you breath at the same time?</p>

<p>A-Brain Damage is almost never caused by roller coasters. And being afraid won't make them more likely.</p>

<p>B-Yes, when you yell, air escapes you, so one might argue you are breathing.</p>

<p>C-If you are very afraid of rollercoasters, I suggest the "working your way up" method. Don't head straight for the largest roller coaster in the park when you arrive. Try going on (yes, I'm serious) the kiddie coaster. Many don't have height limits and they only go so high. Then, working from there, go on roller coasters a little bit higher than the one before. Wooden coasters generally don't go too high, but feature many drops, which may be helpful to you. You'll be riding bigger coasters in no time!</p>

<p>This reminds me of a funny story, actually. I was at Disneyworld when I was about 13. (Believe me, I was not sad about this; I LOVE Disneyworld. See screenname) I was taking my younger brother and younger sister for a ride on It's a Small World while my parents waited in a restaurant. We get on the ride, move through a couple of rooms, and the rides stops. The boat just stops in the middle of the ride. However, the song keeps playing. THAT SONG PLAYS FOR TWO HOURS AS WE SIT THERE AND WAIT FOR THEM TO FIX THE RIDE!!! Dear god, I hate that ride and that song now; however, I know all the lyrics. Ride breakdowns almost never happen, but when they do, they often make rather funny stories! :)</p>

<p>I went to Cedar Point with the marching band a few weeks ago. We split up in groups of four and it was me and my friend who waited about a half an hour for two rides while the others went on it. After that, we just decided to go on them. After you go on it, you'll be glad you did. </p>

<p>It may sound weird, but right before I go down a hill, and while I'm going down a hill, I sing really loud lol. It helps take my mind off it. The next thing I know, it's time to get off. lol.</p>

<p>nike- just do it</p>

<p>OP: LOL you have the same fear as I do. I'm really scared of the drops not because of height or anything, but just simply the inability to breathe!! This may sound weird, but literally I cannot breathe when the coaster is going at insane speeds or dropping from a very high height.</p>

<p>After going to (and getting freaked out at) the Six Flags in SoCal I literally haven't stepped on a roller coaster for three years. Hahaha.</p>

<p>For me, going on the biggest roller coast first actually helped. Then I felt like I could go on anything.</p>

<p>^ are you even tall enough.</p>

<p>just keep on going on them, you'll start to love them
and don't go in the first couple of rows, or you will be able to see the actual drop, unlike me i was in the first row :)</p>

<p>I went to six flags yesterday! drops are the best. I love that weightlessness feeling</p>

<p>i never went on a rollar coaster til my girlfriend made me in 8th grade. I was scared and i was about to get off the line but she wouldnt let me. you need a friend like that. now i love rollar coasters they are sex.</p>

<p>i guess i will probably go with my cousins. after reading through these posts i feel more assured that i will be alright. i will probably have to go on Tatsu or "X" or superman at the beginning of the day. i hope i won't be dead by then :(</p>

<p>i also have never been on upsides down roller coasters, is that worst than drops?</p>

<p>For upside-down roller coasters, think of it as a physics problem ;) Force is equal to mass * velocity squared divided by the radius of the loop. You're going pretty fast, and the loop is pretty small. That's a lot of force, and it's all holding you into the seat. You don't even feel like you're upside down.</p>

<p>(We just went to Six Flags for physics a few weeks ago. :P)</p>

<p>Six flags magic mountain is the best. Jurassic park is nothing compared with rides at six flags. Make sure you go on every single ride especially the X, Deja vu, Goliath, and Superman!! You'll have a blast. Don't worry you'll feel safe there. I was nervous when I first went to six flags magic mountain. The first ride I went on was Goliath, one of the highest and fastest rides in the amusement park. After that every other ride is nothing. Thats how I overcame my fear of gigantic roller coasters.</p>