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Thrill Ride Therapy: Can Roller Coasters Fight Anxiety?

This article is more than 4 years old.

Summer is just around the corner and, along with it, comes that wonderfully carefree feeling that only happens this time of year. There’s just something about summer that brings out our adventurous spirit, which is exactly why one of the most popular summer pastimes is packing up and heading to a theme park for the day (or week!).

Whether it’s the warm weather or the boost of Vitamin D from the sunshine, the energy in summer feels so vibrant and alive. Seeking excitement, we spend good money to fight crowds, nosh on concessions and stand in line to enjoy just a few moments on a ride, but why? is it because we’re gaining more than a few thrills?

From Chills to Thrills

Growing up, Pete Trabucco hated roller coasters. As an adult, he’s ridden more than 1,000 around the world. In fact, he’s grown to love them so much that he wrote the book America’s Top Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks. So, what happened? One day, he decided to conquer his fears, and it changed his life.

Trabucco believes that sense of doom and gloom associated with roller coasters can actually impact other areas of our lives. It “becomes a fear of all things unknown,” he says and it can result in a reluctance to try other things that seem uncertain.

Through his own journey, Trabucco has developed a theory that getting on thrill rides can have a dramatic, positive impact on mental health. “Once you’ve overcome one fear, you’re like, ‘Let’s look for the next one,’”  Trabucco says. At least one college professor seems to agree.

Unique Class Project

Dr. Kevin Meyer, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, created a unique “Face Your Fear” project for students in his Abnormal Psychology class. To complete the assignment, he took them to Cedar Point Amusement Park, a place best known as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”

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Over the eight-week course, the students worked together to face their fears. Splitting them into two groups, the students who were terrified about getting on the rides were supported by those who felt excitement. The classmates learned to support each other while receiving guidance from Meyer. The goal was for everyone to overcome phobias and general anxiety “through immersion and exposure therapy.”

The techniques they learned were “generalizable to all sorts of anxieties, all sorts of fears,” Meyer said. “Think of all the times you might be stumped by anxiety…asking for a raise at work, asking somebody out on a date…some people can just naturally overcome them, but other people get blocked, and they need help pushing through.”

In a video speaking about students in the class, Meyer explains that “how they succeed is that they make a behavioral choice in face of the fear. What a brave thing to do. How many of us can say that in the midst of intense fear and intense anxiety, we go against everything our brain is telling us and we make a different choice?”

Over the eight-week class, Meyer’s students learn a variety of coping techniques including the following:

  1. Breathing and focusing on the present.
  2. Positive affirmations.
  3. Rethinking how you think.

Prior to my own experiences, I’d never heard of any of this until I came across this video of ABC News following the journey of Meyer’s students. As I watched, a huge smile spread across my face because it confirmed something I was already doing. It was incredible to see those classmates succeeding and cheering each other on!

My Own Experience

After fighting anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) most of my life, things spiraled out of control last year. My grandmother was dying, my family was in turmoil and most days felt like the end of the world. In the middle of the chaos, I made an unusual decision — to celebrate my daughter’s 15th birthday, we’d take a road trip and visit Lagoon Amusement Park.

Of my six children, she’s the one who has shown the most signs of intense anxiety and OCD, so she was completely bewildered by my choice. On the five-hour drive, we talked it over and decided to support each other through this strange journey. Even though our family was going through a horrific time, we focused on accomplishing our mission — we were going to get on a roller coaster.

Jeanne Croteau

We could have never expected how our one-day trip to Lagoon in Farmington, Utah would turn into a full weekend of fun and emotional healing. As we tackled one ride, we’d push ourselves to try another. We even met strangers along the way who helped us build courage and continue our journey to healing. It was amazing!

Did we conquer all of our fears in two days? Absolutely not! However, it did give us a different outlet for our stress and anxiety. We spend so much time trying to control the outcomes of our lives, but when you’re on a roller coaster, you have to just let go — and that has been an amazing lesson!

Of course, one very important thing worth noting is that, while this is one way you can work towards managing anxiety, this does not replace the care provided by a healthcare professional. This is just one tool that may help some people, but it might not benefit everyone. Always do what feels best for you!

The Fearless Summer Series

Since that day, I’ve hit all the rides at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and even went through every haunted attraction at Halloween Horror Nights. This summer, I’m taking my efforts a step further. I’ll be visiting seven amusement parks, starting with the one that is nearest and dearest to my heart.

As we complete our visits and publish our experiences, I’ll be adding links to this list:

What are some of the biggest challenges (and accomplishments!) I’ll be facing this summer? Here are some noteworthy rides and details:

  • Cannibal at Lagoon holds the record for being the tallest, beyond-vertical roller coaster in the world!
  • Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point launches riders up and over a 420-foot tall top hat in mere seconds!
  • The Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland will be the tallest, fastest dive coaster on Earth!
  • Do-dodonpa’s claim to fame at Fuji-Q Highland is the world’s fastest acceleration!

As a psychology professor, I’m so fascinated by how this is changing me and how I might apply what I’m learning with my own students. The budding thrill-seeker in me is incredibly excited to keep pushing my boundaries to continue growing. I hope you’ll come back to follow my journey and cheer me on!

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