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“My Gutsy Story” by JoAnn Abraham

April 2, 2012 by Sonia Marsh

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For as long as I can remember, my life was constrained by my fear of heights.  I was paralyzed by escalators, and in a shopping center would regularly have to ask strangers if I could hold on to them as we went down.   Open staircases were impossible.  Boat ramps, even though I love to sail, were a horror.

Then I was invited to the wedding of a friend’s child.  Picture a large yacht floating in a pristine bay.  That’s where I was.  The yacht had been hired by the bride’s family for the afternoon.  It was dream-like.  People were swimming and generally having a wonderful time getting to know the other guests. I had the wonderful good fortune of finding a seat next to the groom’s grandmother, Mary.  Within minutes, it was clear that, although she had suffered her share of sorrow, she managed to see every glass 3/4 full.  I was having such fun talking with her about her adventures that I didn’t even notice that a small power boat had come along side.  It was offering parasailing to the guests.  For those who have never seen a parasail, a person is put in a harness that is attached to a long rope.  The other end of the rope is on the speed boat.  As soon as the person is secure in the harness the boat takes off, the parachute fills with air, and the person is flying high over the water.

People started to line up, and one after another, they flew.  I sat with Mary, averting my eyes from the entire scene.  Near the end of the afternoon, someone asked if I wanted a ride.  I was about to say no when Mary said, “Why don’t you, Dear.  You’ll love it.  I did it for my 80th birthday.”

I was stunned.  I was sure she’d help me say no.  Instead, she egged me on.  And because I was more afraid of losing her respect than I was of parasailing, I did it.

I got into the harness, shaking like a leaf.  I told the driver that I’d never done it before and that I was seriously afraid of heights.  That’s when he gunned the motor, and up I went.

In fairness, I must admit that the view was beautiful.  But I was terrified.  The boat driver had dunked the prior parasailers.  They all came up laughing, but even the thought make me want to throw up.  So I asked him not to.  The good news is that he didn’t.  I also had a shorter ride than anyone else, because when the rope extended to its fullest, I said quite loudly, “Can I go home now?” Thank goodness, he heard me.  I have no idea how, given the vroom of the motor and the whoosh of the wind.  I only know I was extremely grateful to land safely back on the yacht..

Upon my return, Mary congratulated me.  It was small comfort.  However, it convinced me that I had to find a way to manage my fear.

Several months later I was talking with a friend who is a psychiatrist.  She said she had a patient with an issue so easy to resolve that my friend almost didn’t want to charge her.  The patient was afraid of driving over a bridge.  Why is it so simple to fix, I asked.  She said it only required simple phobia therapy, which, if done correctly, can remove the phobia in three sessions.

I almost stopped breathing.  Three sessions and I no longer would be paralyzed by escalators, by ramps, by open staircases, by ladders?

I have no idea why I’d never heard of it before, but it worked.  After my first session, my homework was to practice going up and down an empty escalator.  After the second session, i had to find a boat ramp and negotiate that myself.  After the third, I climbed a high ladder.

I’m not going to say I never give heights a thought.  I do.  Then I realize how relieved I am, and I thank Mary once again for pushing me to learn how to control my fear.

 

JoAnn Abraham Bio

JoAnn Abraham has been writing since she was quite young.  As an adult, she’s edited a biweekly community newspaper, and wrote many of the articles in it.  She has also written for business, bridal, and lifestyle magazines. For more than 15 years she was a marketing manager for one of the country’s largest non-profits.  She also is a motivational speaker. You can contact JoAnn on Facebook.

 

Sonia Marsh Says

I truly admire JoAnn, and hope that her story will help others who suffer from a fear of heights, escalators, boat ramps and more. I asked JoAnn to send me a photo of her, and love what she decided to do for us:

“You know how I wrote that I used to have to ” borrow” people to help me get on an escalator?   Well, this time I “borrowed” a very nice man who was sitting near the escalator and asked him to take a photo of me going down all by myself.”
So, here’s your photo!

Thanks JoAnn, that’s very special.

***

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Filed Under: Inspirational, My Gutsy Story, People

Comments

  1. Sonia Marsh says

    April 2, 2012 at 6:18 am

    JoAnn, I love the photo you took to prove that you overcame your fear of escalators. Thanks again for sending us your story.

  2. Doreen Cox says

    April 2, 2012 at 7:10 am

    Kudos to you, JoAnn, for facing a fear yet also, for sharing your fear with us. The picture of you on that escalator gave me such a big grin! Thank you :+))

  3. barbara says

    April 2, 2012 at 9:32 am

    I’m certain this wasn’t easy JoAnn and I admire your guts. I’ve had a fear of deep water after almost drowning as a child. The irony is I love the sea, cruising, being at the beach… all of it except getting in past my knees. It doesn’t inhibit my day to day but someday I’m going to get over it and learn to swim.
    Thanks for sharing your gutsy story!
    b

  4. Lady Fi says

    April 2, 2012 at 9:48 am

    Great story! Nice to know you can overcome your own limits.
    Lady Fi recently posted..Golden drops (or how to make a fool of yourself)My Profile

  5. Sonia Marsh says

    April 2, 2012 at 9:48 am

    Barbara,

    That reminds me of scuba diving. I love water, and swimming, but can’t enjoy myself when scuba diving. The only time I liked it, the water was no more than 30 feet deep.

    • barbara says

      April 2, 2012 at 9:51 am

      That’s funny Sonia because my husband is like a fish in the water and couldn’t scuba! He actually taught swimming at Walden Pond when he was in high school.

  6. Ashley K. Froelich says

    April 2, 2012 at 10:02 am

    Awesome! Nice to know you can overcome your own limits. Thanks again for sending us your story.
    Ashley K. Froelich recently posted..Provestra side effectsMy Profile

  7. Liz says

    April 3, 2012 at 5:44 am

    Happy to hear that Joann, you conquer your fear of escalators. Hope I’ll be brave like you to overcome my fear.
    Liz recently posted..Hcg diet reviewsMy Profile

  8. carol says

    April 3, 2012 at 10:13 am

    Thanks.I now know who to go and see about my problem with heights!
    Only hope it’s not too expensive. How gutsy of you having a go at parasailing, it’s not the easiest of ways to start overcoming fears!

  9. Shanel says

    April 3, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    Hi Joann, nice to met you. I think that was a great achievement, to overcome your fear. Hope I could do that, and have the courage like you did.
    Shanel recently posted..Good Low Carb DietsMy Profile

  10. Nicole says

    April 4, 2012 at 12:16 am

    to be successful you should be able to over come your fear and you’ve got a nice job doing that. I’m so proud of you.
    Nicole recently posted..murano glassMy Profile

  11. Maggie says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:37 am

    I love how you overcame your fear with parasailing, JoAnn, and with the help of a woman over eighty!

  12. Stavroula says

    May 1, 2012 at 10:23 am

    Lovely story!

    Keep doing things that makes you happy!!

  13. fatima says

    May 9, 2012 at 6:15 am

    You go girl!

Trackbacks

  1. Winner of the "My Gutsy Story" contest for March 2012. | Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living says:
    April 12, 2012 at 8:52 am

    […] April stories are up. So far we have JoAnn Abraham’s “My Gutsy Story” and Esther Goodman’s, “My Gutsy Story.” The vote for […]

  2. Vote for your favorite April "My Gutsy Story" | Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living says:
    May 3, 2012 at 6:06 am

    […] 1). JoAnn Abraham […]

  3. Winner of the April "My Gutsy Story" contest | Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living says:
    May 17, 2012 at 9:39 am

    […] Joann Abraham (16%, 40 Votes) […]

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