no why, I'M serious, please tell me I'm not that crazy lol

 

tbh it sounds plausable... something like that seems reasonable to me. I have a fear of falling rather than a fear of heights... I know if i fall i can break my neck or spine and end up in a state that leaves me compramised and as a SA sufferer having people take care of me is a huge nono.

 

Fear of falling into the sky

Trust me! you deff arnt the only one with this issue. Mine may be a little different but im not sure. See, i have a huge fear of falling into the sky and i thought i was the only one who felt this way. Whenever i go to an amusement park i NEVER want to go on any of the upside-down rides. i am TERRIFIED to get on upside-down rides because i feel as if im going to fall right into the sky. I know it sounds crazy and all but i just feel as if its going to happen. its such an uncomfortable feeling. it scares the hell outta me! even though i cant flip i think i would b terrified to do a flip outside or being upside-down outside would scare the crap outta me! for this reason i dont get on any upside-down rides. ive only been on one in my life and it was a inside upside-down ride called Houdini's Great Escape, and i was even terrified on that one. Or like the other day when i was in a big wide open parking lot at night, i was looking up at the moon (which was so big) and i got scared as i was looking up and had to hold on to my boyfriend kuz i felt like i was going to fall into the sky again lol...idk why i have this fear, i just do! Also about a few weeks ago i got on one of those swing rides, u noe where u sit in these chairs and the ride gets higher and higher and swings you in a huge circle with a bung of other swings in front of you and behind you. we were so high up and the ride was goin at a above average speed to where i couldnt look into the sky kuz ONCE AGAIN i felt like i was going to fall into it...al i could do was look down at all the people below me. weird!...[/FONT]

 

clarification... like flying up into the air.. moving through the sky??

 

me too

 

sorry for bumping this thread, I wanna thank all of you who contributed to my thread . I wonder if the cause of this fear might be separation anxiety?

 

Hello all,

Today I've found a name for my phobia which I have besides social anxiety and agoraphobia. I did a random search on google and I know now that my phobia has a name and that I'm not alone.

I thought there are maybe some people here who have the same? Not that I wish it to anybody lol :teeth

It's like I'm scared of the sky usually it's better when it's cloudy. Sunny days with clear sky are especially unpleasant. I'm scared of wide open places where there's no place for me to run for cover, if that makes any sense. I also fear large tall buildings or statues or the like. I may have megalophobia as well.

hmm. At least this should be easier to treat than your social anxiety. Maybe getting proof that you cannot fall into the sky you might help? Researching physics and stuff. I know you probably consciously know this, but it might help the subconscious mind to recognize this. :b

Seeing videos of buildings or pictures of large buldings/objects could be the first step to help you overcome the fear of large objects. ( I got this idea from a video I watched about virtual exposure therapy).

good luck

 

I used to think about this when I was younger. Man would that suck. I even thought about being inside more often so that if it happened, I wouldn't fall into space (although I wouldn't ever be able to go outside, and would die of starvation. opps). Eventually I got over it. I guess if it's possible to be afraid of it, its possible to develop a phobia of it.

 

I can't say this has been a major problem for me by any means, but I don't feel so crazy for having occasionally had a mild fear of the possibility that gravity might randomly fail one day anymore. I guess I haven't had that in years, though.

More serious for me is the fear of very large but enclosed spaces, such as gymnasiums and theaters - specifically of "falling" and landing on the ceiling. It doesn't stop me from entering such places, but can make me a little uncomfortable in them sometimes. I know it's completely illogical, but then so is SA...

Is there a name for a fear of falling up while indoors? Would that just be a variant of casadastraphobia?

 

So this is actually a thing. I'm also afraid of huge buildings and towers, especially when I'm really close to them. I also never look up when I'm in a building with a high ceiling, such as a church. It's like some kind of reverse acrophobia.

I've had a physics student explain to me that it's impossible to fall into the sky since if gravity would reverse, all matter would explode. Still didn't help cure my fear though.

 

I have a fear of buildings with a really, really high ceiling. It scares me, i have dreams about it where i fall up to the ceiling or something. What's really scary is when i dream about a ceiling that never seems to end. I have a fear of looking up at really tall buildings, where i feel like i'm going to fall down if i look all the way up at it. When I'm up in a really high place, I feel a lot more comfortable looking down than looking up. Looking up is scary.

 

Casadastraphobia.

It's so comforting to know I'm not alone in this. I'm not the only person.

 

I have the same

Hello,

Im 33 and have the same pathology as you mentionned. It is very comforting seeing that there are other people with the same problem. It began 3 yers ago with a sensation of falling or being sucked up by the sky. Then it reinforced with obsessional thinking about it and images coming in my head of emptiness, space, sky,tall buildings...

I have done a behavioral cognitive therapy, it helped but didn t solve the problem. I have good periods and bad periods, often in relationship with other events in my life. I found that moving to another city or leving my job made the problem worse.

I also have social anxiety and i wonder if those 2 problems are related because it doesn t seem to be a coincidence that people talking about this problem are in a social anxiety forum ?
I also have the problem with high ceilings and during the night. Noisy places are even more problematic. Cloudy weather is better for me tha a big blue sky.

Now, im having an EMDR therapy, i hope this will help. Regarding the question with separation anxiety, i suffer from this so you are perhaps right.

Last thing, did any of you made research about physiological problems, like for instance eyes problems, or posture problems ? I learned that posture and eyes problems can Decrease your balance and create anxiety.

I wish to all of you to get out of this condition, it is really ruining life as you cant escape to the sky and emptiness.

 

Hello,

Im 33 and have the same pathology as you mentionned. It is very comforting seeing that there are other people with the same problem. It began 3 yers ago with a sensation of falling or being sucked up by the sky. Then it reinforced with obsessional thinking about it and images coming in my head of emptiness, space, sky,tall buildings...

I have done a behavioral cognitive therapy, it helped but didn t solve the problem. I have good periods and bad periods, often in relationship with other events in my life. I found that moving to another city or leving my job made the problem worse.

I also have social anxiety and i wonder if those 2 problems are related because it doesn t seem to be a coincidence that people talking about this problem are in a social anxiety forum ?
I also have the problem with high ceilings and during the night. Noisy places are even more problematic. Cloudy weather is better for me tha a big blue sky.

Now, im having an EMDR therapy, i hope this will help. Regarding the question with separation anxiety, i suffer from this so you are perhaps right.

Last thing, did any of you made research about physiological problems, like for instance eyes problems, or posture problems ? I learned that posture and eyes problems can Decrease your balance and create anxiety.

I wish to all of you to get out of this condition, it is really ruining life as you cant escape to the sky and emptiness.

My squirming and tense body parts when I lay back and look up i found to be my holding onto my doubt and fears that I am the only exception to gravity.. I strived to loosen up.. it was challenging, but rather than gripping onto a wall, i was gripping onto myself (tense body parts and squirming).. i wanted to cry, or scream, and your description seems relatable to this theory or revelation I experienced, connected to a Spiritual aspect.. I feel as though this "minor phobia" is Spiritually related, a higher calling or a type of Spiritual travel that wishes to be experienced.. but while we are stuck in our bodies, and are used to living according to this world and our bodies, this Spiritual tug happens to be beyond our understanding and comprehension that our natural instinct is to pull back, become fearful and live either seeking an answer or avoiding it altogether, which is another natural and common case for mankind and the truth

 

Crazy!

I just came back from my first trip to New York. I felt like I was going crazy on the double decker tour bus. I was holding on to the seat and guard rail for dear life every-time I looked up at the building profiles. I knew it was irrational, but I felt like I was going to be sucked right up there!

While my family members looked at me like I was nuts, I knew I couldn't be the only one with the issue! Talk about relief when I saw this post!

I've been bothered by something like this since I've been a little kid. I used to fall flat on the ground when planes flew overhead and hold on to the grass (as early as 7 years old). I felt like they were going to pull me up. I am not fond of heights or planes and this trip (4th on a plane) was the worst. I had to focus on my breathing during the turbulence.

I'm fine as long as I'm grounded. I fear plummeting (I had an uncle who liked to toss us in the air as kids...hated that too)...rising and plummeting. I'm kind of concerned that it's getting worse as I get older (45 now). I told my husband I think I'll need something for anxiety the next time we fly. I don't even take tylenol without being in dire straights.

It's not debilitating...yet...any more advice?

 

I just came back from my first trip to New York. I felt like I was going crazy on the double decker tour bus. I was holding on to the seat and guard rail for dear life every-time I looked up at the building profiles. I knew it was irrational, but I felt like I was going to be sucked right up there!

While my family members looked at me like I was nuts, I knew I couldn't be the only one with the issue! Talk about relief when I saw this post!

I've been bothered by something like this since I've been a little kid. I used to fall flat on the ground when planes flew overhead and hold on to the grass (as early as 7 years old). I felt like they were going to pull me up. I am not fond of heights or planes and this trip (4th on a plane) was the worst. I had to focus on my breathing during the turbulence.

I'm fine as long as I'm grounded. I fear plummeting (I had an uncle who liked to toss us in the air as kids...hated that too)...rising and plummeting. I'm kind of concerned that it's getting worse as I get older (45 now). I told my husband I think I'll need something for anxiety the next time we fly. I don't even take tylenol without being in dire straights.

It's not debilitating...yet...any more advice?

That bus trip sounded awful. Since you've had this problem since little it sounds like a long-term visual spatial or balance problem. Maybe get your balance tested. I'd probably just ask for anti anxiety meds for flights and stay off double decker buses if I were you.

 

I often fantasize about falling into the sky, it feels cathartic to me.

But I totally get what you mean about being afraid of things most people aren't afraid of! I have a super bad phobia of butterflies and get made fun of by people when I get divebombed by one in public and freak out... also I have, well, not a phobia, but I get this feeling of dread when I'm near satellite dishes. Big ones like SETI or small ones like the DirecTV home dishes.

 

I have a fear of heights with all the classic physical symptoms like perspiration, giddiness, disorientation, etc... well, it isn't actually heights or falling; it's jumping on purpose. As just one random example, I remember being at the seaside on a pier when I was about six looking at the water and the menacing jellyfish below and I really had a strong urge to jump over the railings to certain death or traumatic injury - but I didn't want to die even.

 

Hello,

I would be very happy to talk with anybody interested concerning this problem, it feels always good to me to see i am not alone. I hope it s ok to post my email address : groouf@hotmail.com

 

hi..i used to have a fear off this when i was younger but told no-one, i hid it an it eventually went away, i never knew there was a name for it...

 

I'm so glad my boyfriend found this forum, I have this fear since 2008. I remember exactly when it happened but I have no idea why... I actually found this phobia on the internet called "Barophobia" which sounds alot like my symptoms. Ever since I found that I feel slightly less crazy.

I used to be on tranquilizers. Not just for this phobia but also since I have a panic dissorder. But I had to stop that because I was beginning to take too much. But now the barophobia just really got worse... Somehow I kind of feel safer when i'm outside to tightly hold someone. Because I feel kind of "floaty??" when I'm alone outside. So it's like I feel their strenght and I dont know, gravity? I don't know why but it just seemes to help me.

I almost feel like crying just because I found this, because I really want to talk to some other people having this. Because not a lot of people know I have this. I mean rationally I know that it's absurd and can't happen, but the sensations I get are so overwhelming.

I'm at the point right now where i'm even willing to try hypnosis or something. I'm also seeing a therapist (way before the gravity thing) and litteraly every professional I told this to had no idea what I was talking about, so I was really glad when I found it by accident on google.

Their advice is exposure, but the thing is, I am soooo overwhelmed and scared when I'm outside, afraid for a really bad panic attack AND falling into the sky and there's NOTHING I can do to stop it. Having no control about it. Which is scary because I want to control everything.

When I first had it my "rational" voice was like, ok that's scary, but you know that can't happen right? Now it's like, it gotten more possible in my head? And it's like my inner voice is screaming it's gonna happen and the rational voice is like a whisper in the back of my mind.

P.S. I also posted this on another site, but I didn't get any answer so I deleted it and feel like try my chances here...

 

I'm so glad my boyfriend found this forum, I have this fear since 2008. I remember exactly when it happened but I have no idea why... I actually found this phobia on the internet called "Barophobia" which sounds alot like my symptoms. Ever since I found that I feel slightly less crazy.

I used to be on tranquilizers. Not just for this phobia but also since I have a panic dissorder. But I had to stop that because I was beginning to take too much. But now the barophobia just really got worse... Somehow I kind of feel safer when i'm outside to tightly hold someone. Because I feel kind of "floaty??" when I'm alone outside. So it's like I feel their strenght and I dont know, gravity? I don't know why but it just seemes to help me.

I almost feel like crying just because I found this, because I really want to talk to some other people having this. Because not a lot of people know I have this. I mean rationally I know that it's absurd and can't happen, but the sensations I get are so overwhelming.

I'm at the point right now where i'm even willing to try hypnosis or something. I'm also seeing a therapist (way before the gravity thing) and litteraly every professional I told this to had no idea what I was talking about, so I was really glad when I found it by accident on google.

Their advice is exposure, but the thing is, I am soooo overwhelmed and scared when I'm outside, afraid for a really bad panic attack AND falling into the sky and there's NOTHING I can do to stop it. Having no control about it. Which is scary because I want to control everything.

When I first had it my "rational" voice was like, ok that's scary, but you know that can't happen right? Now it's like, it gotten more possible in my head? And it's like my inner voice is screaming it's gonna happen and the rational voice is like a whisper in the back of my mind.

P.S. I also posted this on another site, but I didn't get any answer so I deleted it and feel like try my chances here...

My squirming and tense body parts when I lay back and look up i found to be my holding onto my doubt and fears that I am the only exception to gravity.. I strived to loosen up.. it was challenging, but rather than gripping onto a wall, i was gripping onto myself (tense body parts and squirming).. i wanted to cry, or scream, and your description here (tallness, vastness, distance) seems relatable to this theory or revelation I experienced, connected to a Spiritual aspect.. I feel as though this "minor phobia" is Spiritually related, a higher calling or a type of Spiritual travel that wishes to be experienced.. but while we are stuck in our bodies, and are used to living according to this world and our bodies, this Spiritual tug happens to be beyond our understanding and comprehension that our natural instinct is to pull back, become fearful and live either seeking an answer or avoiding it altogether, which is another natural and common case for mankind and the truth

 

possible cause

Hello,

Following my previous posts, I confirm I have a theory that casadastraphobia (as acrophobia) could relate to "space and motion discomfort" that is a problem of balance with the eyes, vestibular and kinesthetic systems. there is research concerning this and acrophobia (fear of height, vertigo) is considered by some scientists as a consequence of this problem. I wonder if some of you feel this could be the case for them ? I would be happy to talk about it.

interesting links :
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18653552
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrophobia
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00965035

 

What is the fear of jumping (from a height) called? That is what I have.

 

Isn't that called common sense?

 

Good to know I'm not alone

I have thought for a long time that I'm just crazy. Im glad I found this thread. Makes me feel better.

About three years ago, I moved to WA on a plane. I was fine. A year later I came back home to visit and had a full blown panic attack on the plane. It suddenly just HIT me how high up I was and how easy it would be to just plummet back down to earth. Once I was back in WA, I starting noticing things: I had the same amount of fear when thinking of standing on top of a building and looking down, as I did with standing on the sidewalk and looking up. I forced myself to look straight up one day and was hit with the most overwhelming vertigo and panic. I suddenly knew gravity was going to reverse and everyone was just going to fall into the sky.

Sometimes when I'm idling at a red light in my car, I cant stop thinking of the cars around me suddenly lifting and falling up into the sky and I have to try to control my panicked breathing and clutch the steering wheel to prove to myself that I'm grounded.

I'm fine inside buildings and even under awnings. Its under the open sky that I cant breathe. I have felt crazy for a long time and am happy to hear other people have the same thing. My girlfriend wants me to get my head checked out. She thinks there might be something pushing on my brain because I had the same phobia in my dream last night: Spinning, panicky vertigo while looking at the sky. lol

 

I have thought for a long time that I'm just crazy. Im glad I found this thread. Makes me feel better.

About three years ago, I moved to WA on a plane. I was fine. A year later I came back home to visit and had a full blown panic attack on the plane. It suddenly just HIT me how high up I was and how easy it would be to just plummet back down to earth. Once I was back in WA, I starting noticing things: I had the same amount of fear when thinking of standing on top of a building and looking down, as I did with standing on the sidewalk and looking up. I forced myself to look straight up one day and was hit with the most overwhelming vertigo and panic. I suddenly knew gravity was going to reverse and everyone was just going to fall into the sky.

Sometimes when I'm idling at a red light in my car, I cant stop thinking of the cars around me suddenly lifting and falling up into the sky and I have to try to control my panicked breathing and clutch the steering wheel to prove to myself that I'm grounded.

I'm fine inside buildings and even under awnings. Its under the open sky that I cant breathe. I have felt crazy for a long time and am happy to hear other people have the same thing. My girlfriend wants me to get my head checked out. She thinks there might be something pushing on my brain because I had the same phobia in my dream last night: Spinning, panicky vertigo while looking at the sky. lol

You pinned the nail on the head for me. I've had this phobia for about a year now with no other anxiety problems. For me it started after experiencing an earthquake which turned on this idea in my head that nothing is stable and everything can fall a part any second. It has gotten worse and I too have to hold onto my steering wheel at red lights because the anxiety is unbearable. I have found that just staring into the rear view mirror or closing my eyes helps. Yet of course keeping your eyes closed behind the wheel is never a good idea.

This forum has helped me a lot though. Not only have I read experiences others have had very similar to mine but I was never able to put into words what my anxieties surfaced around. I just knew I was scared of looking up and NEED to clench to the ground when I do. Although I always thought that my fears were irrational it has helped to identify that my anxiety comes from the fear of falling into the sky. What is the worst part is that you appear completely normal and it can happen in any situation. I had a job interview high up in an office building and the room was full of very large windows that overlooked the rest of the city. It was terrible and my interview did not go well.

 

Never heard of that before. Wouldn't gravity have to turn upside down for that to happen? I wouldn't see need for planes anymore if that happened.
I might be thinking a little too much into it.

 

I believe gravity is the force that holds matter together, so if gravity were to reverse, all atoms and whatnot would explode, so you'd be instantly dead anyway.
Of course, the point is that phobias are irrational. But when you think about it the sky is a like a creepy, bottomless void. It's not that strange to be scared of it.

 

This is a new phobia for me

All my life I have always had a sever fear of heights. About a year ago I was sitting in the park with my dog and I was watching a plane in the air and I dont know why I thought of it but I thought about what it would be like if the earth lost its gravitational pull and I went flying into outer space....... The next thing I know I had a full blown panic attack. I am glad to see that I am not the only person that has this most ridiculous phobia. I have a feeling that it feeds off having a fear of heights........ Since these are the only 2 phobias that I have.

 

i got scared just by reading this thread :O i havent had much fear of falling into sky although ive given it a thought (but if you think about it..><) but i have big fear sometimes that something goes wrong in cosmos and we either start spinning super fast either planets will go crazy and collapse into each other or something massive appears that i cant explain. im also afraid of large buildings and crossing big bridges. i shouldnt have read this thread, it all comes back actually x/

 

Past few years I have this fear almost exactly, I used to love the sky and its almighty beauty but unfortunately now, a clear blue sky, just seems like a terrifying abyss to me now. The thought that up there is a infinite unknown unpredictable universe makes me feel that in any moment, it could come crushing down and collapse or something similar. This is how my head feels whilst panicking about it, its feels like the universe is suddenly crushing down on my head. I also have the same fear of bridges and heights.