OVERCOMING PHOBIAS ever, according to the Mayo Clinic, links have been found between the phobias of a child and their parents. If a parent is afraid of heights, odds are, the child will be too. Particularly negative or sensitive people have a greater risk of developing these types of fears. Phobias can also stem from some sort of traumatic event. If you were attacked by a dog, you probably developed a fear of them. The best way to get over a phobia? Conquer it head on. Sydney Orason prepared herself for what she was about to do. She climbed from floor one to 50, the gold jail that was the elevator vibrated as it shot upwards. The child inside her reemerged. She recalled pressing her small face up against the glass barrier at the mall, looking down at the floor below her. Her mother warned her not to
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a-dum. Da-dum. You watch your chest pump up and down, feeling your body be thrown forwards and back with every beat. You try to swallow, your throat dryly quivering as you gulp for air. Your mind floods with images of a trauma only known to you‌the soft slime of a snake, winding around you. The drop of an elevator, shaking as it falls. Others can handle the stress of seeing a mouse scuttle across the floor, but not you. Welcome to your own personal nightmare, your very own phobia. According to the Mayo Clinic, phobias are different than brief anxieties because they have a long lasting effect. Situational phobias, like a fear of riding a rollercoaster, usually develop by teen years. The reason? No one really knows. How-
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WORDS / MARISA DELLATTO, PHOTO / AUSTIN WILDER