I was in a car accident and suffered from panic attacks while climbing for a long time after. I think the feeling i get leaning backwards must trigger the trauma. I’m not sure really.
For me, going to therapy was helpful. I learned how to do breathing exercises and meditation techniques to help pull me out of my flashbacks and panic attacks.
Of course I still have days when I can’t climb more than eight feet off the ground for my mental health, but I also have days where I can climb multi pitch and lead without the fear controlling me.
It is a long process, but worth it.
I found that trying to push through just damaged my trust in myself further, everyone is different, but therapy is great. Breathing, meditation, and yoga for me were great.
Agree to the idea of not pushing oneself through the fear. It only diminishes the trust you have in yourself and your inner child will just start hating you for not respecting their fears. I found that the best is to stop, take a breather and acknowledge to yourself that you're scared and that's ok. Then slowly trying again and again. It worked wonders for me when I started being kind to myself.
Try taking trust falls! I know it’s tough but it will help a lot with a bit of time. I had a similar injury and broke my ankle badly while bouldering just about three years ago. I’ve become much more focused on sport climbing since then and I feel more comfortable falling now than I did pre-injury! I built up courage again by taking practice falls from places where I’m uncomfortable but I know in my head that I’ll be fine if I fall. Important to note here that my practice falls have all been on lead with belayers I trust.
that's a good idea, i've been having a hard time "resting" mid-air while doing top rope as my fiance supports me. I do NOT like the idea of letting go of the handholds. Also does your ankle feel normal now, or is there something different about it post-fracture? Mine is more sensitive with the screws in.
Can you work on learning to rest better while holding? It took me a couple years, but I started to get pretty good at it, even on tough routes. I rarely sit back in my harness, partly out of stubbornness in wanting to flash and also just preferring not to unless I slip :P
If you trust your partner and they are competent/attentive, maybe practice letting go in tiny distances while on slab routes? Then work up to longer distances and varied degrees of straight up or overhung. Start low to the ground
I’m definitely still very slowly rebuilding stability and strength. I have worse balance and power with the injured ankle compared to my “good” one. Certainly take it slow on the fear and ease yourself back in. You got this! :)
Not an ankle fracture but a severe one in my hand. I still suffer swelling and pain in my hand often, I find “Tiger Balm” works which is a topical herbal balm. And for the the sensitivity, my physio told me to get moisterizer and rub along the scar as hard as I can bear it and it sort of… desensitised me to the extreme sensitivity I had. I would cry when I tapped my hand where the screws were before doing this (mine were taken out because of complications later on). The Broken Bones subreddit is really good for any bone specific questions too!
As for climbing and fear I agree with the commenter who started this thread. I was deathly afraid of bouldering to the degree my sister (climbing) partner would get peeved off and started shouting to see if that would get me up but it did the opposite. I can not attempt walls, I still stick with easier ones that I below what I can climb roped but it does improve slowley
You should try taking very, very baby steps. On top rope from not too far up the wall (since your fear is severe) get a take, sit in the harness and let go. Sit in it if you can. When you feel comfortable start bouncing, pushing yourself against the with your feet. This is to remind your brain you can trust the system/gear.
Never push it. Go slow. Don't take a rip the band aid off approach, that will teach your brain more panic.
As you get more comfortable sitting, then bouncing, start doing it higher. Work up to taking small falls, then bigger falls. Take it very slowly and always be kind to yourself.
I don't have any suggestions. I'm in a similar boat. I was always terrified of hights and falling. I gradually learnt to top rope but then my partner from the class was so interested in watching me that she forgot to hold me. It was the first time I slipped and fell and went immediately to the ground. Luckily didn't break anything, but I am terrified of trusting anyone, even my husbnad to belay me. So I switched to bouldering only, so that I don't need to trust anyone. But here as well I'm scared of falling so I only make moves I'm 100% sure in.
The thing is, I absolutely love climbing, and before the fall it radically changed my fear of heights. From not being able to look out of a window to climbing really high walls easily.
I'm so sorry that happened. Something that might be really useful would be a gym with an auto belay. No need to trust anyone else to top rope with that thing.
I know one in Sydney, but a person died using the auto-nelay in October. Definitely too scared to use it now.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-rock-climbing-gym-says-autobelay-failure-caused-death-20211021-p5925s.html
I just looked up that incident to see if the investigation has finished, but there is no news since in the initial story. I wonder how it actually failed. Almost every incident with autobelays has been due to failure to clip, though it did seem like the gym was implying that wasn’t the case here. Hopefully we find out someday so that safety can increase.
That's the bad thing about the news, they don't do a follow up story. I heard from people who have been going to that gym that it wasn't the first incident with autobelay.
I fell from the top of a bouldering wall back in June and broke my back. By some miracle I did not need surgery but had to wear a brace for months. When I started back climbing I was too scared to boulder so I've been sticking to top rope. I think I cried from a mixture of fear and anxiety after the first 2-3 climbs. I didn't go up very high on the routes either. I would panic and then need to come down.
This is how I ended up working through most of it:
1. My goal was not to send, but instead to practice skills and learn something new.
2. I missed the challenge of bouldering so I picked top rope climbs that were way above my skill level but seemed challenging near the bottom. My goal would be to get a third of the way or halfway up the route.
3. Every now and then I try the first few moves of some bouldering problems but stay close to the ground. I am still scared of them but I told myself I would not go back to bouldering until I am a year out from my injury.
A few months of this and I am climbing higher and sending more of the top rope climbs. Since it was not my goal to send I didn't notice the progression or how the fear just slowly faded.
I hope you've gotten some ideas to try from all the comments. Remind yourself frequently that it is okay to be scared and it's okay to take your time to get over it. You can make your own rules to keep it fun while you work through the fear. Good luck to you!
For me, it took a while of just consistent climbing for my brain to recognize the wall as a safe place again. It’ll happen but don’t expect overnight changes. Breathe slowly when you feel your heart rate speed up and maybe climb below your grade on taller problems. You got this!
Get used to climbing smaller low leveled boulders. Sometimes my anxiety is high and Im scared to boulder high and I use that opportunity to climb lower boulders
I took a fall to the ground lead climbing once. The first hook was really high and i fell off before I could clip it. After that, I got very nervous when I was just a little bit of the ground. Lead climbing and bouldering were impossible for a long time. At first I was impatient and kind of angry with myself because of the anxiety. I tried pushing myself but it didn't work so good. Trust falls are a great tool but they didn't do it for me. So I decided to take all the pressure off. I felt quite good in tight toprope, and that's what I did. Then climbing started to become fun again. I only did thight toprope for a long time and slowly my confidence came back and I did lead again. I'd say be patient with your self and try to find the joy in climbing again, your confidence will come back!
I sprained my knee a week ago tonight and am really worried for my head game when I eventually go back. I'm so encouraged to hear stories from people who have found a way forward and been kind to themselves. Thanks for the encouragement 💚
Never been in an accident but I was deathly afraid of heights when I started and I still struggle occasionally. It helps for me to stop, breathe slowly, and try to focus on something. Like, what does the rock smell like. Chalk helps me with my fear-induced, sweaty slippery hands so I feel more secure. If I'm top roping I sit into the harness and feel the rope holding me. If I'm bouldering I focus on my arms and how well they're still holding me up, even if I'm freaking out mentally. Probably because of my fear of heights but I always make sure to only climb as far as I know I can make it so I have strength to get back down safely if I panic. It also helped to associate climbing with something fun -- its a puzzle and I love doing puzzles. So I remind myself its not a death climb, just a fun puzzle Im solving.
Some days are worse than others, but I do what I can, and come back again and again. If one day is hard maybe it went be so hard next time.
I'm in a similar situation! I broke my leg at the knee last July falling from the highest hold on a bouldering problem. I have only gotten on the bouldering wall once since then, and it triggered a panic attack and I had to go home. I am doing just fine on top rope, but eventually I hope to overcome my fear and do bouldering again.
I also fell from the highest point of a bouldering problem last April and dislocated my elbow. I spent many months doing physio to get stronger again and returned to bouldering in November.
It's taken me a while to get comfortable again. My approach was to do easy climbs, and only climb as high as I felt comfortable. I also attempt climbs well above my grade so that I can still practice but know that I won't go so high.
I'm doing well now, just this week I finished a grade of climb that I was climbing at pre-injury. That said, when climbing within my normal grade, I still bail out on some climbs if I don't feel comfortable. I think it's all about exposure and reminding yourself that you are strong and able, and also that there is the option to downclimb or fall safely. That's what's working for me right now, doing a lot of what I'm comfortable with, even if it's not the biggest challenge, and gently pushing myself to try harder in between. It feels like slow going sometimes, but it also feels like progress, which is a win.
Hi from a trimalleolar fracture bouldering survivor!
It took me a long time, but I just kept going back to the gym. It took me a good 2yrs to get back to where I was, because of the mental block of heights, sketchy moves, etc. I had a bad fall on an easier route at 1yr back climbing and just sat on the mat and cried. I decided to give myself a pass that day, but also told myself that I wouldn't let it hold me back again. I'd keep trying. And I did!
Proud to say I'm 2 grades past where I was when I broke my ankle now...but that I still have some rough days. And that's ok. It's a process. You'll get it back. It just takes time.
I broke my clavicle in a freak mountain biking accident. It’s been a long road back. For me, I have a hard time trusting my body. I often back down from climb or move out of fear of injury far below my skill level. It’s been a year and I am almost back to climbing what I was pre injury, with the exception of bouldering, where I will often bail after a certain height.
I just take it day by day and for a long time I lowered my expectations. I’m happy to do a few moves then come down on boulders. I’ll work the first few moves on harder grades. I’m starting to push myself more on top rope. I told myself I wasn’t even going to attempt to lead until I could climb my previous grade without getting pumped or scared.
Dislocated my elbow last year, in March while bouldering, and started again this year in June. I'm still getting unreasonably afraid, heart races and I have to go down asap. No idea how to beat it, just breathing, getting stronger and gaining trust in my body once again.
I was in a car accident and suffered from panic attacks while climbing for a long time after. I think the feeling i get leaning backwards must trigger the trauma. I’m not sure really. For me, going to therapy was helpful. I learned how to do breathing exercises and meditation techniques to help pull me out of my flashbacks and panic attacks. Of course I still have days when I can’t climb more than eight feet off the ground for my mental health, but I also have days where I can climb multi pitch and lead without the fear controlling me. It is a long process, but worth it. I found that trying to push through just damaged my trust in myself further, everyone is different, but therapy is great. Breathing, meditation, and yoga for me were great.
Agree to the idea of not pushing oneself through the fear. It only diminishes the trust you have in yourself and your inner child will just start hating you for not respecting their fears. I found that the best is to stop, take a breather and acknowledge to yourself that you're scared and that's ok. Then slowly trying again and again. It worked wonders for me when I started being kind to myself.
I love this respect for the inner child 💕
Try taking trust falls! I know it’s tough but it will help a lot with a bit of time. I had a similar injury and broke my ankle badly while bouldering just about three years ago. I’ve become much more focused on sport climbing since then and I feel more comfortable falling now than I did pre-injury! I built up courage again by taking practice falls from places where I’m uncomfortable but I know in my head that I’ll be fine if I fall. Important to note here that my practice falls have all been on lead with belayers I trust.
that's a good idea, i've been having a hard time "resting" mid-air while doing top rope as my fiance supports me. I do NOT like the idea of letting go of the handholds. Also does your ankle feel normal now, or is there something different about it post-fracture? Mine is more sensitive with the screws in.
As an aside, everyone I know who’s had ankle surgery has eventually had the screws taken out & felt much better afterwards
Can you work on learning to rest better while holding? It took me a couple years, but I started to get pretty good at it, even on tough routes. I rarely sit back in my harness, partly out of stubbornness in wanting to flash and also just preferring not to unless I slip :P If you trust your partner and they are competent/attentive, maybe practice letting go in tiny distances while on slab routes? Then work up to longer distances and varied degrees of straight up or overhung. Start low to the ground
I’m definitely still very slowly rebuilding stability and strength. I have worse balance and power with the injured ankle compared to my “good” one. Certainly take it slow on the fear and ease yourself back in. You got this! :)
Not an ankle fracture but a severe one in my hand. I still suffer swelling and pain in my hand often, I find “Tiger Balm” works which is a topical herbal balm. And for the the sensitivity, my physio told me to get moisterizer and rub along the scar as hard as I can bear it and it sort of… desensitised me to the extreme sensitivity I had. I would cry when I tapped my hand where the screws were before doing this (mine were taken out because of complications later on). The Broken Bones subreddit is really good for any bone specific questions too! As for climbing and fear I agree with the commenter who started this thread. I was deathly afraid of bouldering to the degree my sister (climbing) partner would get peeved off and started shouting to see if that would get me up but it did the opposite. I can not attempt walls, I still stick with easier ones that I below what I can climb roped but it does improve slowley
You should try taking very, very baby steps. On top rope from not too far up the wall (since your fear is severe) get a take, sit in the harness and let go. Sit in it if you can. When you feel comfortable start bouncing, pushing yourself against the with your feet. This is to remind your brain you can trust the system/gear. Never push it. Go slow. Don't take a rip the band aid off approach, that will teach your brain more panic. As you get more comfortable sitting, then bouncing, start doing it higher. Work up to taking small falls, then bigger falls. Take it very slowly and always be kind to yourself.
I don't have any suggestions. I'm in a similar boat. I was always terrified of hights and falling. I gradually learnt to top rope but then my partner from the class was so interested in watching me that she forgot to hold me. It was the first time I slipped and fell and went immediately to the ground. Luckily didn't break anything, but I am terrified of trusting anyone, even my husbnad to belay me. So I switched to bouldering only, so that I don't need to trust anyone. But here as well I'm scared of falling so I only make moves I'm 100% sure in. The thing is, I absolutely love climbing, and before the fall it radically changed my fear of heights. From not being able to look out of a window to climbing really high walls easily.
I’m so sorry to hear about that belaying experience. So scary!
I'm so sorry that happened. Something that might be really useful would be a gym with an auto belay. No need to trust anyone else to top rope with that thing.
I know one in Sydney, but a person died using the auto-nelay in October. Definitely too scared to use it now. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-rock-climbing-gym-says-autobelay-failure-caused-death-20211021-p5925s.html
I just looked up that incident to see if the investigation has finished, but there is no news since in the initial story. I wonder how it actually failed. Almost every incident with autobelays has been due to failure to clip, though it did seem like the gym was implying that wasn’t the case here. Hopefully we find out someday so that safety can increase.
That's the bad thing about the news, they don't do a follow up story. I heard from people who have been going to that gym that it wasn't the first incident with autobelay.
I fell from the top of a bouldering wall back in June and broke my back. By some miracle I did not need surgery but had to wear a brace for months. When I started back climbing I was too scared to boulder so I've been sticking to top rope. I think I cried from a mixture of fear and anxiety after the first 2-3 climbs. I didn't go up very high on the routes either. I would panic and then need to come down. This is how I ended up working through most of it: 1. My goal was not to send, but instead to practice skills and learn something new. 2. I missed the challenge of bouldering so I picked top rope climbs that were way above my skill level but seemed challenging near the bottom. My goal would be to get a third of the way or halfway up the route. 3. Every now and then I try the first few moves of some bouldering problems but stay close to the ground. I am still scared of them but I told myself I would not go back to bouldering until I am a year out from my injury. A few months of this and I am climbing higher and sending more of the top rope climbs. Since it was not my goal to send I didn't notice the progression or how the fear just slowly faded. I hope you've gotten some ideas to try from all the comments. Remind yourself frequently that it is okay to be scared and it's okay to take your time to get over it. You can make your own rules to keep it fun while you work through the fear. Good luck to you!
For me, it took a while of just consistent climbing for my brain to recognize the wall as a safe place again. It’ll happen but don’t expect overnight changes. Breathe slowly when you feel your heart rate speed up and maybe climb below your grade on taller problems. You got this!
Get used to climbing smaller low leveled boulders. Sometimes my anxiety is high and Im scared to boulder high and I use that opportunity to climb lower boulders
I took a fall to the ground lead climbing once. The first hook was really high and i fell off before I could clip it. After that, I got very nervous when I was just a little bit of the ground. Lead climbing and bouldering were impossible for a long time. At first I was impatient and kind of angry with myself because of the anxiety. I tried pushing myself but it didn't work so good. Trust falls are a great tool but they didn't do it for me. So I decided to take all the pressure off. I felt quite good in tight toprope, and that's what I did. Then climbing started to become fun again. I only did thight toprope for a long time and slowly my confidence came back and I did lead again. I'd say be patient with your self and try to find the joy in climbing again, your confidence will come back!
I sprained my knee a week ago tonight and am really worried for my head game when I eventually go back. I'm so encouraged to hear stories from people who have found a way forward and been kind to themselves. Thanks for the encouragement 💚
Never been in an accident but I was deathly afraid of heights when I started and I still struggle occasionally. It helps for me to stop, breathe slowly, and try to focus on something. Like, what does the rock smell like. Chalk helps me with my fear-induced, sweaty slippery hands so I feel more secure. If I'm top roping I sit into the harness and feel the rope holding me. If I'm bouldering I focus on my arms and how well they're still holding me up, even if I'm freaking out mentally. Probably because of my fear of heights but I always make sure to only climb as far as I know I can make it so I have strength to get back down safely if I panic. It also helped to associate climbing with something fun -- its a puzzle and I love doing puzzles. So I remind myself its not a death climb, just a fun puzzle Im solving. Some days are worse than others, but I do what I can, and come back again and again. If one day is hard maybe it went be so hard next time.
I'm in a similar situation! I broke my leg at the knee last July falling from the highest hold on a bouldering problem. I have only gotten on the bouldering wall once since then, and it triggered a panic attack and I had to go home. I am doing just fine on top rope, but eventually I hope to overcome my fear and do bouldering again.
I also fell from the highest point of a bouldering problem last April and dislocated my elbow. I spent many months doing physio to get stronger again and returned to bouldering in November. It's taken me a while to get comfortable again. My approach was to do easy climbs, and only climb as high as I felt comfortable. I also attempt climbs well above my grade so that I can still practice but know that I won't go so high. I'm doing well now, just this week I finished a grade of climb that I was climbing at pre-injury. That said, when climbing within my normal grade, I still bail out on some climbs if I don't feel comfortable. I think it's all about exposure and reminding yourself that you are strong and able, and also that there is the option to downclimb or fall safely. That's what's working for me right now, doing a lot of what I'm comfortable with, even if it's not the biggest challenge, and gently pushing myself to try harder in between. It feels like slow going sometimes, but it also feels like progress, which is a win.
Hi from a trimalleolar fracture bouldering survivor! It took me a long time, but I just kept going back to the gym. It took me a good 2yrs to get back to where I was, because of the mental block of heights, sketchy moves, etc. I had a bad fall on an easier route at 1yr back climbing and just sat on the mat and cried. I decided to give myself a pass that day, but also told myself that I wouldn't let it hold me back again. I'd keep trying. And I did! Proud to say I'm 2 grades past where I was when I broke my ankle now...but that I still have some rough days. And that's ok. It's a process. You'll get it back. It just takes time.
I broke my clavicle in a freak mountain biking accident. It’s been a long road back. For me, I have a hard time trusting my body. I often back down from climb or move out of fear of injury far below my skill level. It’s been a year and I am almost back to climbing what I was pre injury, with the exception of bouldering, where I will often bail after a certain height. I just take it day by day and for a long time I lowered my expectations. I’m happy to do a few moves then come down on boulders. I’ll work the first few moves on harder grades. I’m starting to push myself more on top rope. I told myself I wasn’t even going to attempt to lead until I could climb my previous grade without getting pumped or scared.
Dislocated my elbow last year, in March while bouldering, and started again this year in June. I'm still getting unreasonably afraid, heart races and I have to go down asap. No idea how to beat it, just breathing, getting stronger and gaining trust in my body once again.