# Casadastraphobia - fear of falling into the sky



## daniel83

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.


----------



## daniel83

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


----------



## Beelz

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.


----------



## Lulu17

*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]


----------



## Omgblood

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


----------



## i just want luv

me too


----------



## daniel83

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?


----------



## Invisiblehandicap

daniel83 said:


> 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


----------



## wxolue

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.


----------



## Beamer

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?


----------



## JohnWalnut

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.


----------



## Boring Loser

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.


----------



## DesperationDance

*Casadastraphobia.*

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


----------



## Groouf

*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.


----------



## littlewoman

*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?


----------



## Lokis Whispers

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.


----------



## Zack

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.


----------



## wrongnumber

littlewoman said:


> 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.


----------



## daniel83

littlewoman said:


> 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?


Hi, I have exactly the same, a trip to NY would be horror for me, although I would so love to go there one day.

Thanks also to all the other people who responded!!

I don't know, I read somewhere that this could stem from separation anxiety in your childhood, but it could also be a balance problem, sometimes I do feel like there's something wrong my eyes and balance!

could it be OCD perhaps, mine has traits of OCD definately in that I obsess over these thoughts, when I don't think about them I feel kind of better.


----------



## Groouf

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 : [email protected]


----------



## blue2

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...


----------



## Silent Screams

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...


----------



## Groouf

*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


----------



## Zack

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


----------



## CrackerJackson

*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


----------



## Shirotora

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.


----------



## aaronkk

CrackerJackson said:


> 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.


----------



## jdavie

*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.


----------



## JohnWalnut

Shirotora said:


> 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.


----------



## derpresion

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/


----------



## daniel83

Hello everyone,

I'm very sorry, I haven't been able to answer some of your posts since I've been away for a while. I'm sad that you all have to go through this, since it's absolutely devastating but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one with this problem, I don't even know if 'Casadastrophobia' is the right term for this.

I've been feeling a bit better for the past couple of weeks but only because I've been completely distracted from 'the sky'. It does make me wonder if this could be simply some type of OCD, what do you guys think??

Somewhere on another forum a person mentioned 'childhood separation anxiety' in early years, I definately is true with me, I was abandoned as a child, but it could be simply OCD, because I feel when I don't think about the sky I actually feel better.

I'm now having trouble standing at crossroads (is that a right English word? lol). I'm still having trouble looking at the sky and looking 'up' so to speak. I've just been distracted lately (got a new job, finally, yay). But I was also avoiding places, not soo good I know. I hate this floaty feeling and it immediately sends me into a panic attack, it's like the neverending limitless (scary!) sky wants to suck me up, it's a truly horrifying fear, even worse in summer imho, I noticed when it rains or snows it's not the same because I feel like there is a layer between me and the sky, sounds weird no??


----------



## Silent Screams

Hi guys,

Quick update, since my last post I've been looking for help with this phobia, and since of october I found someone. Don't know if anyone has heard of this, but this therapy is called EMDR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMDR). I've had 3 sessions, and I already notice a difference, so does my envirement. I'm not yet completely rid of it, but I have high hopes, this kind of therapy really seems to work for me, and I wanted to let you guys know, maybe this information can help someone else...

Good luck!


----------



## Silent Screams

Sorry for the dubble post, but I forgot to mention that my therapist also helped someone who feared that she would simply float away which is kind of similar I guess, and that person is completely rid of it!


----------



## meow moo

*so other people feel this way...*

I can't remember the first time this happened but I know that I was outside and I was an adult. It may have been during fireworks like it was this weekend when it hit me again for the first time in a long time. I don't have social anxiety and this fear doesn't happen all the time when I'm outside, but I haaaaaaate it. See I actually enjoy the outdoors, but all I want to do is run inside when this happens. I become obsessed with the idea that I'm going to be sucked into space. I can't even look up when it happens and I have to find something heavy and sollid to hang onto or I start feeling dizzy and panic sets in.:afr I can also have this happen in a large room with high ceilings such as an arena. I'm careful never to look up at a concert or in a mall. At least in a concert I can hang onto the seat though. Outside it's horrible. Ruins my ability to enjoy anything while it's happening, and no amount of rationalizing helps. I can go a long time without even thinking about it but then suddenly there it is again. At least I now know that other people in the world feel this way... the really strange twist is that I sometimes have lucid dreams and as soon as i realize i'm dreaming I am so excited because I can fly, I always fly and it's exhilarating and empowering. Thinking about those dreams during an awake episode thought just makes me feel more panic. Gotta say, for some people, sometimes life can just friggin suck!


----------



## JackMasterj

derpresion said:


> 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.


----------



## komorikun

Afraid of being castrated, what?


----------



## arnie

When I was a child staring upside into the sky, I had a similar thought. Not really an actual fear though. :stu



komorikun said:


> Afraid of being castrated, what?


Maybe he's afraid of being circumcised. :teeth


----------



## Hermiter

Hmm never had that. If i look up in a tall building my pee gets cold im not sure if thats the same thing haha


----------



## Groouf

Hello everyone,

I'm coming back to you with my thoughts today regarding our problem. I think sharing and finding commonalities could help us find causes and treatments.

Things are going up and down for me. My opinion today (it can evolve of course) is that this problem is a mix of several elements, which is why the therapies I've done didn't succeed in curing it totally.
I think there is first a sort of vertigo due to a problem with eyes or internal ear or related to the body. This one is very "hardware" based. And then I think that based on this first sensation we felt someday, there is a psychologic phenomenon between phobia and OCD that put in our brain a fearfull thought that sky could suck us up. I think that confronted to this vertigo, the inconscious brain wrongly assumed that what we were feeling could actually happen. This is why I agree with you Daniel83 that this could be an OCD.

I think this process has been made possible by a previous state of anxiety and or stress and a certain type of personality (I am prone to obsessive thinking in general). When this problem occured for me, i was in a new job where I was having a lot of stress due to social phobia. It's like my brain had to much and did some sort of "burn out" in the form of this phobia/OCD.

What drives my opinion of the brain as a part of the problem and not only the body is that my phobia has quickly come to obsessive thinking. Hours, weeks and months after first feeling this, I was not only afraid of seeing the sky, but also by thinking about the sky, space or emptiness. Then came frightening thoughts about death, metaphysic questioning, doubts about other people and the world really existing or not (with feelings of derealization), impulse phobias (fear of having an impulsion to do harm to someone).

These other symptoms make me think that there is some relation with OCD. In my understanding, phobias are considered fears of a situation, but are fears of the thought of a situation phobias or obsessive thinking ? I found people talking about obsessive phobias for those kind of thoughts.

I've also noticed that I tend not to have this phobia when I dream, or just if I am close to waking up. It's like when I'm sleeping, the part of my brain which creats this phobia is sleeping too.

Something else is how much my general emotional state makes things better or worse. I know when I am to much under stress, fears come stronger and more frequent to a point where I am totally frightened. When I am in a more quiet period, things can be much better even if I have never been in a feeling that everything has totally vanished. Which is the state I am of course looking after. Not that everything is ok, but that these irrational and fearfull thoughts are gone.

I think Cognitive and Behavorial Therapy has helped make things more livable, perhaps I should have continue with this therapy but after 2 years, I wanted to try something else. I have done EMDR and can't see any results, perhaps small improvments. My new strategy is to work on being more confortable in my life, more secured, more quiet and relaxed. I've moved in another city and I'm looking for a new job (unemployment is generating anxiety for now). I try to practice sport and everything that could contribute to a healthier life. I'm working on my social anxiety and assertiveness to be more confortable with people, so that they are not a source of stress to me (which is perhaps the cause of all these problems)

I've stopped trying to much to find a solution because this had become obsessive and stressful too. I just keep informed from time to time and check the forum to see if I find new informations or testimonials. I think sharing is a good way to try and find causes and treatment. The similarities in symptoms between all of us makes it evident to me that we share a common problems that probably has common roots and solutions. Therefore, a consciencious comparison of our stories would be a good idea in my opinion. For example, like Daniel83, a big blue sky is more frightening to me that a cloudy sky, rain or snow. Perhaps because it looks more empty. I have a problem with big monuments too, zeppelin (but not really with planes, dont know why), ...

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading


----------



## fair sprite

Interesting. I have had nightmares where I fall off the earth like gravity is all messed up. I also have had dreams where I am in a car and I try to climb the hill but the hill is too steep and I and the car fall. I usually have nightmares when my anxiety is really high.


----------



## ilisius

*casadastraphobia*

Man, it feels good not to be alone. I developed this phobia in my mid twenties. I had my first panic attack in my late teen and then other phobias showed up one by one including the one above. Cloudy skies are friendlier to me. Bright blue sunny skies hit me bad unless my mind is occupied with some other matters. I always try hard to get my mind on something else when walking down the street and always close to a covered space. Beaches are terrifying as well as large open spaces such as parks, deserts, beaches, etc. I am able to lay down in the sun only near a large tree or close to a covered place. I wish I could lay on my back and stare at the stars withoiut fears. This phobia has gotten worse with the years. Glad to hear I ma not alone. French born guy in US here.


----------



## daniel83

yes, it's really comforting not to be alone with this, I'm sorry you're all going through this, I had it very bad yesterday, in summer it's always worse especially when I'm in town where I have to traverse large open places, what I noticed recently is that I'm having problems now waiting for traffic lights to go green, I don't know if you guys know what I mean, I hate wating on crossroads


----------



## SummerRae

when i'm up high and i look up i feel like i'm going to fall into the sky.


----------



## Gwynevere

Omg, I had no idea there was a name for this! I actually don't think I have this, since it's not something I ever think about, except, that when I fly kites I get this weird panic while looking up and watching it go that i might fall upwards. Like I genuinely felt in that moment that I could fall off the earth, and I had to sit down and calm myself.


----------



## bottleofblues

Ive had that thought sometimes when lying on the ground looking up at a sunny sky, though without fear, but that the only thing that stops me from falling into the sky and floating out into space and certain death is gravity.
You gotta realize gravity is what binds this planet together it ain't gonna let you go anywhere.


----------



## DNYC

*I have this problem*

I have almost the same issues. Terrible fear of being near tall building, fear of looking up at anything tall or vast (like an open sky). I panic in theaters or arenas with high ceilings. I can't sit on a beach without cowering under an umbrella with my palms sweating. I never associated it with a fear of falling up. I just panic at the tallness, or vastness or distance. I have had therapy with did not help. I am now about to start a series of tests to determine if this is a vestibular disorder causing spatial disoriantation. I would love to know if anyone has had success treating this problem.


----------



## findyourself

daniel83 said:


> 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.


Well I have a phobia of vomiting, being physically sick and illnesses. I'm a big germaphobic too. It sometimes makes me cry.


----------



## Scrub-Zero

Steve-300 said:


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


Isn't that called common sense?


----------



## eveningbat

Never heard of it. However, I am often scared of falling down from the stairs.


----------



## ukmercenary

I just Googled this, I don't like sunbathing and when I look up at the sky I think what would happen if gravity turned off and falling into space 

I thought nothing of it until earlier this year was on a snowboarding holiday in the French Apls. I was sitting in out snowboarding group on top of the snowcovered mountain looking around all I could see was big scary mountains and blue sky.

The fact im now to snowboarding too didnt help and the fact my instructor was just chatting away I would have been ok if we where moving i think not just sitting there.

I had to cancel the lesson and I remember feeling a bit sick and having to sit down by the life ski place and circling up in a little ball. Im 35 ! it was totally illogical !

Least I know im not the only one I guess its a phase I never used to be like it .
I have since been on a walk up a very high mountain glacier in Austria I still found it hard but least i done it.


----------



## gazzub

cant believe it..ive found some people with the same sort of problem. being a man you dont wanna talk about these things. my attacks started about 7 years ago didnt leave the house for 2 years because of them, my first attack was in a football stadium. thought i was gonna die. then they slowly got better about 3 years ago. now alas its all coming back again. going to the doctor this week. just people sharing on here has helped me. though i was proper losing the plot. cryed when i knew im not the only one who feels like this,,,thanks for sharing people, im gonna do somthing about it now.


----------



## jroYAHWEH

*anyone open to Spiritual Beliefs?*

I have been a believer and follower of Jesus for some time now. Separate from religion. In touch with Spirituality.
I have had this fear since I can remember. I always considered it a dramatization when i was lifted upside down while laying on my stomach watching tv; a trick my uncle played on me, according to him, i screamed my head off.. but understanding this problem has a wider range then myself alone, maybe I was born that way??
I was born again last year, and through that time, my Spirituality has been truly activated, although I'm about as dependable as an ice cube in the middle of august, the Spiritual eye avails broader visions and wise counsel..
I was laying outside of the church with a friend of mine.. He laid back, and I was avoiding doing so too, but felt challenged on my heart to do so, and i did.. i was squirmish and tense, but focused above.. i was led to ponder, what is inside of me that fears a loss of gravity.. Why is my friend relaxed and singing to himself, and I'm on the verge of crying, wanting to scream for help.. I could have gotten up, but determination kept me to seek and answer from within..
It felt as though there is a Spiritual connection to this rare and interesting phobia.. I could be wrong, but it seemed as if my Spirit seeks a special calling that, while being in my body, does not quite grasp or fully understand to even remain comfortable in such a "minor situation"..
This last experience happened last night, I was so intrigued by this thought, that I searched online for answers and expertise on this Casadastraphobia, and I found forums..
Is there any feedback or extra ideas considering these things?? All input is welcome.. thanks


----------



## jroYAHWEH

*I agree with you*



DNYC said:


> I have almost the same issues. Terrible fear of being near tall building, fear of looking up at anything tall or vast (like an open sky). I panic in theaters or arenas with high ceilings. I can't sit on a beach without cowering under an umbrella with my palms sweating. I never associated it with a fear of falling up. I just panic at the tallness, or vastness or distance. I have had therapy with did not help. I am now about to start a series of tests to determine if this is a vestibular disorder causing spatial disoriantation. I would love to know if anyone has had success treating this problem.


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, yes?? honest feedback please. thank you


----------



## hiith

I have had similar experiences, especially when I was little. It was never bad, nor was it too much of a problem. It is now very small and only happens during the day.

But I don't think that such a thing is a spiritual reaction. It seems to me like it's caused from seeing such a wide-open space and having very little sense of where you are standing/sitting/lying, and is an exaggeration of a natural instinct to not fall, and to back away from a ledge. I also avoid ledges much more than others do, which seems like it is related to my experience with this (I would often imagine as a child what it would be like if I fell, and I would imagine that the floor was crumbling from under me).


----------



## jroYAHWEH

Groouf said:


> 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


----------



## jroYAHWEH

Silent Screams said:


> 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


----------



## jroYAHWEH

i have read numerous shares on this particular forum and am amazed by the relative experience and similarities concerning our emotions and how others compare this to dreams they have experienced. I am exceptionally prone to believing this is a matter of a spiritual ignition, a spark, an attempt for a calling tap into us..
Example: you ever draw a pullstring of a lawn mower?? it may take a few tugs to get the motor running, and when it gets going, it does what its meant to do.
Compare that to our situation. When we make eye contact to the universe, or the endless skies, can something bigger than us try talking to us by tugging on something inside of us?? and we never tend to start up because our phobia prevents us from igniting? 
i saw a dream mentioned in this forum where somebody drives up a steep hill, and before reaching the tippy top, the car tumbles backwards and falls.. ive had those same dreams..
I've also had outer body experience dreams.. dreams where I am pulled up, dreams where I am floating up, and dreams where i can jump 5 football fields into the sky.. the dreams where I am "pulled up" Ive had for a number of years now, alot more common from my early twenties (im now 31) frightened me very much at first, although im still not too fond of the whole being "pulled up", i learned to deal with it when i feel it happening..
I have also encountered a phenomenon known as Sleep-Paralysis, (not sleep apnea).. the research i found about this at first (my late teens early twenties period) considered this a hallucination, but other recent study shows it to be a visit from an unfriendly spirit.. what is it doing and why does it occur?? I do not know, but it is not a good feeling.. I do know that in all situations it is meant to make us stronger, through knowledge and experience. 

aside from this phobia, does anybody relate to these other experiences I have encountered?

I am considering a spiritual gift or calling that we do not understand considering we are still in our fleshly bodies.. our brains only know so much, and study says we only use 10 percent of it, whats the potential in the remaining 90?.. we cannot comprehend forever, long-lasting, and to no end, which is the basis of our pulling away from our sky vision.. i feel like our spirits wish to be awakened to a calling, but our bodies pull back for lack of understanding..
The only thing to fear is fear itself**


----------



## Lt SunshineBear

I thought me and my brother were the only people that had this fear. He told me about his fear of the sky when I was pretty young, and by about the age of 11 I realized I was fricken frightened of looking up at clear skies. I still loved roller coasters and rides, but I could never let myself look at the sky when I was upside down. Then, one fateful day, I hiked up a mountain. 
I thought it would help me get over both my fear of heights and of the sky. It didn't. 

You know that "frozen in place" feeling; that blood turning cold, conscious of every nerve ending, brain stops functioning, too-much-fear kind of feeling. Every couple of minutes that hit me. For I don't even know how many hours, that just kept hitting me. I ended up enjoying it a little bit, but man was it difficult.

If you want to do something like that to get rid of your fear, know that it might not work. I suppose that at the very least I can use those memories to overshadow my normal level of fear.


----------



## Piggy

*Lets get started*

Hello there guys, My name is Tristan, I've suffered from this phobia for nearly 9 years and i'll be the first to say that this is some serious **** to be honest with you. I'm currently going through CBT in the UK with no effect, like everyone else, exposure is too difficult and there are no 'half-measures' when you have a fear of falling into the sky. I have been told to stop my CBT while I check for physical issues. What would be really helpful is if the people who posted about balance disorder checks also posted the results of those checks (which when I have mine done, I will post here ASAP). Really its time to get this sorted guys, we've got the diagnosis and symptoms, we just need the cure now. Our best bet is checking whether there are any physical issues which will have the same effect of losing balance in an open environment. Lets get this topic hot again and finally start posting some results on here.


----------



## Zack

I remember when I learnt that a fear of heights isn't really a fear of heights, _it's really a fear of jumping_. Not accidentally falling, but a strong urge to jump just to know how that feels. Since I was very young I never had a problem admitting that I had a fear of heights, but secretly I knew it was a fear of jumping and there was no way I would admit that because I thought that was just me. There was no mainstream Internet back then so I couldn't just tap that question into Google.


----------



## ivek

Hello from Croatia.

I hate this damn phobia. I'm so mad I'm shaking while writing this.

I've always had a fear of looking and falling into the sky, but I've managed to control it with "grounding" myself by holding to some object or going somewhere with a roof - even if it's a small bus station or a payphone.

I used to ride my bike, walk or run thru vast open spaces without any problems, but last few months have been just terrible. 
I sometimes can't even get out of my house and it's driving my crazy. 
Don't know is it because all of the stress I've had for the last couple of months or I'm going mad.

I went running two days ago (in the evening) and I had no problem with it. I conviced myself that there's really nothing to be afraid of. I woke up the day after wanting to go outside and look at the sky. And I did that. 
I had no problem of walking alone and looking in the tall building or the sky. I felt a little discomfort, but it was nothing.

Today I've had a small panic attack. I was returning from my work break and the sky just hit me. I couldn't look up, I couldn't look down, my palms became sweaty, I was afraid of my own shadow. But soon as I left the open space and found myself between some buildings I was OK.

I can never lie on my back when I'm in the open, I can't look at airplanes, I never look at the stars and I've never been in a plane. And I've lived with it just fine 

But as I sad, the last few months have been terrible. I'm assuming it's from the stress. I had some tought exams in college, I'm basically alone during the week (my girlfriend and my friend live in another town) 'cause I have to study and work (I'm moving back soon, but not soon enough).

I belive that *I've made my phobia worse* always thinking about the loneliness and the stress I've had with my exams (and belive me, I've had some sh*t times ).

Yes, I'm real scared that I will end up somewhere in the clouds sometimes. But I *belive* that this sh*t *can be managed.* I've managed to keep it under control as long I was OK with the current situations in my life. 
I'll try to control it by positive thinking and looking forward to some nice things that await me. 
Sometimes I think it would be fun if something just pulled me up 

Suddenly my hands stoped shaking :clap

Always think about something else! Always. Don't let the sky and the blank space be always in your head (Taylor Swift is OK- you can listen to her blank space  ). We all know nothing's gonna happen - so let's focus on something else.

Sorry if there is bad english in my reply. I usually don't write a lot in english.

I'm here for support and advice


----------



## GameOverMan

I had this last year, developed it early in the year. I had a panic attack at my house/inside which was unrelated to it. But the panic attack put me on edge about basically everything and my fear of the sky/unstable/open spaces and vertigo all doubled in harshness afterwards. It became a struggle to be outside and look up and I would feel like i was spinning etc. Its not as bad anymore it took me a good year to get over it, but now im more sedentary than ever before though.


----------



## wrongguy

i have a fear of falling into the ground


----------



## Ravolies

Hello, my family do not believe me when i have the fear of falling into to the sky i tried to explain it to my brother but he called me a liar and said i only wanted attention -sorry if it had spelling errors- it sucks because its got to the point where i cant go outside


----------



## doomriden

I feel this but with the ocean. Way scarier imo...


----------



## KILOBRAVO

i am constantly surprised at the things anxiety seems to be able to do to people here.. I never heard of this phobia before.

its like kind of inverted vertigo. the OP is afraid of falling ''up'' 

is the OP afraid of heights? its sound like fear of open spaces? agoraphobia? is the OP's sense of coordination and balance alright?


----------



## Shail27

I have had this fear since I was a little boy (6 or 7) and like you said I hate being in huge open fields without a roof because (even though it sounds soo fake) I think I will actually start falling into the sky and not by aliens. I was just bored and I decided to try to find my fear name and I found this thread. I'm 14 now so my parents can still drag me to firework shows which I think fireworks are awesome but I can't look up into the sky to see them or else I get scared.


----------



## Shail27

To add on to my reply I also have tyraphobia, a fear of heights, tiny fear of clowns, arachnophobia, achluophobia (which isn't the fear of dark itself it's the great of what is hiding in the dark awaiting to come and get me which seems childish but it's true) and I used to trick myself by thinking I had anitedephobia (I know I spelled it wrong) but this individual fear I have managed to only get around when I'm not thinking about it such as a relaxing bike ride but when I'm sitting in an open field I can't stop thinking about it and when I think about this fear I always grab something that's attached to the ground.


----------



## cdr2389

*May be a form of "Pure OCD"*

Though this thread began a long time ago, I'm replying in case others are reading. This is probably a form of Pure OCD in which case the most effective therapy is Imaginal Exposure (a form of ERP) in combination with Act Therapy or Mindfulness therapy. It's not an easy therapy because it does require that you immerse yourself in the anxiety (imagining floating off) and then learn to stay with the anxiety until your brain becomes habituated to it. That will help your brain break the loop, so to speak, that makes you continually anxious about it. It's a very difficult form of OCD to live with because, unlike germs, you can't get away from it, and many therapists may not recognize it as OCD because the compulsions are internal (ruminating on it, mentally arguing with it, etc.) You might want to look at Steven Phillipson's site "OCD online", especially the articles on Pure OCD, to see if that sounds like what you are experiencing.


----------



## Belle598

I am so, so glad I'm not the only one! I've tried explaining this phobia to my parents, sisters, and a few family members but they just don't understand. "There's no way you can fall upward." "Just remember it's impossible, and if gravity ever stopped working, we'd probably be dead within minutes." I get a horrible feeling, like I'm falling when I look up at the sky. I mostly get it if I'm laying on the grass looking up at the stars, or "Cloud Gazing." I just can't do it. I get scared and have to stand or sit up. I get the same feeling when I'm looking up at a tall building from the ground. I know gravity is working, but it kinda feels like I'm in a snowglobe, and at any minute the world is gunna get shook up, and we'll all fling out into space. Lol I know, it sounds crazy, and I probably sound crazy, but it's really nice to know this is an actual thing. >.>


----------



## Ryan12

Hello I might be young but as far as I remember I would never like to look up at tall buildings, if I did I felt as if I was about to tip over


----------



## lonerroom

You are not crazy, everyone has different phobias, I knew one girl who was terrified of raisins. Absoultely terrified of raisins that they made her scream when she saw one.


----------



## millenniumman75

lonerroom said:


> You are not crazy, everyone has different phobias, I knew one girl who was terrified of raisins. Absoultely terrified of raisins that they made her scream when she saw one.


There was a girl on the Maury show who was deathly afraid of pickles.


----------



## WillYouStopDave

Never heard of this. I hate heights so I can kind of identify with the fear of falling. I can't even look at videos taken from very high places. But falling into the sky is something that I guess kinda sounds like something that might be caused by some kind of hallucination or flashback from a nightmare or something.


----------



## lonerroom

millenniumman75 said:


> There was a girl on the Maury show who was deathly afraid of pickles.


Poor girl  I think I saw this when I was a teenager, this looks familiar. I feel bad for her, most people would think its funny that she is so scared but she has her own reasons to be scared of them. I do hope she overcomes this one day.


----------



## Didntknowiwasntalone

I feel alot like you reading your story I kept saying yes that's me that's me to the only big difference is even with other people while I most of the time can stay outside a little longer it's only about 15 mins when I'm off my meds


----------



## gs80

I have acrophobia. I have felt it in real life situations. I always had really bad knightmares about standing on the top and on the edge of a tall buiding without any fences/walls around me, and when i realised that (during my dream) i fell on my knees or i crouched, standing still without the ability to move. The anxiety alone, made me feel that i'd rather fall over the building and make it stop, than endure any more of that anxiety. 10 years ago (i'm 36 y/o now) when i was out in the open, during a night outdoors concert i just looked up to the sky. I saw the clear night sky and then it just hit me. The first moment i realised that i was afraid that i would fall right in to the night sky, and i tried to hold on to something. There wasn't something close-by to hold on and i panicked. I tried to keep my cool. I didn't hold it to myself because after my panic attack i told it to my bff. She understood what i just had experienced but she didn't quite get it. It was the same feeling as watching some crazy people on you tube walking on tall buildings/ledges or hanging over the void.:afr Recently i watched (or better, i tried to watch :eek) an anime that is called ''Patema Inverted''. It is about a girl that for her alone, the gravity is reversed. She walks on the ceiling of a cabin and by looking through the door she doesn't perceive the earth as the ground but the bottomless sky. During one scene particularly she is holding hands with a boy. He was hopping and moonwalking on the ground and she was above him and ''under'' her was the sky. It was like he was pulling him towars the sky and she was pulling him towards the ground, but since he was heavier the remained mostly on the ground. This was an extremely frightening feeling for me, even though i was watching an anime on my tablet. I hope that i get over it. I'm planning (in the near future) on going for bungee jumping for ''curing'' my acrophobia. I hope that this experience will also be beneficial for my casadastrophobia. When i go camping i can't lie on my back and watch the night sky. I know that my fear (falling to the sky) is totally irrational. It doesn't happen very often but i realise that i keep myself (subconsciously) from looking to the night/day sky. The feeling sucks. My fear is irrational. I'll try to end it. I'll keep you posted. Thank for listening to me.


----------



## gs80

I wanted to correct some grammar/typing mistakes but i don't know how to edit my previous post.


----------



## gs80

*It was like she was pulling him towards the sky and he was pulling her towards the ground, but since he was heavier they remained mostly on the ground.(bunnyhopping)


----------



## Ruairidh Sandison

*I'm not alone!*

So great to read this to find out other people have this crappy 'phobia'.

Anytime I'm in an open space, out in the sun and looking up at tall structures or open sky I have this horrible, intense, panicky feeling. Really difficult to describe this but I understand that some of you are experiencing exactly the same thing as me. The intense feeling happens very quickly but I then feel it will happen again unless I go inside or to a covered area. This can ruin a day and it usually happens when I'm on holiday abroad which is even worse! Going to music festivals in the summer is proving more and more difficult every year as I'm constantly worrying that I'll have another 'panic attack', and I normally do.

The first time I can remember it happening was 2 years ago in Barcelona. I was lying down looking at the beautiful clear blue sky when all of a sudden a rush of incredible fear came over me and I struggled to look up at the sky for the rest of the day (until it was darker). It was like my brain had just calculated the vastness of space in front of me and piled it all on me at once. (I am definitely not smart enough to deal with such a ridiculous sum).

Heights and flying haven't bothered me but now I get a very similar feeling when in these situations. Looking at pictures of space or planets can also affect me, which is horrible because I love anything to do with it. The fear of falling into the sky doesn't really relate to me as I don't feel that I'm going to leave the ground.

I really can't be arsed living with it for the rest of my life! So I hope there are ways to fight it and if anyone has any tips, that would be nice.


----------



## millenniumman75

I just saw the 1984 Iceman movie about a Neanderthal being thawed out from ice.
The end of the movie would probably put this fear to bed.


----------



## truant

I have this fear on occasion. It happens a lot in movie theaters, or other buildings with very high ceilings, but less often outside, unless I'm looking straight up at the sky, or up the side of a tall building. The feeling is essentially identical to the feeling I would get looking down from a tall building. My brain just treats the two distances the same way. When it happens when I'm in a theater, I hold onto the seat so that I don't fall up and break my neck on the ceiling.


----------



## quick2cents

I just wanted to post here after stumbling across this forum. I have had anxiety issues on and off over the years, but nothing of significance for almost 10 years.

I have casadastraphobia and have for as long as I can remember (4 years old is my earliest recollection). When I do look a many of the scenes mentioned by other posters, I lose all feeling in my legs from the knees down. This means that I can't feel the ground so I feel like I'm lifting off the ground (illogical, but hey, phobias are). I've always described it as a fear of plummeting upwards, or a fear of infinite depth. 

Phobias aren't always a fear sensation, it can also be an "irrational aversion", and that's what I experience. The idea that it's some form of balance problem or vertigo makes sense. It generally only happens when my head is tipped quite far back. Then with each second and I get more and more convinced that I'm going to "plummet up" and eventually I'm compelled to stop looking. Once I straighten up I feel a little fuzzy for a few minutes, but then I'm fine. No fear or anxiety, just an intense and irrational unpleasant sensation. It got bad when my anxiety was at it's worst, but these days I find it amusing and I experiment with the sensation to work out what can set it off.

I guess I just wanted to share that to be reassuring. Chances are casadastraphobia is a balance issue that exists on it's own, but when we have anxiety problems at the same time it gets exacerbated. If you find a way to manage or treat your other anxiety issues, this physiological issue can just be an odd quirk that you forget you even have. That's my experience and I wish you all as much fortune, i.e. successful anxiety treatment/management and quirks that amuse oneself instead of stressing oneself!


----------



## Unclegnat

I literally had to take a break driving today. It just doesnâ€™t make sense to me how an invisible force holds me down when the earth is spinning at such a high rate of speed. I have always had a fear of heights and now Iâ€™m 47 and this new phobia just started to where I think I will just come off the ground and get slung into the sky or space, and I know itâ€™s irrational and sounds very stupid. My wife thinks Iâ€™m losing it.


----------



## WillYouStopDave

I had an odd episode once when I smoked a blunt with a couple of guys I knew. I don't know if it was just really strong or if maybe one of them put something in it but I was feeling OK for a while and then I started feeling really strange. It came on me really fast and the best way to describe what I felt was like my consciousness was dissolving into the air around me. Not really the same as a fear of falling into the sky but it was terrifying. Never felt anything like it before or since.


----------



## Noca

I have this fear if I am lying on the ground looking up at the sky or looking through a panoramic roof in a car up at the sky. I have a fear of heights as well and I guess my brain thinks I am going to fall. Only seems to be an issue if I cant see the ground in the same field of view.


----------

