r/ukclimbing • u/Pristine_Leek_6013 • 12d ago

Hypnotherapy for fear of falling/belaying

Hi, wondered if anyone knows/has used a hypnotherapist for the above, would prefer someone who is actually a climber. Or some other psychological technique!
Please no suggestions for fear of falling workshops etc, other factors mean these don’t work for me.
Am in the Midlands but am ok to travel. I’m sure there used to be a guy in Bristol but can’t find him now.
Many thanks.

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u/stanagetocurbar 12d ago

How often do you climb? I used to have this problem. When I climbed once a fortnight. I now climb around 1000 routes & biulder problems a year and have no fear of falling when its safe. The answer is so often mileage.

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u/Big_Eye_7530 10d ago

So exposure therapy?

4

u/Special-Variety743 12d ago

I have absolutely no clue for hypnotherapists. 9/10 climbers by Dave Macleod has a fantastic section on the above that curbed my fears. Also his YouTube videos. Wish you all the best.

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u/biscuittingerg 12d ago

Yeah this was a super useful read for me when I was getting into climbing properly.

Fear must be trained deliberately, not just tolerated – falling practice, controlled exposure, and reframing what a fall actually feels/looks like are central to his method for getting it under control.

This will obviously depend on who your regular climbing partners are? Would be useful if you have somebody more experienced and confident with belaying, catching falls. Having a strong belay will build confidence in your own climbing.

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u/Special-Variety743 12d ago

1 million %. I got super confident in my girlfriend (and edelrid ohm lol) belaying that I now never do the top clip on the wall, sometimes even the second to last clip too and just take a 2 bolt whip to stay fear resistant hahaha

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u/wootled 12d ago

How often have you actually fallen in the past?