I have always suffered from mild acrophobia, also known as fear of heights. It has never been severe enough to significantly impact my life, just enough to make me a bit shaky on ladders and high balconies. Until I went to work for Universal Orlando, that is.

If you have ever been there, you may have seen the Earthquake attraction (now replaced by Disaster). In the last pre-show before the main ride, an audience volunteer plays the role of “Stuntman” in a reenactment of a scene from the 1970s Earthquake film.

One of my positions was “Stunt Coordinator.” That meant I had to hang out on a tiny platform 30 feet in the air. There was a guardrail around the platform, and I was safely secured by an elaborate harness system. But the feeling was that the platform was just sort of floating out in mid-air.

The first time my trainer took me up to the platform, I learned what acrophobia really is. Harness or not, I hugged the wall like my life depended on it. I couldn’t do my job. I couldn’t even step out onto the platform. I felt shaky and hot and slightly dizzy. My heart pounded.

Fortunately my trainer had dealt with it before. She had me sit down just a few inches from the wall. We watched another employee perform the job, and we just sat and chatted calmly. This helped my breathing to regulate and my nerves to calm. Over the next hour or so, I was gradually able to make my way out onto the platform, just a little at a time. Eventually I was able to stand up and perform the job.

I never quite got over being nervous up there, no matter how many times I did it. But I did get to the point that it was manageable. I found that during a shift, I didn’t really have time to be scared. If I did get nervous, I sat down and did deep breathing for a few moments. I got used to the height, at least well enough to do my job.

What about you? I opened a new folder in the forums for you to share your experiences. By sharing our stories, we can all help each other learn to cope.