03-31-2011, 01:56 AM
Imagine you have this friend, who is terrified of elevators. One day both of you want to visit someone living on the 25th floor... as you enter the building your friend as usual mutters "oh I will take the stairs"...
instead of trying to dissuade him, look at him earnestly and say "you know what, you are absolutely right. Have you heard, the number of people dying in elevators was in the millions, last year!
There was this evil caretaker who mined the elevator floor with explosives. And recently scientists have discovered an extremely venomenous snake (cobra elevatoris) that will attack its prey, jumping down from the elevator ceiling.
But not only that, no, there are actually man-eating elevators per se, in Smallville, an innocent victim was eaten alive and whole, in between the 2nd and 5th floor. No trace of him left when they opened the elevator door...."
Go on, make it bigger and more ridiculous by the minute, until the bubble of the fear illusion finally bursts and you both end up laughing.
I have done it with a friend who is extremely fearful of flying.... I cannot pretend she is completely fearless now, but at least we had a good laugh and she even joined me in inventing even more ludicrous scenarios.
And after all, laughter is the best medicine!
Travel safely, and hopefully your elevator never gets stuck!
instead of trying to dissuade him, look at him earnestly and say "you know what, you are absolutely right. Have you heard, the number of people dying in elevators was in the millions, last year!
There was this evil caretaker who mined the elevator floor with explosives. And recently scientists have discovered an extremely venomenous snake (cobra elevatoris) that will attack its prey, jumping down from the elevator ceiling.
But not only that, no, there are actually man-eating elevators per se, in Smallville, an innocent victim was eaten alive and whole, in between the 2nd and 5th floor. No trace of him left when they opened the elevator door...."
Go on, make it bigger and more ridiculous by the minute, until the bubble of the fear illusion finally bursts and you both end up laughing.
I have done it with a friend who is extremely fearful of flying.... I cannot pretend she is completely fearless now, but at least we had a good laugh and she even joined me in inventing even more ludicrous scenarios.
And after all, laughter is the best medicine!
Travel safely, and hopefully your elevator never gets stuck!
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