EP 132: Rebecca Williams — A Deep Dive Into Fear of Falling, the Self-Soothing System, and Climbing Smarter
Dr. Rebecca Williams is a clinical psychologist, performance coach, and the author of Climb Smarter. We talked about the deeper fears that often underlie fear of falling, the underdeveloped self-soothing system, breathing exercises to reduce anxiety, pre-climb routines, meditation and mindfulness, and the benefits of shifting our focus from achievement to mastery.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/rebecca-williams
Nuggets:
0:07:32 – Kids
0:09:29 – Rebecca’s background in clinical psychology
0:13:04 – Why Rebecca quit gymnastics as a teenager
0:17:55 – How the mental blocks from gymnastics came back to haunt her as a climber
0:20:17 – The deeper fears at the roots of fear of falling, and trust and control
0:24:30 – Why it’s important to know where your fear of falling comes from, and the woman with the worm phobia
0:28:32 – Diving deeper into different fears
0:30:54 – Fear of fear, and learning to tolerate difficult feelings
0:33:14 – Learning to tolerate difficult emotions
0:37:09 – My (Steven’s) own experience with fear of falling when I started sport climbing, and tools for letting go of control
0:44:16 – The overdeveloped drive and threat systems, and the underdeveloped self-soothing system
0:46:32 – “We’re always conquering”, common narratives, and why fear of falling is rational
0:53:16 – Rebecca’s mental warmup, and bringing arousal levels down
0:58:30 – Not wanting to stray from “normal”
1:03:04 – Introducing doubts to our assumptions
1:08:38 – Breathing exercises to bring down arousal and anxiety
1:14:31 – Pre-climb routines, focusing before a send attempt, and mindfulness as an attitude
1:19:16 – Meditation and why it’s useful
1:24:31 – What practicing mindfulness has done for me (Steven) and how it has impacted my life
1:28:14 – “Falling practice is the last thing you do, and not the first thing you do.”
1:30:01 – Does practicing non-attachment take away our drive? And shifting our focus from achievement to mastery
1:33:00 – Why Rebecca decided to write her book Smart Climbing
1:37:05 – The nutrition chapter of the book, and the link between perfectionism and eating disorders
1:43:45 – What Rebecca is currently working on in her own climbing (related to mental game)
1:48:07 – Who the book is for, and where to buy it
1:49:25 – What’s next for Rebecca
1:50:34 – Rediscovering your early excitement for climbing
