Aspen Mather tells PEOPLE she initially feared something was seriously wrong when her hands locked into a claw-like position after a panic attack on the ride
Credit: Aspen Mather
NEED TO KNOW
- Aspen Mather shared a TikTok after a panic attack on a roller coaster left her hands temporarily clenched into a claw-like position
- The 21-year-old says she experienced numbness in her face, pins and needles throughout her body and briefly worried she was having a stroke
- Her video resonated with hundreds of viewers who said they had experienced similar symptoms during periods of intense anxiety and panic
After a roller coaster ride left Aspen Mather's hands frozen in a claw-like position, the 21-year-old stared down at them in disbelief. Her face had gone numb, her body was tingling and, for a brief moment, she worried she might be having a stroke.
The frightening moment unfolded on May 23 during a trip to Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah with her husband and friends. The group spent the beginning of the day riding smaller attractions before deciding to take on Wicked, one of the park's most intense roller coasters, known for its 110-foot vertical launch.
Mather says roller coasters have never been the problem. It's the anticipation beforehand that tends to send her anxiety soaring.
“I’ve always had anticipation anxiety and especially struggle with roller coasters,” Mather tells PEOPLE. “I actually love rides, my body just can’t handle the anticipation of not knowing how a ride feels. Once I’ve been on a ride once, I can do it again no problem. It’s just the first time that’s a little rough.”
@aspenmather posting this bc i need to know if this has ever happened to anyone else on a ride 😂#carpopedalspasm #anxietyattack #rollercoasterpanicattack
♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design
As the group joined the hour-long line, she warned her friends that she might panic and told them it was something she had dealt with before. Still, she was determined not to let her anxiety stop her from trying the ride.
The lengthy wait only gave her fears more time to build. Throughout the line, she experienced waves of nausea, dizziness and feelings of panic, occasionally needing to sit down while trying to calm herself with breathing exercises.
By the time she reached the front of the line, Mather says she was already struggling. Even so, she climbed aboard, ready to face what would be the biggest roller coaster she had ever attempted.
Then the ride launched.
“As the coaster launched, that’s when I went into a full-blown panic attack,” she says. “I was hyperventilating, blacking out for a few seconds and kind of feeling like I was going to die, in a dramatic way of putting it.”
During the ride, her hands remained tightly wrapped around the coaster's handles. It wasn't until everything came to a stop that she realized something was very wrong.
“My hands were completely cramped into a claw-like position,” Mather recalls. “It felt very similar to a charley horse but in my hands.”
Credit: Aspen Mather
The reaction was unlike anything she had experienced before. When her husband attempted to open her hands, they immediately snapped back into the same clenched shape.
“At this point I realized my entire body had pins and needles and felt like the way your hand feels when it falls asleep,” she says. “My face and mouth were numb and hard to move.”
For a moment, panic gave way to confusion. Mather says the symptoms were so intense that she briefly feared she was experiencing a medical emergency.
“I was honestly in shock,” she says. “For a split second I thought I was having a stroke, but I could still form words so that helped me calm down.”
The symptoms gradually eased as she slowed her breathing and drank water. About 10 minutes later, her hands relaxed and returned to normal.
Despite the ordeal, Mather says she didn't need medical treatment and felt well enough to continue enjoying the day. While she avoided any unfamiliar major coasters afterward, she still spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park and riding attractions she had already conquered.
Looking back, she admits she initially felt embarrassed by how strongly her body reacted. But after researching her symptoms, she quickly came across information about carpopedal spasms and felt the pieces begin to fall into place.
That's what inspired her to share the experience on TikTok. “I was definitely not expecting that video to go viral or to receive the amount of support and people relating in the comments,” Mather says.
Hundreds of viewers reached out to tell her they had experienced similar symptoms during periods of intense anxiety and panic.
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“I had hundreds of people commenting or messaging me saying they were so thankful for my video,” she says. “It helped them feel seen and more normal, or even helped them realize what was also happening to them in times of anxiety or panic.”
Today, Mather says the experience hasn't changed how she feels about roller coasters. If anything, it has motivated her to find better ways to manage the anticipation that comes before them.
“I love rides and I’m a stubborn person,” she says. “This definitely won’t stop me from overcoming my fears or trying new coasters in the future.”
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