I was OK with spins but stalls pushed all my panic buttons...
John that's odd, I'd think most experienced pilots would guess that spins rather than stalls would push the panic buttons with beginner pilots. I developed a fear of heights only after I started flying, walked many 12" wide bridge beams carrying an 8x4' sheet of plywood or a shoulder stacked with rebar back in my younger constructions days but you couldn't get me near one now without having a panic attack although flying has never bothered me in the least.
I don't remember ever hearing anything about about the stick vs the yoke making flying any easier from your regard with stalls and heights but it will most definitely sharpen your groundwork skills and if you really enjoy flying you ought to give it a shot, my guess is that you'll be so mentally busy with thoughts of landing whenever you hit the stalls you'll not even remember them ... painless!
