I went through all this when i was working up the courage.
Then one day i just did it! Its not hard, its not that scary, you just need a nice jump and then sheet in hard with your hand back and at the same time look back and around u will go, and it hurts less if you dont bail out!
also, i used to find that i would keep using the excuse of "oh that wave is not right" etc
so, make sure you attempt one on your first run out, and then you will loose the fear for the rest of the session.
and lastly
JUST DO IT FFS! 
I cant land them properly yet but at least im trying them without the fear. 
The difficulty I have on chop is spotting the ramp early enough to unhook. Any tips?
John Guyer from SOS gave me some advice a while ago with respect to surfing.
The more time you spend in the waters, the better you get at reading it.
It is a thing that comes with time.
Chad
if its a small jump make sure you dont break your mast so use an acute downwind angle when you trow into it. if you do it properly should should be at least mast height in the air.
