Dr. James Masterson MD believed that, at the core of human problems, is what he termed “abandonment depression.” I have come to see that the feelings [...]
30/10/2016
A Hole In The Soul
A Bit of Anticipatory Anxiety And How It Resolved
At Pan Am, when I was flying the old 707, the 747 was delivered to the airline. I was too “junior” on the seniority list to get a slot on it. After several [...]
30/10/2016
About Airport Security
Before 9/11, airport security was a facade. Everyone in the airline industry – including and the FAA – knew that, The FAA “Red Team” was [...]
30/10/2016
Abstract Point Of No Return
The Abstract Point Of No Return (APNR) is an advanced concept; it is not for everybody. The APNR will deal with anticipatory anxiety, but only as the [...]
30/10/2016
Memory, Trauma and Emotional Regulation
Memory can be rewritten or partially erased. Research by Karim Nader shows that when we bring a memory to mind, we inadvertently alter the memory. Here is [...]
30/10/2016
Accepting That Safety Is Relative
One of the safest things you could be doing right now is flying. According to solid research, 3 miles on an Interstate highway puts you at the same risk of [...]
30/10/2016
Anticipatory Anxiety
Flight anxiety and anticipatory anxiety are different. We broke the code of flight anxiety years ago. For years now, we have been able to help anyone and [...]
30/10/2016
Junk Psychology
When seeking help for flight phobia, anxious fliers need to protect themselves from “junk psychology.” It is not surprising that internet advice on fear of [...]
30/10/2016
Anxiety And An Arthurian Tale About Sir Gawain
Years ago, the SOAR Course was an audio course on cassette tapes. When the SOAR Video Course was being put together, a few things from the audio course [...]
30/10/2016
Is It Safe Not To Worry?
Why do we suddenly find ourselves on shaky ground when we feel less concerned about a flight? Why is it more comfortable to expect the worst than the best? [...]
30/10/2016
Arousal and Fear Are Different
One of the most troublesome problems when treating fear of flying is the automatic interpretation that arousal, caused when stress hormones are released, [...]
30/10/2016
Anticipatory anxiety is not the same as flight anxiety
In anticipatory anxiety, you imagine the future. You experience an imaginary airplane, not a real one. Stress depends upon imagination. In flight anxiety, [...]
30/10/2016
The Cortex And The Amygdala
To deal with fear and anxiety, it helps to understand what the amygdala does and how it triggers alarms in the mind, and in the body. It monitors what goes [...]
30/10/2016
Fear Of High Places
Truman ‘Slim’ Cummings, who started the first fear of flying course at Pan Am, observed that most airline pilots have fear of heights. This fear, he said, [...]
30/10/2016
Key To Confident Flying
An anxious flier needs to appreciate how rare it is that something goes wrong in airline flying. It takes about five million flights to produce one serious [...]
12/10/2016
The power of the tail – or tale…
It is my view when flying, that there really isn’t anything to expect other than that your plane will get there fine. To expect anything else — [...]
12/10/2016
Increased emotional development is more important than increased IQ
When it comes to children, parents are so easily focused on intelligence and learning. What is grossly overlooked is that no amount of intelligence or [...]
12/10/2016
“Top-Down” Or “Bottom-Up”
• The Power Of Positive Thinking • Everyday Positive Thinking • Mind Over Mood These are books that promote the “top-down” view of how emotions [...]
12/10/2016
“It feels like the plane doesn’t have enough power to get off the ground.”
On takeoff, there is often a concern that the plane will not get off the ground. To help answer this from an intellectual point of view, consider that when [...]
12/10/2016
When Ones Self Comes Apart
When we fly, what is it that causes the trouble? Simple. Our sense of self comes apart. When it does, we go into near-panic, panic, or even terror. Whether [...]
12/10/2016
Context
When author Malcolm Gladwell followed up The Tipping Point with Blink, he pointed out that people can be psychologically “primed” to interpret [...]
12/10/2016
Turbulence And The Reticular Activating System (RAS)
The reticular activating system (RAS) is involved in controlling sleep and wakefulness. It is the key that turns the brain on or off, more or less, though [...]
12/10/2016
Group Support Or Real Change — Of Both
Getting into a fear of flying group may look like a good thing, but there is a reason why it looks good. We are genetically encoded to draw strength [...]
12/10/2016
GAD
Having GAD — generalized anxiety disorder — is like having poison ivy. Though it bothers you, the best thing you can do is not scratch it; if [...]
12/10/2016
Effects of Melatonin
Alfred Lewy, professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health Services University, has done extensive study of the effects of melatonin. On a visit with him, I [...]
12/10/2016
Secrets Of The Mind
Allan Schore is a researcher at UCLA. He has unlocked many secrets of the mind. His work was made possible by technological advancements in the last ten [...]
11/10/2016
Flight Delays
After learning my flight was detained 4 hours, I heard the announcement: “If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic, please come [...]
11/10/2016
5-4-3-2-1 Exercise
I would like to know how the next World Series is going to work out. I’d like to know in advance the score of every game. In fact, I’d like to [...]
10/10/2016
Control
Remember Copernicus? He was the first to assert that Earth is not the center of the universe. His assertion was an insult to the narcissistic pride of [...]
08/10/2016
10 Reasons To Be Confident About Aircraft Engines
Pilots are confident about engines. Why are they, and why should you be? First, the plane will fly find on just one. Although it is easy to worry about [...]
08/10/2016
Possibility
For years, I’ve gotten emails and calls from people going to Las Vegas who find they are on some unheard of airline and want me to assure them that [...]
07/10/2016
Mistaking What is In The Mind For Reality — Part Four
What started out as a three-part series now has a fourth part. The first three can be found in the SOAR Library or at www.fearofflyingblog.com Part One: [...]
04/10/2016
The Odds
What is a person’s odds of dying due to one thing or another? Statistics may be interesting, but they don’t really change how we feel. Why? [...]
04/10/2016
Basis For Confidence
BASIS FOR CONFIDENT NUMBER ONE You choose to fly on an airline that has been around for years, and established their maintenance and training BEFORE [...]
04/10/2016
Flying After 45 Years
An email: Tom: I just want to send you a BIG THANK YOU for all your support in helping me change my life!!! It took me 45 years to finally get on an [...]
04/10/2016
Mistaking What is In The Mind For Reality — Part Three
This is the third part of a three-part series. Part One: Psychic Equivalence Part Two: Flashbacks Part Three: The Missing Barrier Between Possibility And [...]
04/10/2016
Part of a Barbara Benham Article on Fear of Flying
We can be sly, we fearful flyers. We come up with all kinds of tricks to stave off those jaw-clenching moments between takeoff and landing. Superstitions, [...]
03/10/2016
Turbulence And The Mind
Fear of turbulence is a testimony to the power of imagination. Limitless imagination can be thought of as a wonderful talent. Yes, but let’s not [...]
03/10/2016
A New Way To Look At Turbulence
First, be on guard against believing your own experience. When in turbulence, it is easy lose your ability to tell the difference between reality and [...]
02/10/2016
Certainty
Early in life, we all live in a world — a vastly oversimplified world — of certainty. To the young child, everything is oversimplified. It is [...]
01/10/2016
Cognitive Dissonance
When we first consider a situation, we may be able to look at both sides, pro and con. But, once a decision has been made, seeing both sides becomes more [...]
01/10/2016
Fear Of Flying – Or Fear Of Feelings?
Though we call it – thanks to author Erica Jong – fear of flying, in most cases it is fear of having a panic attack on the plane. Ordinarily, [...]
01/10/2016
The Phobia Process… ‘Obsessing’ thoughts into vivid images
No matter how hard you search for something in the wrong place, you won’t find it. I’m saying that because, as kids, we were taught that if we [...]
01/10/2016
