I want to take a moment to share my thoughts on 9/11 and how things have changed in aviation for myself and the industry.
Behind the Scenes Look at an MD-11 Freighter
Join me for an exclusive behind the scenes tour of an MD-11 freighter. Seeing this up close and personal will help you to overcome fear of flying. Have you signed up yet to get your “7 Tips to Fly Stress Free”? Just fill in the form at the top, right corner of this page and you’ll get your tips!
Fear of Flying or Claustrophobia?
I’m curious, is it really a fear of flying or is it claustrophobia?
Fear of Flying and Claustrophobia
Sometimes it’s a combination of both. Claustrophobia is the fear of not being able to escape an enclosed space. It often results in a panic attack and a feeling of suffocation.
Someone with claustrophobia may not actually fear flying; instead they may be worried about what could happen to them in a confined space. They will often do whatever it takes to avoid the situation.
Many of my clients say that they feel safer in a car. They think that they are able to escape the confined space of a car more easily than an airplane. When I point out that it is not necessarily true, it makes no difference to the client.
You see, fears are not based on logic. Fears are illogical beliefs that are held by the subconscious mind. In order to overcome fear, it makes sense to use techniques that are creative. They may even seem somewhat illogical.
The Swish pattern can immediately remove any fear, including the fear of flying. It’s something you can even do on your own.
Here are five steps:
1. Create a picture in your mind of yourself flying in fear. What does that look like?
2. Create a picture in your mind of yourself flying with calm sense of confidence. What does that look like?
3. Take the first picture and make it black and white. Then make it really small.
4. Take the second picture and make it vibrant and colorful. Then make it really big.
5. Focus on the big, vibrant, colorful picture of yourself flying with confidence.
Practice this several times.
Realize that some find they get better results when guided by a professional. You can get more details about this technique and others in my program, “Lose the Fear – and Fly!”
Hudson River Air Crash Raises Fears and Concerns
This week’s Hudson River mid-air collision between a sightseeing helicopter and small plane cost nine people their lives. I’ve been asked to comment on this incident on tv and on the radio. Here, I’ll explain what happened and possible solutions. Airline safety is my utmost concern. Keep up to date so by signing up for “7 Tips to Fly Stress Free” in the upper right hand corner.
Continental Turbulence and Fear of Flying
Does the recent Continental airplane turbulence incident make you fear flying even more?
I’m not surprised.
That’s because the media focused on the emotional stories of the passengers after they had an emergency landing in Miami. One after the other, the terrified passengers shared their stories with the media. One bumped her head so hard on the panels above that it cracked the plastic as well as her head.
These stories could turn even the most fearless fliers into a fearful flier in a jiffy. The media likes to focus on these emotional stories. Even better when they are hysterical!
It seemed to come out of nowhere, but as I explained yesterday, turbulence is possible even in clear weather.
Since it was in the middle of the night, many people had taken their seatbelt off so they could stretch out and sleep under a blanket. A blanket may make you feel snug and safe but it’s no substitute for your seatbelt.
The fact is that every single one of the injuries of the twenty six people who were hurt was unnecessary. If each and every one of them had been wearing their seatbelt during the flight, no one would have been hurt, the interior of the cabin would not have been damaged and there would have been no need to divert the plane to Miami for an emergency landing.
In our everyday life, we take precautions for our own safety. We look before we cross the street. We lock our doors at night. We keep our wallet in a safe place.
Instead of focusing on the stories of fear and hysteria, I want you to focus on what you can do for your own safety. Next time you fly, take some safety precautions.
Listen to your pilots and flight attendants when they give safety announcements. The flight attendants are on board for your safety.
The simple action of fastening your seatbelt during flight will make flying safer for you.
Allow this to give you peace of mind and reduce your fear of flying.
You can get even more tips by signing up for “7 Tips to Fly Stress Free” in the upper right corner.
Continental Airplane Turbulence
Today’s Continental airplane turbulence incident injured 26 people and required an emergency landing in Miami during their flight from Rio de Janeiro to Houston.
I want to point out that the Continental emergency landing was not because of the airplane. It was because of injuries related to turbulence. They could have easily been avoided.
Some people ignore the pilot’s advice to keep their seatbelts fastened. They’re thinking “What could happen? The flight is so smooth.” Or, they feel uncomfortable with the seatbelt tightened. Maybe they never wear their seatbelt while driving a car and so they aren’t used to the feeling.
We can’t make you keep your seatbelt on, but we strongly suggest that you do.
Why?
Today’s airplane turbulence incident is a perfect example.
I’ve flown to South America many times and I’m familiar with that area. There aren’t a lot of other people flying in that area and that means that there are fewer reports of turbulence.
Of course, if there is a storm, our weather radar will pick it up and we’ll be able to go around it. We’ll slow down to soften the rough ride as well as maintain the structural integrity of the airplane. When we can’t go around it, we make an announcement to the passengers to expect some turbulence and give an extra reminder to put your seatbelts on.
Sometimes airplane turbulence is not expected. We fly into what is called ‘clear air turbulence’.
What is clear air turbulence?
The air is clear. There’s no storm and so it doesn’t show up on our weather radar screen. The turbulence is unseen. The only way we know about it in advance is if pilots report it to air traffic control.
Pilots will report clear air turbulence when they fly into it so that others can avoid it. In areas where there are a lot of other people flying, this works really well. In areas where there is less traffic such as where the Continental jet was flying, there were probably no reports made.
This is a volatile time for weather in the Caribbean. They were probably flying in an area where the wind was going in one direction and then suddenly shifted to another direction. Turbulence is when the wind is changing directions and flows from high pressure toward the low pressure.
These injuries could have been avoided if they had been wearing their seatbelt.
Understanding the nuances of turbulence can be reassuring and will help to reduce your fear of flying. Always keep your seatbelt fastened. It’s not just for airline safety. It’s for you own safety as well.
You can learn more ways to overcome fear of flying in my program “Lose the Fear – and Fly!”
What to Do When You Fear Flying and Yet You Still Need to Fly
Even though you may fear flying, at some point you may find that you have a compelling reason to travel. Perhaps you need to travel for an important business trip, to visit a loved one, or maybe someone keeps bugging you to go on vacation and you finally give in.
As soon as you decide to make the trip, the feeling of dread kicks in. The feeling starts small and then begins to build so that by the time you get on the airplane you’re stuck in the middle of a full blown panic attack.
What do you do?
As an NLP Master Practitioner I understand that we tend to move in one of two directions. We either move away from something we fear, or we move towards something we desire. Realize that we tend to take action based on the direction of our most dominant thoughts.
As you prepare for your flight, what are your thoughts? Are you thinking of all the things that could go wrong? Or, are you thinking of all the good things that will happen when you get there?
One reader writes that she buys the newspaper each day for several days before her flight. If there is a hint of any bad weather such as a thunderstorm or heavy winds, she begins to panic.
What she is actually doing is preparing herself to be terrified during the flight. And never even tells another soul. Does this sound like you?
To make matters worse, she worries about what will happen to her children if something happens to her. She is convinced that if something extraordinary happens during flight then her children will not be taken care of appropriately. As a result, she and her husband often take different flights. I hear this all the time.
As the day of the flight gets closer, you can feel the fear grow stronger. All kinds of worries and doubts begin to surface. Stress and anxiety takes over.
Anxiety is when you live in the future.
After all, anxiety is a fear of what might happen. It’s worrying about things that might go wrong. Your mind is racing as it comes up with all kinds of possible scenarios. All of them bad.
How do you prepare for your flight?
What if, instead of thinking of all the things that could go wrong, you prepare in a different way?
Instead of getting on the plane with all of the thoughts and emotions swirling around in your mind, you can learn to relax during flight.
Through the use of self hypnosis, you can turn your attention to the things that you want to happen.
I give you various tips and techniques in my Lose the Fear and Fly audio to help you through your next flight. Even more importantly, when you practice self hypnosis in the days and weeks before the flight, your mind will already be in the habit of relaxing. It will be easy for you.
Here’s a tip you can follow right now:
Think about what you DO want to feel like when you travel.
What will it look like?
What will it sound like?
What will it feel like?
Be very clear about all the details and make them as vivid as possible.
Focus on this and you will find that this is the direction you will begin to move towards.
Get more here:Lose the Fear – and Fly!
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