Generalized Anxiety. Claustrophobia. Are These Buzzwords That Smokescreen The Problem?



This week, a client who has long been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and claustrophobia, had a breakthrough. He discovered fear. He became aware of the fear of being trapped in a collapsing tunnel, and fear of a technical failure on the plane. I believe, as he becomes more mindful, he will find more specifics. And each specific fear generates a brand new opportunity for success.



Generalized anxiety is not specific. Fear is specific. When something is specific, a plan of action to grapple with the specified thing may be possible. But without specificity, how can one grapple?



Mindfulness Can Bring Specificity And Open The Door To Effective Action.



In general, therapists take the view that we human beings need to be pretty well aware of our internal thought processes, in order to be able to psychologically adapt in day-to-day living.



However, the view of internal process can darken.When things are painful, we are tempted to let internal process go underground. If it does, decision-making goes underground. impulsivity takes over. When it does, we only discover what we are going to do, just as we do it.



Or worse; after we have done it.



That applies to many things. And, it applies as well to panic attacks; many people discover they are going to panic only after the panic attack has started. For such people, panic attacks seem to come out of 'nowhere'. Well, they do, but only because the mental processes going on inside are 'nowhere' to be seen. They have become blocked from view.



To reach the realization that there are actual -- well-formed, but hidden from view -- fears is a major advancement ! And it offers, finally, an effective way of attacking the generalized anxiety or the claustrophobia.



To deal with claustrophobia, we need to become comfortable enough in situations to not develop the need to escape. When the Strengthening Exercise can help you feel comfortable on the plane, the need to escape does not develop. When there is no need for an escape route, there is no concern that ones escape route is blocked.



The Strengthening Exercise accomplishes this by making a neural link between the (possibly previously hidden from view) actual feared situation and the profoundly soothing experience of being in a moment of empathic connection with another person.



Discovering a specific fear is like a gold miner hitting 'pay dirt'. But a person inexperienced in these explorations may not know the difference between gold ore (a specific fear) and fool's gold (keeping fear out of sight).



It can be disturbing to discover actual fears, particularly for men, who are expected to be fearless. We guys are at least a bit macho, right? Perehaps we are more comfortable with a diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety than awareness that we are actually afraid of a tunnel collapsing?



Once a person finds specific fears, it is time to abandon 'generalized anxiety disorder' because it isn't generalized anymore; it is specific. It is time to abandon 'claustrophobia'; it isn't about tight spaces; it is about being afraid and needing to escape, and being unable to.



Once you have found one, or more, of the specific fears underlying generalized anxiety, or claustrophobia, you have indeed hit pay dirt. More mining for pay dirt is needed. The work now is to simply stay aware, being vigilant about awareness, such as feelings in places where you don't have an instant way of leaving, in places where you are not in control, and in situations where you are not in control.



I remember, as a child, riding in the car into New York City through a tunnel for the first time and dealing with my anxiety by thinking maybe, if the tunnel started to flood, I could jump out of the car, and surf on the leading edge of the flood, back out to the opening of the tunnel. Or, in an elevator, I imagined lying down on the floor if the elevator fell, so as to spread the stress of crashing at the bottom throughout my body. I imagined leaping up at just the right point to be in the air when the elevator crashed at the bottom, and then landing on its floor.



See, as kids, when we don't have good built-in anti-anxiety systems, we need to be powerful, like super-heros, or have some plan to escape; even one that won't really work -- but we pretend it will -- helps.



But now as adults, we have to come to grips with the fact that we don't have adequate control to always save ourselves. And we need to form human connections to make life worth while in spite of the fact we will ultimately perish.



To be specific, once we have located a specific fear, it is simple to get relief. We put it in the Strengthening Exercise. We produce a neural link between that specific fear and a moment of empathic connectedness.



Now the commercial: want to learn the Strengthening Exercise? It is in 'The Control of Anxiety' at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.



That is a good way to start if you plan to continue with additional DVDs.

But, now that the Complete SOAR Course is available on CD, getting the entire course -- even though it is audio and not video -- may be a better solution. It also makes it possible to complete SOAR 'on the go' by popping a CD in your car stereo, or downloading the CDs to your iPod.





Click here to order the Complete SOAR Audio Course on CD



Or
click here to order the Guaranteed SOAR Audio Course on CD
(which includes counseling as necessary).



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Hysteria About Security Continues



By now, you must have heard about the American Airlines flight that made a so-called 'emergency' landing when a passenger suffering from flatulence lighted matches in an attempt to mask the problem. The landing was made because passengers were upset when they smelled the matches.



If you missed it, here are some links.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=bizarre&id=4828023



http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=170705



Have You Wondered What Would Happen If You Needed Medical Help During A Flight?



Here is an email about an in-flight medical incident:


Dear Tom,



Your DVD on the Flight Anxiety made my last flights from Indiana to San Francisto & back, anxiety-free because I felt like I knew that everything was okay. We weren't going to fall out of the sky at the first bump. Fortunately, our flights were relatively turbulence-free ( so I guess I haven't had a true application yet)!



I am a very visual person, and I just kept visualizing our plane surrounded by jello instead of thin air....it is soooo helpful!

However, we did have to make an emergency landing in Denver for a passenger that was having a diabetic coma...we went from 40,000 feet to ground in 15 minutes, and all I felt was a little lightheaded and off-balance from banking so severly....but, no anxiety or worry!



It was truly impressive to see how the airlines dealt with an emergency - they saved her life on board with an emergency room doctor and nurse, and our stewardess was an LPN - and as soon as we were on the ground an emergency team was on board in a matter of minutes!



Very impressive to say the least - I've always wondered what would happen if something of that nature would occur....and now I know! They truly saved her life!!



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Free Holiday Music Worth Checking Out





http://www.lulliloodesign.com/figaro_tunes.htm



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This week in Patrick's Salon column: Airlines operate, in a sense, as de facto
ambassadors.



On December 4th, a most eerie of anniversaries, it inaugurated flights
to Africa, the first by a major U.S. carrier in over fifteen years.
Why is that important - for travelers, for the airlines, and for the
sake of national pride?



To read the full article, click here...

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/12/08/askthepilot212/



Entry to Salon is free by watching a brief advertisement.



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About The SPAM Problem



As SPAM has increased, efforts by internet email service providers (AOL, Optonline, etc.) have increased their efforts to stop it. In many cases, their automated systems remove what they think may be SPAM, without any notification to you.



Though you are receiving the SOAR Newsletter now, if you have not 'opted-in' to confirm you want to receive it, future efforts to stop SPAM may prevent your Newsletter from getting through.

If you have not 'opted-in', please click the following link (if you do not see a link, it means you are already 'opted-in' and no action by you is needed.) If you do see a link following this sentence, please click on it to 'opt-in'.

<$optInLink$>

If you have any questions about this, please email me or call me.



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Wednesday Night Conference Call On Flight Anxiety



    9:00 PM until 10:00 PM Eastern time

    Join our regular 'chat' (where we type what we want to say).


    10:00 PM until 11:00 PM Eastern time

    Join in by phone on a conference call dealing with flight anxiety.



Instead of typing, we can just talk.



  • Listen in to the discussion.
  • Take part in the discussion.
  • It's your choice.



Want to know more about:



  • How flying works
  • Turbulence, and why it is not a threat
  • Controlling anxiety, panic and claustrophobia


We'll talk about this and more every Wednesday night



  • Eastern Time: 10 PM until 11 PM
  • Central Time: 9 PM until 10 PM
  • Mountain Time: 8 PM until 9 PM
  • Pacific Time: 7 PM until 8 PM



As simple as 1, 2, 3.



  • 1. Dial 1-641-793-7500
  • 2. You will hear, 'Thank you for calling the Conference Center.'
  • 3. When asked, enter this pin code: 681956 followed by #



For Your Convenience The Following Info Is Also Displayed Where You Enter The Chat At:
http://www.fearofflying.com/chat.shtml



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Need More Help Than Meds Provide?



Nothing in the medicine chest works as well as what's in the SOAR 'tool box': 'The Strengthening Exercise'.

  • Full Strength.
  • Flight Tested By Thousands.



Seriously though, what we have developed provides far more help than any anti-anxiety medication can -- and does so automatically.



  • SOAR is not just another fear of flying program offering relaxation and reassurance
  • SOAR is advanced help and succeeds with the most extreme cases of flight anxiety
  • SOAR was developed through twenty-five years of research, study, and experience



Which Way Fits You Best?



  • The Guaranteed SOAR Video Course on DVD



    Complete and comprehensive. Ten DVDs (appx. ten hours). View it on the internet as soon as you place your order. Your DVDs are shipped to your door by FEDEX or Priority Mail.



    • Learn the cause and how to fix it in 'Psychology of Flight Anxiety'
    • Understand amazing backup systems that make flying safe in 'How Flying Works'
    • Get automatic control of the feelings when you fly with 'Control of Anxiety'
    • Take a virtual test flight of your new skills in 'At The Airport'



    See guarantee and order at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.



  • The Guaranteed SOAR Audio Course on CD



    All the same information as in the video course, but in a format you can use 'on the go', commuting in your car, or downloaded to your iPod.



    Also at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.




  • The Guaranteed SOAR Audio Course on MP3



    The same complete information as in the Video Course but condensed into five hours of audio. Plus one important extra: 'Take Me Along' audio tracks to use during the flight.



    • Hear lessons on the web site - or download them to your computer or iPod
    • Download the 'Take Me Along' audio tracks to your iPod or laptop
    • It's like having your own pilot sitting there with you



    I'll explain everything that is happening - as it happens - so you will know everything is normal on the flight.




    See guarantee and order here: Read More Now!


  • A Counseling Session



    A session customized to your exact needs. I'm both an airline captain and a licensed therapist. I can help you based on success with over six-thousand clients in the past twenty-five years. The fee for a twenty-minute session covering the basics is $60.00, payable by MasterCard, Visa or American Express. Everything can be covered in forty to sixty minutes (fee prorated to time used).




    Available 10 AM to 7 PM Eastern (New York) time. Outside the U.S. or Canada call: 203-258-4803.



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Not Ready To Order The Entire Program?



At least learn 'The Strengthening Exercise'. Order 'The Control of Anxiety' ($195.00 on video; $49.95 on audio) at: http://www.fearofflying.com/store.shtml.