SOAR Fear of Flying Weblog :: THOMAS CAHILL; A NEW WORLD HAS OPENED UP FOR ME

I bought your 4 disc program and had remarkable results. I flew (by myself)
from Phila. To Atlanta where I met family and we flew to Lake Tahoe. I was
so proud of myself - no anxiety.

Since then I flew to Switzerland and had to sit by myself as the seating
arrangements were changed. And, I DT IT!! Actually, I'm quite proud of
myself and will fly alone to Florida in January. In hindsight, I think some
of my problem was that we were flying and leaving children at home. They
are all grown now and on their own. Does this make sense to you?

Anyway, a new world has opened up for me and I thank you very much for you
help.

Sincerely,

Tom,

As you may remember, last Thursday I called you in tears as I was packing and straightening the house before getting ready to leave for the airport. I was flying with my husband and son, and I kept thinking about what our older son in college would have to deal with if something happened to us while flying. I kept sitting down and practicing 5,4,3,2, 1, but as soon as I thought I was OK, the thoughts and tears would start again. I couldn't believe that after a week of relative calm while reviewing the CDs and practicing the strengthening exercise daily (and sometimes more than once), the pre-flight anxiety had reared its ugly head again.

After talking to you I immediately felt better, when you reminded me of the impact of those scary compressed thoughts. So I got myself together and we headed out to JFK. When we went to the gate, there were three attendants standing there with no passengers around, so I went right up and handed them the letter from you requesting that I meet the pilot. One of the attendants looked at me like I was nuts, but the other one said she had just met the pilots and they were great. She suggested that I board early and give the letter to the flight attendant. So that's just what I did. And when I boarded I went right to the first attendant and handed her the letter, and rather than sit in my seat, I asked her if she minded if I stood with her and waited to meet the pilots. After everyone was boarded I saw the first class attendant who had taken the letter to the pilot and she said she had forgotten about it. I was very proud of myself for being persistent...and it paid off. She introduced me to the pilots who couldn't have been nicer. The captain talked to me about turbulence (he looked confused when I mentioned the jello explanation), and said he didn't expect much on the flight out west. So I happily went back to my seat.

For the first part of the flight I was fine, but then and continuing for most of the flight, there was mild to moderate turbulence so I had to keep myself busy, do 5,4,3,2,1 (which is hard to do when you can't hear much but the engines), just a couple of times and before I knew it we were descending. The airplane noises didn't freak me out, and I didn't even feel nervous when I got up to use the bathroom. A huge difference! The only down side was the effect on my ears, and the next day I developed a cold.

But the great and wonderful news is that I had no pre flight anxiety as we approached the return flight on Sunday. When we got to the airport I marched right up to the two men in uniform who were standing at the check-in counter and showed them the letter, explaining to them what it was and how I was dealing with my fear of flying. As you can probably guess, they were the pilots. And they were not quite, but pretty incredulous that I had a fear of flying. They were very friendly and said they were more concerned about the possible buy out of Delta by US Air, and then chatted to me about why I thought I developed a fear of flying. It was a great conversation, resulting in my enormously reduced anxiety. One of the pilots even came back to the cabin before we took off and when he saw me, asked if I was OK with a little thumbs up. I said I was fine and asked how he was! BUT, while in flight there were still some moments of unease when we hit some turbulence. This time I told myself that it was OK to feel some uneasiness, since it was my first time flying in almost two years, and that I was in no danger whatsoever. Did a couple of 5,4,3,2,1s and was mostly fine.

I can't thank you enough for creating SOAR, and, of course, being there for me on Thursday. As I told you when I picked up the audio discs, meeting you was like meeting the pilot, and it was only strengthened by meeting the pilots of my flights.

I will continue to practice, because I now know where my weak links are and what I need to add to my lists.

Looking forward to the next flight. Thanks a million again.

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This Week In Patrick's Salon.com Column

Ask the
Pilot looks back at the most notable air travel stories of the past
twelve months. .'

To read the full story, click here:

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/12/22/askthepilot214/.

Entry to Salon is free by watching a brief advertisement.

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

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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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