What Does Anticipatory Anxiety Mean



Here are some of the things people think anticipatory anxiety means.

  • 'This feeling could be an omen.'
  • 'If I am feeling this much anxiety now, I will feel more on the plane.'
  • 'The Strengthening Exercise is not working.'

What about these things?



  • An omen? I have it on good authority, Ramakrishna Sarathy, a well-known fortune-teller in India, that no one knows the future. He reads people's future by reading their character, not because he can tell the future.



  • You are feeling this much anxiety now because you are doing 'time compression', shoving all the anxiety that might be experienced (if you have not done the SOAR Course) into just two seconds.



    Don't do it. Don't even try to anticipate what you will feel. Why? Because your will produce a wildly inaccurate estimate.


  • The Strengthening Exercise, even if you have practiced it even fairly well, will prevent high anxiety and panic. But you cannot test it by using anticipation. Anticipation, because of time compression, will throw you off.


So what does anticipatory anxiety mean?


  • Nothing.



    If a dog knew it was chasing its own tail, it would stop chasing it. Anticipatory anxiety is completely your own creation. Since it means nothing about the future (Unless you do know the future, and if so, why aren't you fabulously wealthy by using your powers to play the stock market?) you are creating a tale. If you have intelligence equal to your dog, use it. Stop chasing your own anticipatory 'tale'.



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Falling



Imagination is powerful. It can overtake reality. And the question persists, 'why do we let it?'.



Even though we know the plane is not falling . . . rationally . . . we create -- and that is the right word -- we create an experience of falling, though it is contrary to reality.



Why can't we settle for reality? Are we so possessed by the need to be in control, and thus the need to control reality, that we must relinquish what is real and cling to what is imaginary -- though it terrifies us -- because, since it is our creation, we love it more.



Why is it we cannot relinquish our endangered existence to the truth -- the truth of reality -- that we will someday perish? If we cannot relinquish our being to that inevitability, every day is an experience of a falling which we resist tooth and nail. We resist awareness that it is is our destiny to perish, and to disappear from the face of the earth.



We attempt to deny this reality. And in our day-to-day living, we generally can keep our awareness elsewhere. But when we must fly, it becomes difficult to ignore this reality. The destiny we deny becomes the reality we cannot avoid. And because we are so successful at day-to-day denial, flying -- only because it confronts us with what we are customarily able to deny -- seems a great danger.

We are hopelessly unable to maintain denial when encased in aluminum where we must give over control -- something we are determined never to do -- to someone else.



When our early life has been so miserably devoid of truly human relatedness, we seek salvation through control. But salvation eludes us, for sufficient control with which to save ourselves is not available.



We are genetically encoded to connect. When we do not connect, we have no adequate life. But to connect requires something contrary to what we do to avoid anxiety. It requires us to relinquish control.



When we connect, we relinquish control and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and truly touch. When we do, all questions disappear.



So profound is our need for connection that when we do not have it in our bones, when we attempt to fly, the level of aloneness we feel becomes cosmic.



The antidote to anxiety we use in the Strengthening Exercise is a moment of human connectedness. To combat anxiety, the Strengthening Exercise produces -- as Judieblue (pseudonym used for posting on the message board) says -- a neural roadway between the moments that challenge us and a moment we experienced a profound connection with another.



Falling is simply aloneness, like those dreams of falling, endlessly, and never hitting bottom.



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To Save Fuel Costs, Airline Asks Passengers To Use Bathroom Prior To Boarding



China Southern Airlines is urging customers to use the bathroom before boarding their flights. The airline calculates that to transport the water used each flush, about a quart of fuel is required.



See: http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2006/11/in_custcutting_.html.



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OK Even In Bad Turbulence



What I'm really writing to tell you about is my return flight from Seattle. I met the pilot and he took my letter to share with his Mother and his neighbor ! Been trying to get them to fly for years, and was impressed with my success. He told me the skys were calm and we should have a comfortable flight--off we went.



About 3 hours into our flight it hit---sudden severe turbulence!! Drinks went flying spilling liquids everywhere along with the cans they were poured from. I was soaking wet and the Captain was instructing the flight crew to take their seats!!! Much to my utter surprise( and delight) I was at maybe a 1 on the anxiety scale--just kept hearing your voice in my head saying' turbulence is not a problem for an airplane! The air is like jello and we can't fall. The wings can flex'.



After about 2 minutes, it calmed down and except for a few minor bumps, the remainder of the flight was calm. Since I listen to channel 9, I heard the pilot tell air traffic control about hitting sudden severe turbulence!!



I'm so proud!!! I always wondered if I would stop flying if I ever had a bad experience with turbulence--now I know the answer---not after Capt. Tom's course!!!!



Thanks again for such secure wings--they are priceless !!!



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Chocolate



Dear Tom and Lisa,



I am going to Paris!



Even though I haven't posted on the message board or been at the Wednesday night chat for a long while, I'm sure you remember me.



SOAR and its principles have become a part of my life since I did the course in 2000.



Well, in April I will be traveling to Europe for the first time. I have been learning to work with chocolate for the past year. And, I will be going to Paris and the Rhone Valley to attend the Valrhona Ecole du Grand Chocolat.



None of this would be happening if I had not overcome my fear of flying. I am so excited about this trip and I have both of you to thank for giving me the tools to accomplish it.



I know that I will probably need some support as April draws near and I may need to lean on you, but my fear has turned to excitement.



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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'.

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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).


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    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



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As simple as 1, 2, 3.



  • 1. Dial 1-641-793-7500
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  • 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



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  • 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
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    • 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.