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Washington SOARFest

The date is September 6th. More info at the bottom of this newsletter

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Using Your Reticular Activating System

Last week, a client and I were talking about turbulence and how to deal with it. I was sure, since he is a medical professional, he could easily understand how the Reticular Activating System (RAS) works. The RAS is a system that helps limit the focus of our attention to things of importance. The RAS filters out things that are familiar and therefore represent no threat. The system does this in the following way: whenever something is being experienced, the RAS stores a sample of the experience. In our day-to-day living, many things vie for our attention. The RAS compares all the things vying for our attention with memorized samples of prior experiences. Things which match a sample are given a lower priority by the RAS than things which are new to us and thus do not match any memorized sample of prior experience.

He had just experienced the recent earthquake in California. Having been through several, he no longer is alarmed by them. Through experience of previous earthquakes, his RAS has several samples of the experience memorized; these are called "chunks". I suggested he try dealing with turbulence the same way he has dealt with tremors by making a turbulence sample (called a "chunk") on his next flight. This involves -- instead of trying NOT to pay attention to turbulence -- to really study it as it happens so samples of it can be memorized. I suggested that if he is able to do that successfully, he will come to experience turbulence as pilots do; (been there, done that, ho-hum).

Here is what he said.

Hi Tom:  I just wanted to give you a little more feedback on my 2nd successful flight this weekend.  I was a little upset with myself for having some pre-flight anxiety for my next flight after such a wonderful first flight in a long time a month ago.  I traced that anxiety to the realization that I would  most likely be flying through rising hot air from the 112 degree Phoenix desert heat plus possible thunder storms resulting in turbulence. 

So I was working on my reticular activating system "chunk" to get through this when a moderate earthquake hit lasting for over 20 seconds.  Half my staff ran outside in horror and several were left nauseated for the rest of the day.  I sat and swayed through it thinking this is a moderate earthquake and we'll be OK here, but it's possible that if the epicenter is far away some people there may be dying if it's a strong one there.  Because I'm a native Californian and have experienced numerous earthquakes I had developed an "earthquake chunk."  For some of my younger staff this was their first one, and because it was unexpected, it activated their RAS, got their attention that something was very wrong, and they felt panic. 

With that knowledge I flew without anxiety again this weekend even though there was moderate (I call it that now -- before I would have labeled it severe) turbulence (through a monsoonal thunderstorm).  I looked forward to testing my new courage based on the fact that I knew that no force of nature could break the plane and the bumbiness wouldn't even be as bad as a fast train ride. 

It also occurred to me, as I watched other passengers in distress that I knew more about the physics of flying, how planes work, their safety record and excellent maintenance, and back up procedures than most of the other passengers--now I'm kind of an expert on flying facts.   Some of the other  passengers seemed clueless and therefore unprepared for the unexpected noise or feeling. 

Spending all that time with your videos, emails, and 2 personal phone calls really worked.  Thanks again for your support.  There really is no other person who provides the expert help like you do (I checked all the other internet fear of flying videos). 

Keep up the good work for all those other people who need your help.  I pass along your name once or twice a week to others who mention their flying phobias to me (many have heard of my turnaround with flying fears).  

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