• The chat is at: http://fearofflying.com/chat.shtml

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Anticipatory Anxiety Advice

 

After completing the SOAR Course, and facing that first flight, from what I've seen, anticipatory anxiety vanishes once a client meets the captain, because that personal contact creates the trust needed to turn over control to the captain.

 

Here is an email that demonstrates how meeting the captain helps push anticipatory anxiety aside so the strengthening exercise can start working and provide protection from flight anxiety.

 

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Mystic SOARFest June 6th.

 

See details at the end of this newsletter.

 

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Finally - Congress Acts On Safety And The Wall Street Journal Calls It A "Threat"

 

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that requires the FAA to do inspections twice a year on foreign repair stations that do maintenance on U.S. airliners. Though the need for this is crystal clear, all the Wall Street Journal could say was that the measure is a threat to cooperation between the U.S. and Europe, and that it would cost a lot of money.



But also consider that it was the Wall Street Journal that heaped praise on ValuJet - an airline which we in the industry knew was an accident waiting to happen - until it did happen.






You can find the Wall Street Journal version of this story at this link.

 

Many clients, I've noticed, engage habitually in "black and white thinking". Here is an article, which I've shorted for the newsletter, on that by Summer Beretsky.

Grab a paper and pen: write down each of the below pair of opposites on a piece of paper. Then, write down a word -- a SINGLE word -- that accurately describes the middle ground between the pair of opposites.
Example: hot and cold. A good answer here would be "warm", "lukewarm", or "temperate".

Look at the words you've written down. Do they have anything in common? "Middle ground" words are similar in a way: they're all a bit muddy and bland. 

Did you have trouble nearing the end of the activity? There's no convenient word to describe the middle ground between several sets of the polar opposites listed above. How does this deficiency of the English language harm us?

How often do you use words like "happy and sad"? And we're all guilty of watching a movie or reading the news and calling someone "the bad guy" rather than qualifying your statement & balancing it with a list of their positive attributes. Resorting to polar words (in cases where a middle-ground word would more accurately describe the situation) can change the truth of the situation that we are describing.

Each of the above pairs of opposites (and many, many more) can induce dichotomous thinking. It's commonly referred to as "black and white" thinking and it can have negative effects on the way we see ourselves or the situations that we are using language to describe.



Using dichotomous language boosts dichotomous thinking, and the latter is a type of cognitive distortion that can negatively influence the way you feel about yourself. If you're dealing with anxiety, casual usage of extremely polar words can lead you to magnify thoughts and events through a distorted lens that can ultimately make you more anxious.

How can you decrease your black and white thinking? The answer is pretty simple: remember to add shades of gray.

There's no good word to describe the middle ground in the above scenario with anxiety. Try using a number scale to describe where you fall on the calm/anxious continuum. If the worst anxiety you've ever felt is a 10, perhaps public speaking is only a 7 and thinking about a deadline at work is a 5.

Try to catch yourself using this type of black-and-white thinking for the next few days. Jot down the situation in which you used an exaggerated word; then, take a step back, assess your word choice, and improve your story with a gray-colored word. 

Catching yourself using dichotomous thinking (and correcting yourself) can transform an unrealistic thought into a more truthful (and probably less stress-inducing) one. They stand a good chance at helping you view the world through a more accurate lens.

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Here's An Interesting View On Anxiety

 

See this link. 

             

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SOAR Will Work For You Too

SOAR was established in 1982 because no programs existed that could help people with moderate to severe difficulties. Even today, no other program offers help that is effective except for mild difficulties. No matter how difficult flying is for you, we can help.

• Call me at 877 332-7359 between 10 AM and 6 PM Eastern time or


• Set up a time online at http://soar.genbook.com


• No Charge. No Obligation. Just get the information you want.

Or Enroll Right Now And Get This Over With



You will feel better as soon as you make the decision.

Full Length Course

• The full length SOAR Video Course on 11 DVDs provides the maximum help possible.


• More info.

Accelerated Courses

Do a SOAR Course "On The Go"

We are always here to help. As you go through the program, call or email whenever you have a question or a concern.

 

Lisa is hosting a New England get together in Mystic, Connecticut, on Saturday, June 6th.  Reservations have been made for the SOARFest at the Daniel Packer Inn in downtown Mystic.  It is located on the Mystic River within walking distance of historic Mystic's quaint shops and areas of nautical interest, including Mystic Seaport Museum.



We will meet in the Captain's Room at 5:30 p.m. for cocktails, and the dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m.  We will provide a cheese and fruit selection during cocktails, but all drinks before the dinner are cash bar only.

Discuss Or Schedule An Individual Session -- Call 877 332-7359



Call between 11 AM and 6 PM Eastern Time (same time zone as New York)



You'll reach me easily. The toll-free number rings my cell phone.

Outside the U.S. and Canada call 203 258-4803