The 747 Cockpit scared me to death, vertigo?

Client Background Summary:

• I lived in Japan and Hong Kong and thus had long flights back and forth to New York periodically.
• In those days, I was even allowed to ride in the cockpit sometimes.

Client Review Summary:

• I am happy to say, I did the whole S.O.A.R. course dutifully and daily, for a month before the flight to Ireland.
• It is a very emotional thing to conquer fear, or put it in its place, and that is what you have allowed me to do.
• The other tools that especially helped me were speaking to the crew, and the 5-4-3-2-1.

Client Review:

I first contacted the S.O.A.R. program at my daughter's suggestion. (She had checked a couple of websites and made the suggestion to me (I would never have even thought of it), and yours looked the most inviting to me.) We were planning a trip to Ireland together, and I think she was scared I'd wouldn't be able to do it in the end, and that would have wrecked her vacation! I had only flown twice in the last twenty years or so, and then heavily sedated, which did very little good at all.

About thirty years ago, I traveled fairly extensively with my husband, who worked in international banking. I lived in Japan and Hong Kong and thus had long flights back and forth to New York periodically. It once took me almost 40 hours to do the trip--I flew from Hong Kong to Tokyo, waited; then on to Seattle, had an aborted landing in a 747, circled for a long time, went to Portland to refuel, back to Seattle, landed. Waited. then to Chicago inadvertently, as there was engine trouble. Finally to New York. There was no food or drink left on that plane by the either, and people fought to get off. On the realistic side, which as you like to point out is VERY important, we all arrived intact.

Another flight I remember well was from Teheran to somewhere in Pakistan. There was a bomb scare; we all had to get off and stand on the tarmac for hours in the hot sun, surrounded by barefoot men with machine guns. Again, the reality was we all arrived safely in the end wherever it was we were headed. For some reason, on this mid-size plane (we were in "first" class), I was also disturbed by the stewardess grabbing handfuls of nuts out of a tin and sort of throwing them on napkins. I think I became scared first on one of the earliest trips to the Far East. Not sure why. Leaving home? And it intensified when my daughter was born, so I'm not sure whether it was the bad flights, or the emotional aspects of things, or the combination. But I managed to stay off planes for years and years. In those days, I was even allowed to ride in the cockpit sometimes. The 747 cockpit scared me to death, vertigo?, and on a Cathay Pacific one, the pilots had fought in Vietnam and were very distracted and sort of hacking around, which worried me, though they told me it was a just a little "commute".

I am happy to say, I did the whole S.O.A.R. course dutifully and daily, for a month before the flight to Ireland. I wasn't sure it would work at all, but was determined to go and not disappoint my daughter (she would probably have taken her ticket and gone anyway!). I flew by myself from Florida to NY, met her, and flew out the next day to Shannon. And did it all in reverse. I got a little teary on the homeward-bound flight from NY to Florida by myself, but I think I was just tired. I did talk to the crews. Some looks startled, but most were very nice.

She and I flew last year from Miami to Paris, and I flew home alone (ten hours) by myself. I was very proud! There was a wonderful crew on the plane, and no bumps, so that helped too. I just decided I would "redo" the S.O.A.R. course, and it worked again. It is a very emotional thing to conquer fear, or put it in its place, and that is what you have allowed me to do. Parts of the course that were especially helpful were the detailed descriptions and explanation of planes, flight itself, airport personnel, turbulence, etc. That's for my rational mind. The other tools that especially helped me were speaking to the crew, and the 5-4-3-2-1. I think somehow the association with the pictures and thinking of a nice person/time/event in your life helped too. And the discipline of practicing every day. Anyway, I would recommend S.O.A.R. to anyone. Give it a chance. It's amazing. (And I will retake it again in February or March, as I am planning to take my daughter to Europe again! See what a gift you have given me (and her)?!

I will surely be in contact too before to see how best to review. Thanks again for all your good works.

A SOAR Graduate

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