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having nightmares and feeling backtracked!

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ginaLA	having nightmares and feeling backtracked!	Lead	[-]
Posts: 15 (07/21/09 12:19:22) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None Hi, I've been doing really good lately, travelling to Europe and around and also to Mexico (some of you had great suggestions and offer of help then). All trips were really fine and I was not suffering too much anticipatory anxiety in advance either. Met the captain on almost all of the flights, and the only thing that triggered anxiety was circling slowly over London for a long time with BA, and the same again a couple of weeks later over LA with Alaska. I've worked this into my exercise and hopefully I'll manage next time. This might have left a trace though, I'm not sure. Three nights in a row now I've had really horrible nightmares reg my upcoming flight on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong!! waking up covered in sweat. I love this airline, and I'm not paying attention to the flight during the day, but somehow my sub-consciousness does. Have I become completely backtracked? - in my dream I'm taking off from LA on a really really old scabby airplane - we never stop taking off, just going straight into the sky before we plunge into the ocean and I wake up. I'm not quite sure how to tackle this as I'm doing all I think I'm supposed to with my strengthening exercises… any advice or thoughts on this? G
CRob21		#1	[-]
Posts: 57 (07/21/09 12:32:20) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi Gina, I had a similar dream last week and its really thrown me for a loop. I have a flight Thursday and one of my big problems I constantly struggle with is overcoming "omens" and "signs". I've never had a nightmare prior to a flight, I guess I've been lucky, but this time I did and naturally I'm calling it a sign. Anyway, I've kind of one into an anxiety overdrive that I'm having trouble controlling. I would be curious to hear some tips as to how people deal with these situations. Craig
Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW		#2	[-]
Posts: 2657 (07/21/09 12:33:07) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi, It would help if we could talk this over, but I'll throw out some guesses. One, because it started with holding, one good possibility is that you were sort of pacing yourself and - perhaps unknowingly - told yourself it was going to be all done in just a few minutes. Again, do you see how control comes in? By expectation. You begin to count on something, even though it was merely an expectation of relief in a few minutes. Then, when you don't get what you expect, how do you deal with it? And, now, after the flight, you realize, perhaps shockingly, perhaps more than every, that you have no control whatsoever. You promise that the plane would land in just a few minutes was wiped away, and with it, your power. It is so very hard to give up control, and to accept that. I think the answer is to be ready for anything and everything. For example, another way people get into trouble is "hoping" that there will be no thunderstorms, or "hoping" there will be no turbulence. You know how that works out. It is must better to forget the hope and just take the flight as it is.
CRob21		#3	[-]
Posts: 58 (07/21/09 20:18:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Speaking of nightmares and omens, I just ran into another one that kind of made me laugh a little. I went to pick up a carton of milk and read the expiration, and I saw that it was 9/11/2009. Perfect! I guess when your mind is in overdrive "omens" are everywhere. I did find some good articles in the SOAR library that helped me with this little problem. Last Edited By: CRob21 07/21/09 20:23:10. Edited 1 times.

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Note from Capt. Tom

I know everyone worries about weather, but pilots really do not worry about it. We simply - instead of worrying about it - completely prepare for it. Before going to the plane, we review the weather at the destination. If it is not 100% sure to be within legal limits when we arrive at the destination, we must specify an alternate airport in our planning documents, and load on plenty of fuel for going to the destination airport, and then if need be, diverting to the alternate airport.

The legal limits are conservative. Even when weather is slightly outside the legal limits, any airline pilot could still land safely. You can rely on the captain never to land when the weather is not legal, and legality limits are reached prior to safety limits.

If you are still anxious, call me and we can talk it over. I'm at 877 332-7359 from 10 AM until 7 PM Eastern time.

For effective help, even if you are flying in a day or two, sign up now at www.fearofflying.com/fasttrack and call me when you finish Clip 9 so I can make sure you are all set.

Using Weather Information

If you enter your ZIP Code or City at the top of the weather presentation, it will give you weather for your area. Or, you can enter your destination ZIP Code or City.

Click on the "LOCAL RADAR" button to see whether or not there are thunder-
storms. Keep in mind, however, that we can either fly above the storms when cruising or fly through gaps between storms. During landing, we cannot fly above them, but fly through gaps, or through the area of the storms where the turbulence is least.

Turbulence, though it may cause anxiety, does not mean anything is wrong. Turbulence does not mean danger. The plane can handle far more turbulence than Mother Nature can dish out.

Though flying in turbulence is safe, it doesn't feel safe. And here is where the SOAR programs come in. We can help you feel as safe when you fly as you actually are.

You can see these programs at www.fearofflying.com/store.

For questions on aviation or the psychology of aerophobia, click here to e-mail Capt. Tom Bunn, MSW, LCSW.

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