SOAR Fear of Flying Course

These videos show you how to control fear of flying / anxiety during flight and in other situations. You will learn to stop panic before it starts. You will learn to keep claustrophobia from developing.

• Psychology of Flight Anxiety videos help you understand the workings of the mind. 

More Information: Psychology of Flight Anxiety and The Control of Anxiety 

The Control of Anxiety may be purchased separately or as part of a SOAR Package.

What causes flight anxiety / fear of flying? Sometimes it begins with a bad flight. Just as often, it starts for no apparent reason. A passenger tries to board and finds, to their surprise, that they just have to get off the plane.

Once fear of flying starts, nothing seems to work. 

• Anti-anxiety medications can only take the edge off.
• Relaxation exercises are helpful in peaceful environments, but not in flight due to motions and noises.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reduces anxiety due to thoughts. SOAR will teach you these techniques. But when used alone, CBT cannot stop anxiety or panic due to turbulence. If cannot stop the need to get off the plane.

SOAR controls these feelings. How? The brain releases stress hormones when anything it is not used to occurs. It activates systems to regulate further release. If these systems are not effective, hormones build-up and cause high anxiety or panic.

1. The Mobilization System. When stress hormones are released, this primitive system produces the urge to escape. If acted on, escape stops stress hormone release and the urge disappears. But, escape is not possible during flight.
2. Executive Function. When stress hormones are released, this sophisticated overrides the urge to escape. It produces anxiety to  focus all awareness to (a.) assess the situation, and if needed (b.) build a plan, then (c.) commit  to the plan. Upon commitment, Executive Function stops stress hormone release and anxiety disappears. Some passengers are comfortable trusting the pilots to do this job for them. Passengers who cannot give up control continue trying to use Executive Function. But with insufficient information and no control of the situation, Executive Function cannot relieve anxiety. Since neither the primitive Mobilization System nor the sophisticated Executive Function can control anxiety (fear of flying), what can be done?
3. The Social Engagement System. This system provides a solution. When faced with a challenge, we are calmer with a supportive friend than if alone. The Social Engagement System picks up signals the supportive friend unconsciously sends. When the signals are right, this system provides a powerful calming effect.
   
   • Twenty years ago, licensed therapist and airline captain Tom Bunn discovered that by mentally linking the memory of a supportive relationship to what happen during flight, anxiety was controlled for many clients. Because of research and experience with several thousand fear of flying clients, it is now possible to control anxiety with every client we work with.