Fear of Flying and How to Overcome It
By Damien Ghosh

Do you have a fear of flying? Here are some tips so that you can overcome your fear of flying. In today’s fast-paced environment, every one of us has to travel by plane for business or for personal reasons, some time or the other in our lives even if we detest and are utterly scared of flying. Stagecoaches are old fashioned. Ships are outdated except when they are used to transport cargo. And trains, though still in vogue, may be on their way out in certain places. Besides, you can’t let an assignment wait because you are afraid of flying. If you do that you might lose a valuable client and with it, a valuable contract and along with that, your job whether you are working in a company or whether you are managing your own business.

So if you have a fear of flying, what you have to do is not to avoid flying but to overcome your dread and fear of flying. Here is how you go about it.

• Take the Bull By the Horns – Board A Flight: Consider taking a flight for your next vacation. If you are on a business assignment, ask your secretary to book a flight ticket for you. If you are running your own business this should not be a problem. But if you are an employee in a company, you’ll get an air ticket only if you are a high ranking officer. In any case, do not shun flying. That will not help you to surmount your fear of flying. Try to board a plane for fulfilling an assignment, for closing a deal or if your objective is to enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

• Fly Light: Do not carry much luggage with you. Try to go for a short trip. At the most, you can carry one hand luggage and one main luggage, which will go into the cargo hold of the plane.

• Ensure that You Have Time: Check in, into the airport a couple of hours before departure so that there is enough time for security and baggage checks. Reaching the airport at the last moment can add to your anxiety and fear of flying if security personnel take long to get you through, choose to frisk you thoroughly.

• Follow Airport Instructions: Start walking towards the departure gate as soon as you hear the announcement made by airport officials that instructs passengers sitting in the departure lounge to walk towards the departure terminal. Get into the bus that will drive you to your plane or get into the aerobridge attached to the deck of the plane.

• Smile: Smile at the airhostess or flight steward who will greet you as soon as you board the plane. Smiling will make you feel lighter, happier and will help you to disperse your fear of flying.

• Avoid Flying Off the Handle: Try to find your seat yourself or ask a flight steward or an airhostess to direct you to your seat. Sitting on the wrong seat can lead to unnecessary scuffles with other passengers and can demoralize you before your flight takes off. I must warn you of one thing beforehand. Air travelers are not very well-behaved people.

• Your Fears are Baseless: Sit back and relax. You can pray a little if you want. But it is not compulsory because the plane WILL NOT CRASH. Remember one thing. The probability of an air crash is extremely low. But air crashes, whenever they happen, are blown out of proportion and are exaggerated into interesting media accounts and movies. In reality, the probability of a car or road or railway accident is much higher than the probability of an air crash. If you are that apprehensive on a plane, you should be even more apprehensive when driving a car or riding a train or when you are walking on the street. Because real statistics show that accidents on the road are not only far more likely than accidents in air but also that the total number of road accidents across the world exceed the total number of global air accidents by hundreds of thousands! So there is no substantial basis behind your fear of flying!

• Don’t Panic: When the plane starts moving, don’t get panicky. Tie your seat belt properly. If you are a first time flyer, let me tell you that tying your seat belt is the easiest thing in the world. You just have to take one end, put it around your waist, and fit it into the locker of the other end. You will hear a ‘click’ when that happens. Ask a steward or an airhostess to show you the way if you start fumbling. In any case, flight attendants tell you how to put on your seat belt while they are explaining the emergency exits to you. And besides, it is also mentioned in the chart (we shall deal with that in the next point). Accept the scented towel that the airhostess gives you and press it close to your face. The smell of the perfume in the tissue or the towel is so captivating that it will distract you from your fear of flying.

• Relax; it is Just a Routine Matter: Try to look at the flight attendant while they are instructing you on emergency exits. A chart will be given to you regarding emergency exits, oxygen masks, how you will tie your seat belt, what to do in case of an emergency, etc. This chart will be in the pocket that is fixed to the back of the seat in front of you. You can refer to the chart while following the airhostess’s instructions. But let me tell you that this is a routine procedure. The purpose of the chart is not to augment your fear of flying. DO NOT MISINTERPRET THE AIRHOSTESS’S INSTRUCTIONS AS A WARNING AGAINST IMMINENT DANGER. Do not ever assume that you have to be extremely well-versed with the instructions because your plane will crash. NO. YOUR PLANE WILL NEVER CRASH. It is just a procedure that the flight attendants have to tell you about, so that you are prepared if the worst comes to the worst. God forbid, that will never happen to you. So you can follow what the airhostess is saying if you want to or just casually glance at the chart. However, if you are a heart patient or suffer from asthma or breathing problems, you should know how to install the oxygen mask at a moment’s notice. But this i.e., your problem of requiring oxygen if you are a heart or an asthma patient, is something you would have to be alert about even if you are traveling in the hills, or by car or by train. It has nothing to do with traveling in air or an air crash.

• Be at Ease: Rest back. In any case, while taking off, the plane will compel you to rest backwards. Do not gaze out of the window. If you are prone to jitters, you might get butterflies in your stomach if you stare out of the window.

• Taking Off: Every plane starts moving in the same manner before taking off. It starts to run on its wheels on the tarmac very slowly at first until it comes to the final stretch of runway. Here, the plane accelerates until it starts racing down the runway at a speed of about 400 to 500 miles per hour. Trees whiz past and the tarmac starts disappearing. The very atmosphere outside becomes filmy before a sudden jerk tells you that you have been lifted into the air at an acute angle. The plane tilts heavily. At this point, it is advisable for people like you not to glance out of the window because you might feel giddy. In any case, the fast disappearing city and airport beneath will all appear to you to be slanted and will make you feel dizzy unless you are a seasoned flyer. Even seasoned, daredevil flyers with no fear of flying feel sick at this point of time. This is because the sudden jump into the air is accompanied by a change of air pressure within the plane that tends to make lots of passengers want to vomit. So, just shut your eyes and wait patiently until the plane starts flying horizontally and normally. Again let me repeat, there is nothing to be frightened of. The nausea and the whirring in your ears are things you will get accustomed to, soon enough. And in any case, if you feel like throwing up, it does not mean that the plane will crash. You can always vomit into the airbag fixed to the pocket in front of you.

• Medicines to Take On the Fly: I have advised many people who suffer from the ‘fear of flying’ syndrome to swallow a digestive-cum-anti-dizziness tablet before embarking on an airplane journey. It helps to quell the feeling of nausea when you are taking off. Different brands of prochlorperazine generally suffice for this purpose. Prochlorperazine is sold in different nations under different brand names such as Compazine, Stemetil, Stemzine, Buccastem, and Phenotil. Any one of them will do. But do not buy medicines off the counter. Please ask your doctor before you purchase any medicine that will help you to restrain nausea when you are flying. He or she will probably prescribe you one of the five brands mentioned above but you must ask him or her before you buy the stuff.

• The Lighter You Are, the Better You Can Fly: I also advise people to eat lightly before they board a plane. If you have had a heavy meal, there is more chance that you will feel sick while flying than if you have had a light meal. As the plane speeds through the atmosphere amidst clouds and with fluctuating air pressure, you might feel some churning in your stomach if you have eaten a heavy meal before getting into the plane. Also, take some cotton wads with you so that you can plug your ears with them when taking off. Lots of folks cannot stand the whirring in the ears that they suffer when there is a sudden alteration in air pressure, when the plane is taking off. You can also ask the flight attendants for cotton but it is better you take them with you so that you do not have to wait for the attendant to get you a piece of cotton.

• Fly High with Music: Music is a great healer. It can also help you to conquer your fear of flying. As soon as the plane starts flying in the air normally, take out the cotton and put the headphone instead to your ears. How will you know that the plane is flying normally? As soon as there is an announcement from the cockpit telling you that you may unfasten your seatbelts, you will know that the plane has begun to fly normally. This announcement comes typically 15 to 20 minutes after the plane has started its motion. Most airplanes provide headphones to their passengers nowadays. So instead of sitting and staring blankly into space, make use of the headphones. Listen to your favorite numbers, tracks and albums and forget that you are hanging in mid air. Listen to Mozart’s sonatas and symphonies, Beethoven’s symphonies or the beats of Elvis, Abba, Enrique, and Britney to keep your terrors at bay.

• Watch TV: Most international flights come with TV facilities. So, you can easily watch the film that is being shown on the main TV screen hanging in front of you, a few seats ahead, or watch your own TV that is attached to the back of the seat in front of you. Planes nowadays have become havens for movie buffs. You can watch any film that you want while flying because TV sets in planes are loaded with films of every genre and type.

• Bon Appetit, Bon Voyage: Eating while flying will definitely wipe away your fear of flying. Remember, I said that it is not recommended that you board a plane immediately after eating a heavy meal as this can give you airsickness? But there is no harm in eating once you are aboard. In fact, meals served in airplanes are strictly light so that passengers don’t feel like vomiting or going to the bathroom too often. Eating, at the best of times, is a great pastime. And it is all the more pleasurable in a plane as there is nothing much for you to do there. So, look forward to your meals with appetite and gusto. I can tell you that airplane food is delicious. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner that they serve you, it is yummy and delectable and will erase your fears of flying away. I have coached many people who had deep-seated fears of flying. I told them to forget about dieting and weight problems while flying and to eat heartily as eating is the best therapy for such people. Sure enough, all of them have overcome their fears of flying, initially, by eating well on planes and finally, through intense counseling and frequent flying. Eating a good and tasty meal can really be entertaining. You can stick your headphones to your ears while you are munching your sausage, bacon, ham, or potato chips but I suggest that since eating is a better therapy than listening to music, remove your headphones during your meal and eat wholeheartedly. Food is always served neatly on flights in little packed trays where the cereal (bread or rice or noodles), the meat, and the dessert are given in separate containers. Cutlery comes in another additional little pack. Airplane food is served this way so that passengers find it convenient to handle the food when they place the trays on the flexible tabletops while they eat. Flexible tabletops may be unscrewed from the back of the seat in front so that you can place your tray of food on the tabletop. You can ask the flight attendants for juices and cold drinks as you eat. Alcohol and energy drinks are also served on international flights, but I do not recommend them. They might affect you adversely and then you might attribute your uneasiness in the air to your fear of flying instead of the alcohol. Enjoy the taste of the rice or the soft bread or the steak or the fish to the full and forget everything about what may happen if you crash land. Drink your fruit juice or soft drink to the lees and celebrate life!

Remember flying is all about celebrating life, not thinking of disaster and death. The airplane is an answer to one of humankind’s oldest cravings, the craving to fly like a bird, the craving to go places in a short time, the yearning to master the skies, the desire to prove that humans are the most resourceful and powerful animals on Earth. So enjoy every moment of your flight by gorging on scrumptious food, listening to heavenly music and watching blockbuster cinema and reading magazines.

• When You Fly, Time Flies: Whether your flight is a two-hour, a four-hour, a six-hour, or a twelve-hour flight, you’ll find that time flies while you are in the air. The longer your flight, the more chance you’ll have to eat mouthwatering food and listen to lovely music and watch all time great movies. Snacks are always sumptuous experiences beginning with tea, coffee, cakes and sandwiches and ending with ice creams. Flying at night can be a peaceful experience. Most of the lights in the plane are switched off except for the night lamps and blankets are distributed so that you can sleep comfortably. Some watch movies through the night. But I would advise you to sleep and relax. There is nothing to be tense about, nothing to worry about. Besides, dying in your sleep can be the best way to die. Hey! Hope you didn’t take that one seriously. Just pulling your leg. What I mean is that sleep is good for you. It can assuage all your fears of flying. Do not be anxious. You will always wake up alive and kicking and relaxed and in no other state but this. Sometimes, even if you want to take a nap, your sleep may be cut short. This happens when flight attendants serve food through the night. Some find this thrilling and some find this disturbing. But there are planes that really want you to have a good time while flying and so they serve food through the night – dinner, supper, beverages, drinks, snacks…..and breakfast. Another reason why you may not be allowed your beauty sleep when you are flying is when you have to stop at an airport in between to catch a connecting flight. This often happens when you are flying across continents. You might have to stop at the Dubai International Airport to take a connecting flight if you are flying from Asia to Europe or at an European airport in order to board a connecting flight if you are flying from Asia to the Americas. This disruption can cause a break in sleep but do not lose patience. You can take forty winks as soon as you board your connecting flight unless the flight attendants on the connecting flight start serving you food too.

• It is Not the Time to Worry When You Are on Cloud Nine: Lots of people get alarmed when their planes cut across clouds. If the plane is going to pass through a mass of clouds, you will be informed of it in advance through announcements from the cockpit. You will be told to sit in your seat and have your seatbelt on so that you don’t lose balance and fall while the plane is slashing forward through a cloud. There is no need to tremble and quake while your plane is bumping through a cloud. Flying through masses of wooly clouds is an everyday thing for pilots though it might be new to you. All you have to do is to sit still in your seat and wait patiently to be out of the cloud. There is no reason for you to get the heebie-jeebies. Your plane will never crash whether it is in or out of the clouds.

• The Joy of Landing: Before touchdown, once again, you shall be asked to don your seatbelt. The plane will start losing height so you can have a prochlorperazine pill so that you do not feel the ill effects. Buildings, roads, trees and vehicles will gradually come into view like objects on a game board about half-an-hour before you land. But if you still have a fear of flying, do not look downwards. Just sit back and close your eyes in your seat during landing until you feel the wheels hit the ground suddenly and forcefully. For most people who have a fear of flying, this is a moment to cheer. When the wheels hit the tarmac, they almost always breathe a sigh of relief and open their eyes wide with confidence for the first time. Okay, quite natural. The funny thing is that while they hated to open their eyes when the plane was racing down the tarmac before taking off, they seem to love to open their eyes and stare at the trees whizzing past and the ground speeding by, once the plane has landed. I know that you too feel the same way and that you too shut and open your eyes in the same manner because you have a fear of flying. But if you have flown at least once, you will know that there is really no cause for alarm. All the same, I don’t want to take away your fun when the plane finally lands, when the airhostess makes an announcement about the weather outside and hopes that you had a happy journey. I don’t grudge the joy that you feel for having landed safely or laugh at you because you thanked the Lord for your safe journey because I guess that we should be thankful for the smallest things of life.

• Fear of Flying Graph: By the time, it is your second flight, you will become definitely more adventurous. By the third flight, you shall become confident. By the fourth flight, you might be able to help other passengers with their seatbelts. By the fifth flight, you may actually want to pursue a career in flying and piloting or regret not having been a pilot if you have passed the age. By your sixth flight, you will get so addicted to that soaring feeling that you shall actually begin to love flying. By the seventh flight, you will still feel heady but will start to find flying routine. By the eighth flight, you might get a trifle bored unless you eat or listen to music or watch TV constantly. By your ninth flight, flying will be a means by which you can relax between hectic conferences and meetings. And by your tenth flight, when you have shed the last traces of your fears of flying, flying will seem no different from your daily work, habits, etc.

Damien Ghosh is a prolific writer of articles that focus on technology, places, psychology and people. Damien has worked in different industries such as the information technology industry, the travel and tourism industry and the retail industry. He has worked in several projects for blue-chip companies, that are part of the IT, travel and tourism and retail industries. His work and his passion for traveling has made him journey across the world. He has led large work-teams to accomplish business goals successfully. He is also an expert on psychology and has many degrees and diplomas in clinical and business psychology. He has successfully coached, counseled and mentored several people in the various organizations he has worked as a professional HR manager and psychologist. He has also counseled many people by holding counseling sessions in different parts of the world. His counseling sessions have been very helpful for motivating people and for enabling them to identify and set their goals. His rich experience undoubtedly helps him to write extensively. Damien writes for magazines, the web and for newspapers. He has also done several research papers on motivation, goal-setting, and human psychology and has contributed chapters to textbooks that deal with human resource management, human resource development, business and industrial psychology and clinical psychology. His articles, chapters and papers have received lots of accolades from critics, professionals, psychologists, HR managers, industrialists, help-seekers and readers in general. Damien Ghosh’s website is https://www.meetingdiary.com and his email is damienghosh@live.com.

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Intensive Exposure Therapy

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Virtual Reality Therapy

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There is an effective way to stop panicking. Have you ever gone for a job interview only to change your mind in the car because of fear and not show up? Can you think of other times that you should have done something but you didn’t do it because of irrational fear?

There is a way to distinguish between rational fear and fear that is irrational and detrimental to your emotional health.

The word rational means something that is based upon reason whereas the word Irrational carries the idea of something not based on reason. It would be rational not to walk out onto a highway during rush hour traffic but it is irrational to fear catching diabetes from someone with the disease.

Frequently these irrational fears can even develop into phobias that are debilitating and controlling. Many people fear flying but not driving while it is a proven statistical fact that a person has a much greater risk of dying from the latter. There are some famous people who refuse to get on a plane, Aretha Franklin is one of them.

There are cognitive methods and techniques that have proven very successful against panic attacks and irrational fear. Some of them are featured on this site but they are two numerous to list them all.

There is a technique that has been proven successful for many who have tried it. The developer has put together a website that has numerous testimonies of people who have tried the product. There is even a money back guarantee and when I purchased it I was surprised at how inexpensive the product was. It is less than the cost of one counseling session.

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Practically everybody knows what it’s like to feel anxious, worried, nervous, afraid, uptight, or panicky. Often anxiety is just a nuisance, but sometimes it can cripple you and prevent you from doing what you really want with your life. But I have some great news for you: You can change the way you feel.

Powerful new, drug-free treatments have been developed for depression and for every conceivable type of anxiety, such as chronic worrying, shyness, public speaking anxiety, test anxiety, phobias, and panic attacks. The goal of the treatment is not just partial improvement but full recovery. I want you to be able to wake up in the morning free of fears and eager to meet the day, telling yourself it’s great to be alive.

Anxiety comes in many different forms. See if you can recognize yourself in any of these patterns.

• Chronic Worrying. You constantly worry about your family, health, career, or finances. Your stomach churns, and it seems as if something bad is about to happen, but you can’t figure out exactly what the problem is.

• Fears and Phobias. You may be afraid of needles, blood, heights, elevators, driving, flying, water, spiders, snakes, dogs, storms, bridges, or getting trapped in closed spaces.

• Performance Anxiety. You freeze up whenever you have to take a test, perform in front of other people, or compete in an athletic event.

• Public Speaking Anxiety. You get nervous whenever you have to talk in front of a group because you tell yourself, “I’ll tremble and everyone will see how nervous I am. My mind will go blank and I’ll make a complete fool of myself. Everyone will look down on me and think I’m a total neurotic.”

• Shyness. You feel nervous and self-conscious at social gatherings because you tell yourself, “Everyone seems so charming and relaxed. But I don’t have anything interesting to say. They can probably tell how shy and awkward I feel. They must think I’m some kind of weirdo or loser. I’m the only one who feels this way. What’s wrong with me?”

• Panic Attacks. You experience sudden, terrifying panic attacks that seem to come from out of the blue and strike unexpectedly, like lightning. During each attack, you feel dizzy, your heart pounds, and your fingers tingle. You may tell yourself, “I must be having a heart attack. What if I pass out or die? I can’t breathe right! What if I suffocate?” You try to hang on for dear life. Before long, the feelings of panic disappear as mysteriously as they came, leaving you bewildered, frightened, and humiliated. You wonder what happened and when it’s going to strike again.

• Agoraphobia. You’re afraid of being away from home alone because you think something terrible will happen — perhaps you’ll have a panic attack — and there won’t be anyone to help you. You may fear open spaces, bridges, crowds, standing in line at the grocery store, or taking public transportation.

• Obsessions and Compulsions. You’re plagued by obsessive thoughts that you can’t shake from your mind, and compulsive urges to perform superstitious rituals to control your fears. For example, you may be consumed by the fear of germs and have the irresistible urge to wash your hands over and over all day long. Or you may get up and check the stove repeatedly after you’ve gone to bed, just to make sure you didn’t leave the burners on.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. You’re haunted by memories or flashbacks of a horrific event that happened months or even years ago, such as rape, abuse, torture, or murder.

• Concerns about Your Appearance (Body Dysmorphic Disorder). You’re consumed by the feeling that there’s something grotesque or abnormal about your appearance, even though your friends and family reassure you that you look just fine. You may think that your nose is deformed, your hair is thinning, or your body isn’t shaped correctly. You may spend vast amounts of time consulting with plastic surgeons or staring into mirrors trying to correct the defect because you’re so convinced that everyone can see how terrible you look.

• Worries about Your Health (Hypochondriasis). You go from doctor to doctor complaining of aches, pains, fatigue, dizziness, or other symptoms. You feel certain that you have some dreadful disease, but the doctor always reassures you that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. You feel relieved for a few days, but soon you start obsessing about your health again.

If you’re plagued by any of these fears, I have a question for you: What would it be worth to you if I could show you how to overcome them? Imagine, for a moment, that you had to give a talk or take an important test tomorrow, and you could go to bed tonight without that knot in your stomach, feeling confident and relaxed.

If you’re lonely and struggling with shyness, what would it be worth to you to feel relaxed and spontaneous around other people so you could easily engage anyone, anywhere, in a rewarding conversation? And if you’re suffering from phobias, panic attacks, or obsessions and compulsions, what would it be worth to you if I could show you how to defeat these fears for good?

These goals may seem impossible, especially if you’ve been struggling with anxiety or depression for years, but I’m convinced that you can defeat your fears without pills or lengthy therapy. That may not be the message that you’re used to hearing. If you go to your doctor, she or he may tell you that you’ve got a chemical imbalance in your brain and that you’ll have to take a pill to correct it. Yet the latest research confirms what my clinical experience has taught me over the years: You can defeat your fears without drugs.(1) All you’ll need is a little courage, your own common sense, and the techniques in this book.

There are many theories about the causes of anxiety, but we’ll focus on four of them:

• The Cognitive Model is based on the idea that negative thoughts cause anxiety. “Cognition” is simply a fancy word for a thought. Every time you feel anxious or afraid, it’s because you’re telling yourself that something terrible is about to happen. For example, if you have a fear of flying and the plane runs into turbulence, you may panic because you think, “This plane is about to crash!” Then you imagine passengers screaming as the plane crashes toward the earth in a ball of flames. Your fear does not result from the turbulence but from the negative messages you give yourself. When you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel.

• The Exposure Model is based on the idea that avoidance is the cause of all anxiety. In other words, you feel anxious because you’re avoiding the thing you fear. If you’re afraid of heights, you probably avoid ladders, high mountain trails, or glass elevators. If you feel shy, you probably avoid people. According to this theory, the moment you stop running and confront the monster you fear the most, you’ll defeat your fears. It’s like telling a bully “Take your best shot. I’m not running away from you any longer!”

• The Hidden Emotion Model is based on the idea that niceness is the cause of all anxiety. People who are prone to anxiety are nearly always people-pleasers who fear conflict and negative feelings like anger. When you feel upset, you sweep your problems under the rug because you don’t want to upset anyone. You do this so quickly and automatically that you’re not even aware you’re doing it. Then your negative feelings resurface in disguised form, as anxiety, worries, fears, or feelings of panic. When you expose the hidden feelings and solve the problem that’s bugging you, often your anxiety will disappear.

• The Biological Model is based on the idea that anxiety and depression result from a chemical imbalance in the brain and that you’ll have to take a pill to correct it. Two types of medications are generally recommended: the minor tranquilizers, such as Xanax, Ativan, and Valium, and the antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Your doctor may tell you that these medications represent the only truly effective treatment for depression and anxiety and that you’ll need to keep taking them for the rest of your life, in much the same way that individuals suffering from diabetes will have to take insulin shots forever to regulate their blood sugar.

So we have four radically different theories about the causes and cures for anxiety. Which theory is correct? According to the Cognitive Model, you’ll have to change the way you think. According to the Exposure Model, you’ll have to stop running and confront your fears. According to the Hidden Emotion Model, you’ll have to express your feelings. And according to the Biological Model, you’ll have to take a pill.

All four theories have their advocates. I believe that the first three theories are correct, and I use Cognitive Techniques, Exposure Techniques, and the Hidden Emotion Technique with every anxious person I treat. The Biological Model is much more controversial. Although I began my career as a full-time psychopharmacologist and treated all my patients with drugs, I strongly prefer the new, drug-free treatment methods for anxiety and depression. In my experience, they’re far more effective, they work much faster, and they’re also superior in the long run because you’ll have the tools you need to overcome painful mood swings for the rest of your life.

However, it’s not an either/or type of situation. If you and your doctor feel that medications are necessary, or if you strongly prefer to be treated with an antidepressant, you can use a combination of drugs plus psychotherapy. But for the millions of people who haven’t been cured by pills, as well as those who strongly prefer to be treated without them, the development of these new, drug-free methods should be good news. Let’s see how they work.

The Cognitive Model

The Cognitive Model is based on three simple ideas:

1. You feel the way you think.

2. When you’re anxious, you’re fooling yourself. Anxiety results from distorted, illogical thoughts. It’s a mental con.

3. When you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel.

The French philosopher Descartes once said, “I think, therefore I am.” The techniques in this book are based on a slightly different idea: “I think, therefore I fear.” In other words, anxiety results from your thoughts, or cognitions.

For example, you’re probably having thoughts about what you’re reading at this very moment. You could be thinking “This is just another stupid self-help book. What a rip-off!” If so, you’re probably feeling disappointed, frustrated, or even annoyed.

Or you might be thinking, “This book couldn’t possibly help me. My problems are way too severe.” If so, you’re probably feeling discouraged and hopeless. Or you might be thinking “Hey, this looks interesting, and it makes sense. Maybe it could help me.” If so, you’re probably feeling excited and curious.

In each case, the situation is exactly the same. Every reader is reading the same thing. Your feelings about what you’re reading will result entirely from the way you’re thinking, not from the words on the page.

We constantly interpret what’s happening, but we’re not aware that we’re doing this because it’s automatic. The thoughts just flow across our minds, but they have the power to create strong positive and negative emotions.

Cognitive Therapy* is based on the idea that each type of thought, or cognition, creates a certain kind of feeling. Dr. Aaron Beck, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has called this the Theory of Cognitive Specificity. For example, if you feel sad or depressed, you’re probably telling yourself that you’ve lost someone you love or something important to your sense of self-esteem. If you feel guilty or ashamed, you’re telling yourself that you’re bad or that you’ve violated your own personal values. If you feel hopeless, you’re telling yourself that things will never change. And if you feel angry, you’re telling yourself that someone is treating you unfairly or trying to take advantage of you. You may also be telling yourself that the other person is a self-centered jerk.

To purchase this book “When Panic Attacks” – Click Here

The attacks usually last about ten minutes, but can be as short as one minute. In severe cases, these attacks can happen in cycles. These cycles may last for extended periods. These cycles can cause anticipation anxiety between episodes.

Physical symptoms of anxiety attacks generally include shortness of breath, heart palpitations and sweating. Tingling and numbness in the extremities, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches and nausea are also commonly experienced. These may appear to be random, but theyre actually the result of the bodys preparations for protection.

The anxiety attack is brought on by a sudden onset of fear. In response, the body releases adrenaline followed by increases in the heart and breathing rate and production of sweat (to regulate body temperature). These actions prepare the body for the physical activities of fighting or escaping. Because the anticipated strenuous activity rarely follows the panic attack, these reactions result in physical discomfort.

The increased heart rate is felt as heart palpitations. Rapid breathing (hyperventilation) results in a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and blood. This leads to the tingling, numbness, dizziness and lightheadedness. The adrenaline causes a narrowing of the blood vessels which results in less blood flow to the head. This also contributes to the lightheadedness and headaches.

For a video on what to do during a panic attack click here

Willard Scott, a victim of panic disorder himself, hosts this film. At the end of the film a toll free number (1-800-64-PANIC) is provided for free information about panic disorder and its treatment.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Willard Scott, a victim of panic disorder himself, hosts this film. At the end of the film a toll free number (1-800-64-PANIC) is provided for free information about panic disorder and its treatment.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I have tried to show that the notion of mental illness has outlived whatever usefulness it might have had and that it now functions merely as a· convenient myth. As such, it is a true heir to religious myths in general, and to the belief in witchcraft in particular; the role of all these belief-systems was to act as social tranquilizers, thus encouraging the hope that mastery of certain specific problems may be achieved by means of substitutive (symbolic-magical) operations. The notion of mental illness thus serves mainly to obscure the everyday fact that life for most people is a continuous struggle, not for biological survival, but for a “place in the sun,” “peace of mind,” or some other human value. For man aware of himself and of the world about him, once the needs for preserving the body (and perhaps the race) are more or less satisfied, the problem arises as to what he should do with himself. Sustained adherence to the myth of mental illness allows people to avoid facing this problem, believing that mental health, conceived as the absence of mental illness, automatically insures the making of right and safe choices in one’s conduct of life. But the facts are all the other way. It is the making of good choices in life that others regard, retrospectively, as good mental health!”

While I disagree with his statements that tie religious belief in the same category as belief in mental illness, there are some powerful statements in this quote.

To purchase the original book by Thomas Szasz, “The Myth of Mental Illness” – click here

Medical intervention is currently pushed almost to the exclusion of other options such as Cognitive Behavorial Therapy and alternative treatments. Here is a booklet put out by the National Institute of Mental Health which follows this medical model. There is some good information in the booklet but the slant towards medication is not subtle.

A recent research article noted the fact that a youth mental illness diagnosis paved the way for over half of the adults classified as having Anxiety or Panic Disorders. Here is the article

Willard Scott, a victim of panic disorder himself, hosts this film. At the end of the film a toll free number (1-800-64-PANIC) is provided for free information about panic disorder and its treatment.

Click here to view the embedded video.