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Justin K. Hughes, Licensed Professional Counselor: Dallas CBT and Exposure Therapy for OCD, Anxiety, Addictions & More
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Justin's Blog

Southwest Airlines and Fear of Flying

5/15/2018

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Photo by Owen CL on Unsplash
Did your anxiety increase over flying after news of the engine failure on Southwest Flight 1380?  Even a little?

I have booked plane tickets twice since the incident in mid-April 2018, and when choosing seats, I hovered precariously as I decided whether to select my favored window seat, or if I go for the "safer" aisle.  My wife mentioned slight concern over the window seat because of the tragedy that occurred.

Working closely with the CBT treatment of  Anxiety Disorders and OCD, I knew the moment I read the news- first about engine failure and the sad death of a wife and mom, Jennifer Riordan, and more recently the loss of cabin pressure and a window crack on a separate flight- there would be increased fear and anxiety about flying.  Why?  Flying commercially is statistically more safe in the U.S. than it’s ever been.  Even with these incidents.  Even with 100 of these incidents.  

The fear is natural, and even normative, to some extent.  It makes sense that we’d instinctually be a bit curious about our well-being in a metal tube soaring at 500 mph with tons of jet fuel propelling it.  Even the possibility of flight has been denied in most of human history.

But what about when fear starts to cause problems ?  Affect choices?  Leads to avoidance of life pursuits and goals?  Or becomes one more in a cumulative list of anxieties and worries?  One way to be 100% certain that you will increase your fear load is by giving the aforementioned flight(s) unrealistic credit.  By associating personalized, catastrophic meaning to a situation that is one of the safest things you can do (safer than riding a bike), a distortion has taken place.  Some disorders, such as Specific Phobias, PTSD or OCD, make it pathologically difficult (i.e., neurobiologically) to change how one feels and thinks, regurgitating fear quicker than your vertigo-experiencing seatmate with their airline-branded “barf” bag.

With Flight 1380 being the first fatality on a U.S. passenger airline since February 2009 (over 9 years), flying on a plane is a remarkably secure form of travel.  Unconvinced? Check out Forbes’ mining of some reputable stats.  

Here’s the thing; education and stats are helpful, but only go so far.  Fear is more than a reasoning thing- or in neuro terms, more than a prefrontal cortex (PFC) thing.  Fear is an emotional thing. An amygdala thing. A learned response and genetic thing, along with a pervasive attitude and decision thing.  It’s something that can destroy, harm, and erode, or it’s something that can be used in its rightful context, and set aside when not useful (e.g., PTSD treatment where a person can balance both safe and smart decisions, while facing disordered fear, so they can live life more fully).

So if you’re like most people who need a bit more than statistical education to counter anxiety and become stress resilient, remember this:

What you think and believe (cognitively) is vitally important.
What you do (behaviorally) is vitally important.  

Your health and well-being are intricately tied to these.  Small decisions today can lead to a long-term impact. For many of us, the greatest threat we face today is fear.  So I chose the window seat.  

~Justin
​“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
~Attributed to Mark Twain
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    All Content on this Site, justinkhughes.com, was created for informational purposes only. Content is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, treatment, or diagnosis.  Always seek the advice of your own personal health provider who is qualified to treat you, along with asking them any questions you may have regarding medical or other conditions. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have viewed on justinkhughes.com. Also, due to the sensitive nature of topics and material covered through this Site, which contains very descriptive and/or advanced content, you may not want to use justinkhughes.com. The Site and its Content are provided on an "as is" basis.  Some posts are written for specific populations (OCD, Christians, Professionals)- with the intent to remain respectful to all- some content may not fit or go counter to your beliefs, perspectives, and what is explored for you in a professional counseling session with Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC.  The posts are intended solely for the population they are written to and can be designated by their titles and tags.
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​Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC
Owner, Dallas Counseling, PLLC 

justin@dallascounseling.com
P: 469-490-2002

17330 Preston Road, Suite 102D
Dallas, TX 75252
 
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