Airplane rides are one of the best "triggers" for panicky feelings, because you're confined, enclosed, exposed and up in the air all at the same time!  In actuality, a commercial airline flight is incredibly safe.

One thing that helped me was learning about the safety of commercial air travel. The TV news covers a single plane accident over and over again, so we get a very distorted impression of the risks of air travel.  In actuality, the chance of being in an accident on a commercial airliner is 1 in 10,000,000 – 5 times less than being struck by lightning.  It's actually safer to take a commercial flight than to stay home!

The first airplane ride of my healing journey was in May of 1998.  As the plane started to taxi, I began to experience some anxiety.  In that moment, I just “opened wide” to the experience.  Instead of experiencing panic, I experienced an incredible feeling of exhilaration!  I flew from Los Angeles to Oakland – about a one-hour flight – called my therapist, parents and friends from the Oakland airport, and then turned around and flew back!

Now, I look forward to any opportunity for airline travel!