DVD #10 discusses Flight Familiarization
Holy smokes...this video starts by explaining that this part of the program was video taped before the strength exercise came into development so we have even more information at our disposal than the people in this video did. However, it is actual video of them ON the plane. And as it starts, I realize...I still have some flight anxiety. :o But I guess that is to be expected.
Whew...there is a lot of talking and commotion (Capt. Bunn is on the plane with his clients...wish he could fly with me!) and a baby crying as they wait to taxi. No one was watching the flight attendants give safety information which totally flips me out. I'm usually the only one actually paying attention. I realize I'd like it to be silent right now and I'm going to have to be prepared for talking and commotion. AND...my ear is hurting. Lovely. One of my big fears is an ear drum popping on a plane and now I'm manifesting it. Okay...some work to do...
There is a camera in the cockpit and in the cabin so we can see the pilots and the passengers. And as they start going down the runway, I can see the tension on some of the passengers faces...one woman in particular. And my empathetic nature connects with her and I start to cry. ~ Sigh ~ She's sitting right next to Capt. Bunn and she's still feeling scared. And I'm realizing again, I still have work to do because as I type this my shoulders are attempting to touch my ears. :/
And now we're in the air. This poor woman sitting next to Capt. Bunn still looks just like how I know I feel on a plane. But Capt. Bunn is pointing out sounds and feelings. And suddenly, she smiles and reaches forward and talks to another passenger. I can see her relax. So, now I'm trying to do the same. ;) This particular woman has now relaxed and says her anxiety level is at about a 1. I wonder if I can be at a 1 on a plane....
Now that they're at cruising altitude, the person video taping starts asking the passengers in the program questions. One of the women said she still didn't like take off, but didn't have a panic attack. And now, at cruise level, she's not completely relaxed, but thinks she's relaxed as she could be for her first flight in 8 years. A man next to her says the takeoff was okay...although he felt a little weak in the knees.
The woman I was speaking of above said she hated the beginning. She said she thought she was going to "lose it". She thought she was going to go through this whole movie of sheer hell for the whole flight. She says the hardest thing she's ever had to do in her life is sit in that seat. The Hardest Thing. And now I'm crying again. She goes on to say that she thought she was going to back out. She felt like crying before boarding. Boy...can I FEEL what she was feeling.
There are people LAUGHING on the plane. I don't feel like there was any laughter on my last flight. But likely...that was just me and my fear.
Back to that same woman...when asked how she feels now, she says "I like it!". Capt. Bunn sitting next to her says "What?" and she says, "I like it! I like it!" and Capt. Bunn smiles. She just doesn't want to look out the window and I get that too.
They cut to scenes of everyone with a drink in hand and then start discussing how the speed went up and then slowed down. One of the women says that her old movie would have been that they were speeding up to get out of a situation fast. I get that feeling! But it sounds like they're getting ready to prepare to descend. They hit some turbulence and someone says, "Is this a lot?" and Capt. Bunn says it's completely normal and if you asked the pilot, he'd probably say "What turbulence?"
The women I relate to is now looking at the window as she can see land. This always helps me as well. She is starting to panic a little now as the plane is moving a lot. Capt. Bunn explains that when the wing is made bigger (in preparation for landing) the plane is more reactive to the little bumps. I can see the tears in her eyes. As the wings continue to extend, she says, "It's almost like we stopped in mid-air". BOY, do I know THAT feeling. I have to admit, seeing it here helps for when I feel it myself.
We're watching the approach to the runway through the cockpit. I'm kind of paralyzed. The pilots look bored.
The plane touches down and the woman I've been discussing exclaims, "Son of a gun, I did it!" and now I'm crying again. Laughter and so many smiles right now and I find myself smiling too. :) One of the women is overcome with emotion and starts to cry. Gosh, I get that feeling so well. All of these people are so proud of themselves. I want to be there too!
The passengers are interviewed afterwards and they share advice. Things like remembering "right here and now" and not making up a story in your head. One of the people talks about how he feels his world has opened up and now he can travel to anywhere a plane can fly. One of the women discusses how control was her issue and how much work she has done on that and how out of control you are on a plane and how she was able to let go of the control on the plane. And she shares the analogy of carrying a baby for 9 months and then going through the hard labor and then you do it and get a reward. It's funny to me how many birth analogies have come up in this program.
And then they talked to the woman I most connected with. She discussed that when she started to "lose it", she forgot what she was supposed to do. This is my fear! She suggests practicing picking out items...the here and now... and of course, now I have the strengthening exercise. When asked what she's learned...she says there are two people inside of us all and when the one voice says "you can't do it", to just let the other voice remind you that you can. She is so so proud of herself and now, she and I are both crying. ;)
And then they talk to Van again. We find out that he was approached to help out this fear of flying group. He met Capt. Bunn and then met the group and was quite shocked at how scared some people are to fly and it gave him an entirely new perspective. He said that some of the things they do in their daily activity working on planes can actually increase this anxiety for people and he's going to keep that in mind more and will hopefully be better able to help people understand if there is a maintenance problem and what they are doing to fix it. He actually gets quite choked up when talking about the group and how amazed he is and how wonderful it is to see people conquer a fear like this.
And that ends DVD #10. One more to go.
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