I’ve always admired those people who can board an airplane and fall asleep before takeoff. I’ve also admired anyone who can actually enjoy an in-flight movie or concentrate enough to read almost an entire book during a flight.

The reason for my admiration is because I am what is known as a “fearful flyer.” I am the passenger panicking about every noise or bump for the entire duration of any given flight.

I can’t even bear to watch the popular TV show “Lost” because that show is my ultimate fear in life. I mean, how is it entertaining to watch people go down in a horrible plane crash, actually survive and then never be found?

I really do try to relax when I fly. I bring books and magazines (of which I read the same few sentences over and over) and I pack a good assortment of snacks and water. (Although I never eat or drink any of it for fear of bad turbulence while using the restroom or for fear that if I do need to use the restroom, the seatbelt sign will be on and I won’t be allowed to get up.)

At one point, my husband Bill accumulated enough airline miles for us to upgrade to first class a few times. And even though I was eating filet mignon and cheesecake on fancy airplane-china and was offered hot towels every so often, the turbulence was still the same.

I definitely know that my fear is irrational. One time, I was flying into O’Hare with my sister Julie, who is worse about flying than I am. The flight was so turbulent that we clung to each other during the flight and cried of relief when we landed. When we started discussing our terrifying journey with fellow passengers, most of them replied, “There was turbulence? I hadn’t even noticed.” Julie and I decided that we shouldn’t fly with each other any more.

Knowing I am probably not alone with this fear, I decided to see what some experts had to say. First, I spoke with Buffalo Grove resident Eric Brislawn. Mr. Brislawn is a pilot for a major U.S. airline based in Chicago and flies a Boeing 777 to London and Tokyo.

When I told Eric that I feared my plane would fall out of the sky when there is bad turbulence, he told me that the controllability and structure of an airplane are never in question. “Our first job on any flight is to avoid detectable turbulence,” says Brislawn. “Turbulence is just more of an inconvenience. An airplane is built to withstand that and then some.”

There is also something called clear-air turbulence and it is not detectable ahead of time. Fortunately, the pilots are still not at all worried about anything happening to the plane. “The airplane will be fine,” reassures Mr. Brislawn. “Passengers, however, are vulnerable to injury if they are up and about. If you put your seatbelt on, you’re fine.”

It’s also good to know that when pilots tells everyone, including the flight attendants, to sit down it’s just so people don’t get injured from turbulence. They do NOT think that anything bad is about to happen to the plane.

Eric adds that when there happens to be sudden turbulence he is always thinking, “I hope no one got hurt back there. As a pilot, I always want my passengers to have a safe, smooth flight. You want people to come back.”

After speaking with Eric Brislawn, I called Buffalo Grove resident Paul Berkowitz, M.D., a psychiatrist practicing in Deerfield. Dr. Berkowitz has helped many people who have a fear of flying. “It’s an incredibly common situation,” he notes.

After giving a thorough psychiatric evaluation, Dr. Berkowitz tries to understand the nature of the physical and/or psychological symptoms of anxiousness. He wants to know what the symptoms feel like and tries to figure out what the patient is experiencing. “Has the patient ever done anything that helps or makes it worse? How disruptive are these symptoms? Does the person never fly? Does he or she have to get off the plane? Or is the person just miserable during the flight?”

As Dr. Berkowitz begins to understand what the patient is going through, he talks about different options. One option might be relaxation exercises including deep breathing and visualization. Another option might be medication, although many people fear being too sedated. “I will encourage those people to take a test dose in the afternoon to see if they can tolerate it,” says Dr. Berkowitz. “People gain confidence if they know how a certain medication feels.”

Dr. Berkowitz warns that people should avoid alcohol if taking any drug because it can intensify the effect. Because these drugs can be habit-forming, Berkowitz suggests only using them as needed, on occasion, just to and from a destination.

Well, until someone invents some sort of intravenous needle I can put in my arm before takeoff (for me to fall asleep) and take it out when I arrive at my destination (so I can wake up), the next time I fly I will hopefully be able to think about the words of Eric Brislawn and Dr. Paul Berkowitz.
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© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois