LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Plane crashes are rare. Even so, tens of millions of Americans are afraid of flying. Some psychologists say the way through is to gradually face the very thing that feels dangerous. Easier said than done. A program hosted at San Francisco International Airport tries to help. Evan Roberts reports.
EVAN ROBERTS: On a flight to Seattle...
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UNIDENTIFIED FLIGHT ATTENDANT: We are preparing for departure. Please make sure to put your seat back and tray tables and tablet holders are all up.
ROBERTS: A woman in the window seat grips a string of rosary beads. Her name is Colette Vance (ph). She's 23, and she's a nervous flier.
COLETTE VANCE: It's OK. It's all right, girl.
ROBERTS: Vance gives herself a pep talk as the plane accelerates.
VANCE: You're doing such a good job, Colette. You're in control.
ROBERTS: Vance is not the only anxious passenger on board. There's Paul (ph) in the row in front of her and Sarah (ph) seated on the other side of the aisle. This is a regular commercial flight, but these flyers are on the plane with some support staff as part of a training to help people deal with anxiety around air travel.
VANCE: I think for a long time, I felt hopeless. Like, there's just no point in trying anymore. Like, people aren't going to be patient with me, and, like, here I am, and people are being so gracious with me.
ROBERTS: The training is called the Fear of Flying Clinic, and it's one of a handful of programs like it in the country. It was started 50 years ago in the Bay Area by two pilots. Today, it's a nonprofit with volunteer therapists and aviation experts that run a four-day workshop for clients from across California. The flight to Seattle is the last event in the training, but it starts in a room at the San Francisco International Airport overlooking the gates.
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JODY YARBOROUGH: Hey, everybody. Welcome.
ROBERTS: Participants are greeted by organizer Jody Yarborough.
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YARBOROUGH: So congratulate yourself on taking another step in facing your fears about flying.
ROBERTS: The people participating in the clinic are afraid of flying for all kinds of reasons - recent aircraft accidents and air traffic controller shortages, traumatic experiences that flying reminds them of - fear of heights. Vance is claustrophobic, which being on a plane triggers. She once drove across the country to avoid flying.
VANCE: And after that drive, I ended up realizing I need to confront this. I couldn't let dreadful anxiety control me anymore.
ROBERTS: The clinic tries to treat those fears with cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. That's talk therapy that usually involves efforts to change distorted thinking patterns. The group is led on the first day by psychotherapist Paula Zimmerman. She writes on a big piece of paper at the front of the room, explaining what she calls the ABC model.
PAULA ZIMMERMAN: A stands for activating event.
ROBERTS: Like turbulence, for example.
ZIMMERMAN: And this B is for belief.
ROBERTS: Let's say someone believes that anytime they feel turbulence, it means the plane is going to crash.
ZIMMERMAN: C for consequence.
ROBERTS: The consequence to that belief could be a panic attack. Zimmerman is trying to get these anxious fliers to interrogate their beliefs. If they believe that turbulence means the plane is crashing, then of course, they'd be terrified. But, in fact, turbulence is a normal part of flying and doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. So Zimmerman encourages people that when they experience turbulence and feel that fear...
ZIMMERMAN: It's not the plane. It is not where I am. It is what I'm thinking about where I am. And those thoughts are making that adrenaline skyrocket in me.
ROBERTS: The next day, participants slowly get exposure to a grounded plane so they can experience it in a more controlled environment and practice how to manage their discomfort. And one week later...
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VANCE: So good.
ROBERTS: They're in the air on the graduation flight to Seattle. The flight starts off a little rocky for Vance, but she focuses on her breathing and rides out the wave of anxiety. She says the support of everyone around her helps. As the plane descends, she realizes she's made it through.
VANCE: (Laughter) I'm, like, so...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yeah.
VANCE: ...Happy. I just...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Yeah.
VANCE: 'Cause it's like, oh, my gosh, I didn't cave.
ROBERTS: When the plane lands, all of the clinic participants clap.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: On the plane ride back home, Vance opens a fortune cookie from her lunch. It reads, you will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Good job, you guys.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Laughter).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Amazing.
ROBERTS: For NPR News, I'm Evan Roberts in San Francisco.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FLY LIKE AN EAGLE")
SEAL: (Singing) Let my spirit carry me. I wanna fly. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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