Written by Alex Gervash, commercial pilot (31 years) and fear of flying specialist (18 years, 16,000+ cases treated)
His fear of flying began on a bus when he was 5 years old - trapped, alone, searching for his mom.
He was 5 years old. His mom traveled by bus to work. One day, he went home alone to get a forgotten toy.
He knew mom was on the bus. He got on, looking for her. But she wasn't there.
Before he could get off, the bus doors closed and it drove away from the stop. He panicked. Alone. Trapped. No mom. No safety.
Today, as an adult, he has severe fear of flying.
Why? Because to his nervous system, airplane = bus.
Both are enclosed vehicles you can't exit at will. Both involve being separated from your attachment figure. Both involve trusting the driver/pilot with your safety.
His conscious mind knows the difference between a bus and a plane. But his amygdala doesn't care about logic.
His fear of flying has nothing to do with aviation safety. It's a 5-year-old's terror of abandonment, still echoing in his nervous system 30 years later.
The plane isn't the problem. The memory is.
In Short
His fear of flying began on a bus when he was 5 years old - trapped, alone, searching for his mom.
Trained in psychology and trauma therapy (EMDR, Somatic Experiencing)
Founder of phobia.aero & SkyGuru App
Drawing on his 31-year career as a commercial pilot and 18 years of psychology expertise, Alex Gervash provides a rare fusion of cockpit knowledge and trauma therapy to help passengers overcome aviation anxiety. Having guided over 16,000 individuals through panic attacks on planes and specific triggers like landing fear, Alex specializes in regulating the autonomic nervous system to restore flight comfort. His profound understanding of flight panic led to the creation of the SkyGuru app, which currently supports more than 200,000 users in navigating the psychological challenges of air travel.
