Written by Alex Gervash, commercial pilot (31 years) and fear of flying specialist (18 years, 16,000+ cases treated)
She panics specifically when flying over water. The reason traces back to a traumatic boat ride.
She panics specifically when flying over water.
Why? A traumatic banana boat ride as a teenager.
A drunk adult convinced her to get on. The boat flipped. She fell into the water, helpless. And her safety jacket was defective.
She genuinely thought she was going to drown.
Years later, on a flight over the ocean, her brain detected two familiar elements:
Water below
Safety demonstration (life jackets)
Her amygdala scanned the situation and found a match: "Water + safety equipment = I almost died last time."
Alarm activated. Full panic mode.
Logically, she knows a plane over water is completely different from a defective life jacket on a banana boat. But her limbic system doesn't do logic. It does pattern matching.
And the pattern said: DANGER.
This is why reassuring yourself "flying is safe" doesn't always work. The fear isn't coming from your logical brain. It's coming from a memory your body won't let go of.
In Short
She panics specifically when flying over water. The reason traces back to a traumatic boat ride.
Alex brings a unique dual-lens approach to treating flying phobia, combining three decades of cockpit knowledge as a pilot with 18 years of clinical experience resolving over 16,000 cases of aviophobia. By integrating a professional pilot perspective with evidence-based interventions like EMDR therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and CBT, Alex helps passengers deconstruct the physiological roots of panic attacks on planes. Whether you need turbulence explained to settle a deep-seated turbulence fear or require specialized in-flight support to manage aerophobia, Alex’s extensive background ensures a comprehensive recovery from fear of flying.
