Steve Mendez (Flying)
Revenue Officer
Austin, TX
I've had a fear of flying and heights since I was seven years old. I remember riding in a trolley car up the side of a mountain. At the time, the trolleys went vertically up the mountain and I wasn't prepared for that. I panicked and got yelled at and told to calm down. Ever since, I would do anything I could to avoid the fear. Even looking at aerial photos made me uncomfortable; anxiety would come up and my hands would get sweaty. I didn't even have to be near an airport, just the thought of flying just made me feel panicked and apprehensive. When I did try to fly, the wheels started rolling in my head because I couldn't see where I was going on a take off and the anxiety set in. It felt like the plane was going straight up forever and I felt completely out of control and couldn't board my connecting flight and just drove back home. My thoughts were totally consumed with fear and it was difficult. I refused to travel and I avoided it; I was living in a shell. Whenever training came up at work, I would do whatever I could to avoid it because I didn't want to get on a plane. If it was somewhere nearby, like Dallas or Houston, I would rather drive and inconvenience myself.
I wasn't seeing my family as often as I should. I'd gotten offers to go to Florida, Vegas, and the Bahamas. I wouldn't make myself available for those opportunities and I'm sure that I missed out on a lot of good times. It would have been cool to pet a manta ray or swim with the dolphins. Eventually, my family stopped pushing the issue and just let it go. Recently, my girlfriend bought a plane ticket for me to go to Vegas and I tried to make excuses to get out of it, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, so I decided to do something about this. I heard about A New Day Hypnosis at yellowpages.com. I wasn't sure if it was going to be for me. I knew it wasn't going to be a swinging watch in front of me, but I was a little apprehensive about it anyway. After my first session, I started to notice changes. I have a very different attitude about the whole thing and feel more positive overall about things. I got a better visual picture of the overall experience and the whole process has really helped to calm and soothe me. I'm in a better mood and I'm not as uptight. I don't feel that overwhelming apprehension that I had before and I'm not ready to push the panic button. After meeting with Laura, I read an article in a travel magazine and the author also had a fear of flying. He said that the one thing that improved his outlook was hypnosis, so I figured that I was on a good road.
It's been relatively easy. I'm more confident about the whole thing. I've noticed changes in other parts of my life as well, I take initiative on things now and I volunteer and take charge, so it's been a positive experience all around. I have a better understanding of the whole situation; I know what to expect and I know that I won't get all freaked out like the last time. This is going to go a lot different. I would highly recommend A New Day Hypnosis. It's like night and day from where I was and I'm willing to face the fears. I'm confident that on the way to the airport, I won't be apprehensive and I know that I won't be nervous because I know what to expect and there is really nothing to be freaked out about; I'm ready to go now and I feel confident that I can do it.