Cheryl Kelly says that after the crash, her first few flights were tense. Now, she accepts the fact that she has no control. The Kellys, like many airplane passengers, still find sitting in a metal tube at 35,000 feet surreal. That is a common complaint, says Patricia Pagano, a Portland counselor who treats about five people each month for this anxiety. It's a combination of fear of heights, fear of enclosed places, fear of being out of control, fear of having a panic attack.
Some people simply dread only flying and never seek help.
If it's bad, they avoid the air or suppress their feelings with alcohol, Pagano says. Some discover their feelings come from a more distant trauma. Other people have underlying panic disorders. She was convinced that at 600 mph, she would have to grip her seat like an amusement park thrill ride. She had panic attacks driving her husband to the airport.