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Anatomy of a Plane Crash Part 4
By Neil Almond
T
his is the fourth column in the Anatomy of NLP. The first step was to massively for one of the home legs – Dom Perignon
of a Plane Crash series and the hardest dissociate, catapulting myself out of my body really does help take your mind off the fact
to write. It’s been an incredible year so that I could see the crash site below me, that you’re in a tube flying at 30,000 feet, and
since the accident and, as you might imagine, where necessary moving way out into space eases that part of your mind that is screaming
the few hours I’ve described so far are frozen until it became just a spot in the Ocean. out that at any moment you could, and almost
in my memory. Beyond this point it all gets a The next step was always to see both Andy certainly will, plummet from the sky.
little fuzzier. Perhaps that’s because I haven’t and myself escaping from the fuselage along Now I’m not recommending using alcohol
reviewed it as many times, or maybe it’s a with the other passengers and being rescued. as a crutch during traumatic experiences, but
natural symptom of the psychic-shock that When sufficiently calm I would also replay our particular fear of flying was caused by
normally follows a life event of this magnitude. the episode from a dissociated position being an event only days earlier – much too hot an
We envied Henry and Nina (our fellow careful to pace and honour the experience, issue to attempt any deep change work. We
survivors) as they only needed to get back to and all the emotions present, adding as I went needed quick fixes, sticking plasters if you like,
the Sunshine Coast in order to feel the safety the narrative “and I survived!” I’m pleased to that would enable us to reach our destination
and security of their own home, whereas we say it worked, and other than those first few safely and with the minimum amount of
were more than 10,000 miles from our little turbulent days neither of us has experienced anxiety. Luckily NLP offered us some great
flat in London. tools. One of my favourites
The first step was to return to was to actively imagine a small
Brisbane. My instinct was to hire affectionate and playful kitten
a car, but of course my licence on my lap (puppies also work
was now buried at the bottom just as well) and to focus all
of the Ocean together with our my attention onto what they
passports, travel documents and were doing. Playing with kittens
(in fact) everything but the clothes and puppies for many of us is
on our backs. So our first test was such an incredibly powerful
the one hour flight back to the anchored state that it has the
state capital. This was the first power to overwhelm significant
time we realised that our former negative emotions. Likewise
love of flying had transformed talking to my inner child (that
into a near phobic reaction that part of me that was deeply
took every ounce of our NLP fearful) proved extremely
training to control. But if this powerful, pacing its experience,
was hard, then the prospect holding its hand and sharing
of 24 hours in the air seemed with it other times it had been
unbearable. frightened and everything
Replacing passports with no proof of further flashbacks; flight phobia on the other worked out just fine. I also remember in a
identity in today’s security conscious times is hand was another matter. particularly unwelcome bout of turbulence
not an easy feat, but we managed it. Likewise Much as we never wanted to set foot on realising that the physical sensations we
we survived panic attacks whilst shopping to another airplane, we had to get home. One were experiencing were no different than
replace our wardrobe and managed to avoid thing had become clear however, there was an average train journey from London
the eager press. Amongst all this I experienced no way we could fly economy. This wasn’t to Norwich!
my first flashback. For the uninitiated, a a dramatic ‘do you know what we’ve been As you can I’m sure imagine, no amount
flashback is an involuntary reliving of a through’ gesture, but rather we were terrified of future pacing could compete with the
traumatic event in a highly associated state. of being enclosed. The very idea of being delicious experience of setting foot back on
Think of a really vivid nightmare and magnify stuck in tightly packed rows of tiny seats was UK soil to the waiting hugs of friends and
it to a level where you can’t separate dream enough to induce a cold sweat. We decided family. The quest to return to normality is
from reality. In my case it was reliving the split whether from savings or insurance we needed where we will pick up the story in the next
second we hit the water as if it was happening to upgrade to business class. issue of Rapport. Until then I would love to
live, seeing through my own eyes the torrent Now I don’t know whether you’re one of hear from anyone who’d like an even better
of water that forced me back in my seat and the lucky people to turn left rather than right relationship with flying, or indeed anyone who
experiencing, in not-so-glorious Technicolor, on boarding a plane, but if you are I’m sure has overcome the fear for themselves and is
the full range of emotions my unconscious you’ll agree with me that the submodalities willing to be modelled.
mind had associated with the experience. of business class flying are very different
Of course these flashbacks were yet another from those of economy. Not least, if you
neil@neilalmond.com
mirror in which we could explore the power are lucky enough to fly first class as we did
6 | Autumn 2009 - rapport
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