Post by capttom on Dec 26, 2019 17:22:45 GMT
In turbulence, the plane moves up and down again and again. The movements, because they are in both directions, cancel each other out. Yet anxious fliers believe the plane is falling. If you think about it, the reason for this mistaken belief is obvious. Falling can lead to injury. Thus, nature programmed the amygdala to react to downward motion and release stress hormones. Upward motions rarely lead to injury. So there is no corresponding release of stress hormones in response to upward motion.
The downward motions in turbulence cause alarm. The upward motions don't. The plane moves up, down, up, down, up, down up, down. What we experience is . . . down . . . down . . . down. Every downward motion releases stress hormones. Every release of stress hormones causes alarm. In a person who has built-in automatic alarm downregulation, the alarm is so quickly down-regulated that the alarm doesn't cause distress. But if built-in automatic downregulation is lacking, the alarm is not downregulated.
In most fearful fliers, arousal is not just arousal. Arousal - apparently because of past experience when aroused - is experienced as fear. And fear tends to automatically be regarded as danger. This means the downward motions of the plane release one release of stress hormones after another. The resulting intense arousal is believed to mean danger.
Factually, there is no danger in turbulence, provided a seat belt is being used. But fearful fliers remain unconvinced. In a counseling session, a client may ask about YouTube videos which claim to be taken in extreme turbulence. I ask the client to go back and look at the video and compare the top of passengers' heads with the top of their seat. In extreme turbulence, passengers would be moving up and down in their seat, and there would be some up-and-down movement of their head versus the seatback. There isn't any. The video is faked. The "extreme turbulence" is just camera movement.
Here is another way to analyze this. In your car, when driving on a bumpy road, look at the car ahead of you. How much up-and-down motion do you see? Little if any. The reason you in a car - or you in an airplane - are moved around in your seat is impulse. Consider croquet.
Part of the game is "sending" your opponent's ball. With your ball touching your opponent's ball, you place your foot on your ball. You smack your ball with your mallet. Your opponent's ball goes zipping away. Your ball remains under control under your foot. Let's say your mallet is moving 50 MPH when it hits your ball. So when your mallet hits your ball, your ball starts moving at 50 MPH. But your foot controls your ball, Though your ball moves at 50 MPH initially, it moves at that speed for only a fraction of an inch. Yet, your opponent's ball is not controlled. When your ball is initially moving 50 MPH, it imparts that speed to the opponent's ball it is touching.
In turbulence, an upward bump may impart an upward speed to 10 MPH to the plane. But the upward speed quickly is reduced to zero. This means the plane moves upward at 10 MPH for only a fraction of an inch. if you are wearing a seat belt, you are like your ball. Its movement is controlled by your foot. In the plane, your upward movement is controlled by the seat belt. You might move upward at 10 MPH when the plane bumps in turbulence but the seat belt brings that 10 MPH speed to zero in a fraction of an inch. Passengers not wearing a seat belt are like the opponent's ball which is not controlled. When the plane imparts a 10 MPH upward motion to them, there is no seat belt to quickly bring that speed to zero.
The downward motions in turbulence cause alarm. The upward motions don't. The plane moves up, down, up, down, up, down up, down. What we experience is . . . down . . . down . . . down. Every downward motion releases stress hormones. Every release of stress hormones causes alarm. In a person who has built-in automatic alarm downregulation, the alarm is so quickly down-regulated that the alarm doesn't cause distress. But if built-in automatic downregulation is lacking, the alarm is not downregulated.
In most fearful fliers, arousal is not just arousal. Arousal - apparently because of past experience when aroused - is experienced as fear. And fear tends to automatically be regarded as danger. This means the downward motions of the plane release one release of stress hormones after another. The resulting intense arousal is believed to mean danger.
Factually, there is no danger in turbulence, provided a seat belt is being used. But fearful fliers remain unconvinced. In a counseling session, a client may ask about YouTube videos which claim to be taken in extreme turbulence. I ask the client to go back and look at the video and compare the top of passengers' heads with the top of their seat. In extreme turbulence, passengers would be moving up and down in their seat, and there would be some up-and-down movement of their head versus the seatback. There isn't any. The video is faked. The "extreme turbulence" is just camera movement.
Here is another way to analyze this. In your car, when driving on a bumpy road, look at the car ahead of you. How much up-and-down motion do you see? Little if any. The reason you in a car - or you in an airplane - are moved around in your seat is impulse. Consider croquet.
Part of the game is "sending" your opponent's ball. With your ball touching your opponent's ball, you place your foot on your ball. You smack your ball with your mallet. Your opponent's ball goes zipping away. Your ball remains under control under your foot. Let's say your mallet is moving 50 MPH when it hits your ball. So when your mallet hits your ball, your ball starts moving at 50 MPH. But your foot controls your ball, Though your ball moves at 50 MPH initially, it moves at that speed for only a fraction of an inch. Yet, your opponent's ball is not controlled. When your ball is initially moving 50 MPH, it imparts that speed to the opponent's ball it is touching.
In turbulence, an upward bump may impart an upward speed to 10 MPH to the plane. But the upward speed quickly is reduced to zero. This means the plane moves upward at 10 MPH for only a fraction of an inch. if you are wearing a seat belt, you are like your ball. Its movement is controlled by your foot. In the plane, your upward movement is controlled by the seat belt. You might move upward at 10 MPH when the plane bumps in turbulence but the seat belt brings that 10 MPH speed to zero in a fraction of an inch. Passengers not wearing a seat belt are like the opponent's ball which is not controlled. When the plane imparts a 10 MPH upward motion to them, there is no seat belt to quickly bring that speed to zero.
