Is the plane falling out of the sky?

Rick Kilmer, Ph.D., Cognitive Therapy Group:
I knew a psychiatrist who said he could cure fear of flying in one session. He began by establishing that fear was only appropriate when one is in danger of being hurt or killed. He would then have the patient visualize the flight at different points asking, "Is the plane falling out of the sky?" If the answer was "no", then he'd say, "So you are not in danger...you can relax." As you recover today, if you get anxious or scared, ask yourself, "Is the plane falling out of the sky?" Will food attack you? Will your feelings kill you? Could you release some fear?