What Flying a Plane Taught Me About Fear ✈️✨

So, did you do anything interesting last month?

To be honest, I’m only asking in the hope that you'll return the question, because then I could say:

“Well, actually, I flew a plane”.

It's true. I did!

So let's just pretend you have asked me…

It was a free lesson that I turned up for on a whim, expecting to spend an hour in a simulator with a group of other people. Instead, I found myself standing on a small airfield with just a pilot and a tiny four-seater aircraft ready to whisk me off into the skies.

All sounds rather exciting doesn’t it? However:

As I was instructed to step onto the wing, squeeze through the tiny door, shuffle across to the passenger seat and buckle up, my body decided to pull an old trick.

My knees turned to mush. Cold sweat clamped itself to my skin and my digestive system threatened to eject the huge breakfast I'd just eaten (from both ends of my anatomy 🥺) Oh dear, those severe panic attacks I hadn't experienced for a good quarter of a century were suddenly paying me a visit.

All those hours I had spent tapping, breathing, visualising and affirming my newfound courage were being put to the ultimate test. And the results weren't looking promising.

I had often banged on to other people about how successfully I had overcome my fear of flying. I'd happily moved myself into the category of "comfortable flyer"—not exactly joyful, but calm enough to sit back and get on with it. I'd also thought I'd put those severe, out-of-control panic attacks well and truly to bed. And yet here I was, back in an outdated version of me spiralling out of control.

And then, just as I was about to disgrace myself -  a pattern interrupter stepped forward and decided:

We don't do this panic thing anymore - and everything changed.

My knees solidified. My digestion rediscovered its dignity. My breathing deepened. My lungs released a huge sigh, and I felt the foundation I have been building over the years catch me just as I was beginning to fall. 

The most powerful thing about the experience wasn't that I avoided feeling fear. The fear was very real. The panic symptoms were very real. What amazed me was how quickly I recovered.

In the past, panic attacks completely debilitated me. They could take over my world, leaving me powerless. This time, though, something different happened. A sense of spaciousness appeared. I could observe what was happening as I felt every sensation racing through my body, including the growing resistance to it. From this state I was able to shift my state.

The experience showed me that the work really does work. All those hours spent practising techniques that helped me change my state, cultivate feelings of peace, and ground myself were worthwhile. It showed me that:

The best way to develop a skill is to build it outside the moments when you will need it most. 

The intention is not to reach a point where fear, anxiety, or even panic never arise again. Rather, it is to develop the ability to meet those feelings differently when they do appear.

So somewhere between the sweaty palms, wobbly knees and threatened breakfast evacuation the skill was there to help me recover and get back on track - and enjoy flying a plane..

OK, I didn't really fly it. A little artistic licence is allowed, and it definitely makes for a better conversation opener.

Without a doubt, I put this experience down to the daily practice of showing up for myself—creating space for peace, reflection and awareness, and being part of a supportive community that keeps me grounded and accountable.

The truth is, this kind of work rarely arrives with fanfare. It happens quietly, in the background of everyday life. Often, we don't realise it's working until a moment comes along that reveals it. The changes accumulate slowly until one day we notice we're responding to life very differently than we once did.

Somatic practices help us address the root of the problem rather than simply managing the symptoms. They support us in bringing our physiology into a coherent state so we can align our conscious choices with our unconscious responses. When the body and mind begin speaking the same language, change becomes less about force and about more steady, sustainable integration.

If you would like somewhere to begin a regular practice of creating a coherent state, our Organ Reset and Transforming Emotions series on YouTube offers a practical introduction to this work. Through somatic techniques including fascia release, energy medicine, movement and more, we explore ways to transform emotions such as panic, worry, fear and anger. This weeks practice is focused on panic, overwhelm and anxiety. We will be releasing new sessions weekly, so be sure to subscribe if you would like to be notified when it is released.