"I am a professional skateboarder... Cold sweats, fear, and anxiety were some of my symptoms while flying. After three hours with Dr. Luann the anxiety that had plagued me felt lifted, an epiphany in technical terms. It works and I am grateful.
--Erik Ellington

What "Skateboarders" have to overcome

Company endorsements require professional skateboarders to fly all over the World. Because they perform dangerous tricks every day it's hard to believe that they would have fear of flying. But they do! Some experience nausea during turbulence, feeling claustrophobic with so many people around, feeling cramped as if in a tube, and worrying about what their team mates or friends would think if they knew they had a fear of flying.

Here is a list of their negative thinking:

• I freak out
• I'm afraid I can't handle it
• I can't eat
• I think I'll throw up
• Once I'm on the plane there's no turning back
• Jumping on handrails is fine. I'm in control there
• Afraid I'll be stranded
• Afraid to be alone by myself
• I think my self into being scared
• I don't want to see people screaming and falling
• I get really scared
• When I get scared my stomach hurts really bad
• Crazy feelings
• I'll be worried about the dumbest things
• My brain is telling me "what if it goes down"
• Taking off is the hard part
• Worry I can't accomplish anything
• I loose all control
• I really get nervous on the plane
• I can't sleep on the plane because I'm too intense
• It's out of my hands
• I don't want to die that way
• I fear going into the void
• I'm afraid of death
• Dreams about airplanes crashing
• Drinking doesn't make me relax enough
• I get anxious

Usually anxiety about flying starts several days before the flight. Some have even turned around at the airport and gone home. Some of them are miserably scared especially on the long trips (11 hours). Some can't even watch a movie on the plane because it freaks them out. They can't push their anxious feelings aside. One professional skateboarder was worried that there was some yahoo pilot flying the plane and said, "There might be some mechanics that don't give a shit, so there could be mechanical failures."