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Show r Friday, February 13, Page Three 1987 Class helps people overcome anxieties of flying By Jack Wilbur time. Chronicle staff writer Though flying is the fastest, most convenient and, many argue, the safest means of travel, a lot people are afraid to fly. But a new class at the Western Institute of Neuropsychiatry, WIN, in Reasearch Park on the University of Utah campus, is trying to help people overcome the fear of flying. "Flying is not a natural experience. There are a lot of motions and noises during flight that people aren't used to," said Mark Owens, director of the clinic for phobias and anxiety disorders at WIN. Tragedies such as the midair collision over Kearns, Utah, recently add to the apprehension and anxiety some people feel toward flight. "As a society we pay a lot of attention to air accidents," said Owens. A significant fear of flying affects approximately 55 million people nationwide. Of that number, 25 million arc so afraid of flying they absolutely refuse to board an airplane. The problem is that for many people, the ability to travel is important. But for those who will not fly, travel takes more 'It significantly impacts some people's lives. They have to turn down promotions or see relatives and friends less often. It can be a real problem," he said. But Owens tries to help people understand their anxiety and come to terms with it. ' The common symptoms of the anxiety include trembling, thoughts of disaster and an increased heart rate. The common characteristic of people who are afraid to fly is a bad flight experience. Many times a mild fear is made greater by other anxieties, he said, such as acrophobia, the fear of heights, or claustrophobia, the fear of being closed in. The treatment Owens uses is gradual exposure to the "flight experience," he said. The class begins with an audio tape, which exposes students to the sounds of flying. The next step is a visit to the airport. The class tours various areas of the airport to get accustomed to the atmosphere. The tour ends by having the students board an airplane. They look at the cockpit area and then sit and fasten their seatbclts as if they were actually going to fly. Back in the classroom, Owens teaches anxiety management techniques and relaxation methods. Owens also uses cognitive therapy, working with fearful thoughts and images people have. "People have a better chance of dealing with fear if they talk about it with others who share their problem," he said. General information about airports, airplanes and flying is also presented to the class in the form of lectures from pilots, air traffic controllers and airport security officers. The class culminates in a flight together to Las Vegas, Owens said. Students rely on one another for support before and during the flight and the class talks about the experience afterward. The class takes about eight weeks, and the hope is the students will be able to fly without group support or uncontrollable fear, said Owens. at the Pic! Honey For Your Crust! CORRECTION drugs from page one to increase testing of workers. According to the policy, any employee, including faculty members, suspected of using drugs or alcohol on the job could be asked to take a drug test by immediate supervisor. The request in turn would be taken to the personnel director and then to the appropiate U. vice president. Those officials, Petersen said, would determine if there was a sufficient job relatedness, and if a test should be taken. The employee would then be suspended upon failure of the test. ARUP Laboratories spokesman Dave Johnson said U. pcrsonnnel staff members had requested advice on how to set up a drug testing program and the specific capabilities ARUP would have in testing urine samples. There are two kinds of testing programs according to Johnson. Probable cause testing occurs after an employee is suspected of drug use. Random testing is a general screening method used in absence of any evidence of use, but merely to detect who may be using drugs. The ASUU Assembly attendance graph in Thursday's Chronicle contained several inadvertent typesetting errors regarding members' attendance records. It was reported that Patricia Paulsen of the College of Nursing had not attended any ASUU meetings. She, in fact had attended 100 percent of her meetings spring and winter quarters and had 50 percent attendance in fall quarter. In addition, Scott Ingham of the College of Business was reported as having attended no meetings and had resigned from the Assembly when, in fact, he is an active member of the Assembly with 100 percent attendance in all quarters except fall, 1986, when he had 75 percent attendance. Ahmad Razaghi of Academic Counseling had 80 percent attendance fall quarter rather than 67 percent, and only 50 percent attendance for winter instead of the 100 percent that was reported. Also, Cash Wilson, representing the Graduate School of Architecture, resigned fall quarter. The Chronicle regrets the errors. Try our delicious golden honey on fresh baked, homemade crust to top off your pizza. I FREE honey for your honey with the purchase of any 12". 14" or 16" Dizza. tWKWHIM A Chronicle has got I I to be down there somewhere! THE CHALLENGE... THE JOY... THE REWARD. VALENTINE'S SPECIAL! A CMIe I I fipirn 2 IS 17 m- umpin pi p.tm ( vm! 0 STUDENTS. SO Specie J . . SELECTED VALENTINE GIFTS m EBRUARY12and 13 m UNIVERSITY nUNIVERSITY M-- IS Sat: 10-- 3 OF BOOKSTORE UTAH CAMPUS Tue. nights: until 7:30 p.m. VisaMastercardAmerican Express accepted |
