Sean 有飞行恐惧症，可他偏偏又是国际销售代表，需要经常旅行。同事 Mimi 开玩笑说，他可真是选错了职业。Mimi 说，
M: You certainly picked the wrong profession! You are an international sales representative – traveling is part of the job!
S: I know!! I thought my fear would lessen the more I did it – but it’s been 10 years now and I’m still afraid of flying.
M: You know, the idea that you are more in control behind the wheel of a car than you are in an airplane might not be valid. Think about it: how much control do you have over road conditions or other drivers on the road? Very little, right?
S: That’s true.
Mimi 觉得，Sean certainly picked the wrong profession. 选错了职业。Sean 说，他原来以为，坐飞机坐得多了，飞行恐惧症会慢慢好起来，谁知道，十年过去了，丝毫不见减弱。Mimi 说，Sean以为开车 – behind the wheels的时候自己可以控制自己命运，这种想法 is not valid, 不能成立，因为开车的人对路况和自己周围的驾车人，是完全控制不了的。有什么办法能减轻飞行恐惧症患者的症状吗？我们继续听。
M: Have you ever tried pretending that you’re on a bus? My uncle uses this trick when he’s flying….whenever the plane runs into some turbulence he just closes his eyes and pretends he’s sitting on a bumpy bus.
S: Hmm….I’m not sure if that would work but it’s worth a try.
M: Where do you usually sit on the plane?
S: As close as possible to an emergency exit!!
M: (Chuckles) My uncle says the best place to sit is as close to the wings as possible because in his experience, the center of the plane is more stable.
S: That makes sense. I’ll try to find a seat near an emergency exit by the wings!
Mimi 建议Sean 尝试一下，假装自己是坐在一个颠簸的巴士上。Whenever the plane runs into some turbulence, turbulence is spelled t-u-r-b-u-l-e-n-c-e, turbulence 气流，意思是飞机遇到气流颠簸的时候，就假装自己是坐在一个 bumpy bus 上。Sean 觉得 it’s worth a try. 可以试试看。Mimi 问 Sean 一般都选择什么地方的座位。Sean 说从来都是离 emergency exit 紧急出口越近越好。Mimi 说，飞机中央部位最稳，也就是机翼附近。可想而知，Sean 以后选择位子的条件又多了一个，不光要离紧急出口近，还最好是在飞机中间的机翼部位。
M: Of course, if nothing else works, you can always see a doctor and perhaps he can prescribe some antianxiety medication for you.
S: I’d rather not use medications, but it might come down to that.
M: There are also a lot of courses available that use mental strengthening exercises, or even hypnosis! You should look into one of those programs and see if it works for you!
S: That’s a good idea!
M: Maybe understanding how an airplane works….some of the basic principles of flight….what turbulence actually is and some other specifics about flying could help you “know your enemy,” so to speak.
S: I like that idea! If I understood what I was experiencing….perhaps I wouldn’t fear it so much! Thanks for your suggestions, Mimi! You’re a real pal!
Mimi 建议，实在不行，Sean 还可以去找医生，开点 antianxiety 抗紧张的药，Sean 虽然不想吃药，但也承认，it might come down to that. 最后没办法，可能也只能借助药物了。另外，想克服心理障碍，还可以去参加锻炼心志的课程，或者是了解飞机的飞行原理，所谓 know your enemy 知己知彼，百战不殆，这些可能对Sean都有帮助。