Random Thoughts on Fear & Phobias

Uncomfortable in small spaces or at great heights, e.g., in a small elevator or on a ferris wheel that stops when I’m at the top, I try to avoid them and when I can’t, I grit my teeth or close my eyes and tell myself I’m going to be okay.  So far so good.

​I have a goddaughter who turned fear on its head.  Afraid of flying, of insects and closed-in spaces, she confronted her phobias, channeling them into a successful book series, School of Fear, for middle school students.  Acknowledging her crippling fears and developing ways to cope, she’s now a frequent flyer able to live a full life without phobia paralysis.  “I still don’t enjoy flying,” she says, “but I’ve figured out what to do to help me stay on a plane.”  Good thing, too.  Living in Madrid, she’s often on planes to the U.S., to see her publisher, family and friends.

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