Recently, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviewed a military pilot who suffered from Claustrophobic & panic attacks. Lt. Col Rob Waldman  who is a decorated war veteran was just three years into his flying career as a fighter pilot for the airforce when he took a scuba diving trip that almost ended his life. While scuba diving his mask broke & Rob took in some water. He manage to survive this post traumatic event  but, he would be forever scarred. Shortly after this incident he notice he had anxiety when flying in the cramp quarters of the F-16 cockpit. For anyone who ever seen inside a fighter jet it could be a confined cramped area. However, Colonel Waldman manage to save his career by finding ways to manage his panic attacks. One of the remedies he does is to simulates panic attack in the cockpit while on the ground five days a week. This is similar to desensitizing a fear. Rob manages to befriend his fear. He also credits focusing on what he loves & he steps outside of his comfort zone to tackle his fear. To learn more about  this story click/copy paste on the video below.


http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/07/confessions-of-a-claustrophobic-fighter-pilot/