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Plane Anxiety

Plane anxiety is suffered by many people across the globe. Whether it's fear that has arisen from witnessing or being in a plane accident, or fear of a hijack, there are as many reasons for plane anxiety as there are sufferers. There are treatments available that are widely credited for plane anxiety sufferers no matter what the cause.

  1. What is Plane Anxiety?

    • Plane anxiety or fear of flying is considered to be a specific phobia. Fear of flying is one of many anxiety disorders, which are recognized by the fear of what might happen, rather than a fear of what is happening presently. There are many components of plane anxiety such as fear of heights, enclosed spaces, crowds, sitting for long time, waiting, worrying about turbulence, being dependent on someone else to maintain your safety, not feeling in control, the possibility of terrorism and a lack of understanding of the process of flying.

    Causes

    • Plane phobia normally derives from being in an accident or traumatic situation. The situation does not necessarily have to do with flying or airplanes to result in plane anxiety. Maybe you felt helpless in a situation that you were in because you weren't in control, therefore that situation can manifest itself when you're in flight and you're not in control of the airplane.

    Symptoms

    • Physiological symptoms of plane anxiety are muscle tension or tremors, labored breathing, heart palpitations or chest pain, abdominal discomfort, weakness, dizziness or sweating. Psychological symptoms include impaired memory, and narrow perceptions, negative expectancies and poor judgment. In addition to these symptoms, beware that inner ear problems can also cause disorientation, dizziness and nausea, which are often mistaken for symptoms of plane anxiety.

    Diagnosis

    • The only way to know for sure whether your symptoms are related to plane anxiety or an underlying health condition is to see a doctor or psychologist. They will assess your symptoms by going over a general health check and questionnaire.

    Treatments

    • One very effective treatment for people with plane anxiety is simple education. Educating yourself about turbulence and how the airplane operates will help greatly in reducing anxiety during a flight. Another helpful strategy is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. CBT works by retraining your thought process to think more positively and realistically about the situation that you are in when flying. In addition to CBT, you may also find that hypnotherapy sessions or simple deep breathing exercises can help keep you calm when flying. Lastly, if you have panic attacks in addition to the anxiety, you may find that mild tranquilizers can help you to sleep through your flight.

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