Fear of Flying Treatment

Although flying is one of the safest known modes of public transportation, fear of flying is a common anxiety disorder. This is partially due to the fact that flying accidents often involve a large number of lives lost. Fear of terrorism and anxiety about the screening process add to the anxiety many people feel. But there are a number of treatments available to help people overcome this fear.

Statistics on Fear of Flying

• When fear of flying reaches the level of an anxiety disorder, it is called aviophobia. Research is sparse concerning the numbers of individuals who are afraid of flying on commercial aircraft, but the research that does exist reveals surprisingly high numbers of adults who experience anxiety about flying.
  For instance, In 1980, two Boeing researchers found that 18.1 percent of adults were afraid to fly. Another 12.6 percent reported that they felt anxious about flying. Many individuals who took part in the study said they avoided flying, with half stating fear as the reason. At the same time, just six percent of the respondents said they actually considered flying unsafe.
  In a 1999 Newsweek study, half the adults surveyed reported that they felt anxiety about flying at least some of the time. According to a 2007 article in The New York Times, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that 6.5 percent of Americans had a fear of flying so intense that they avoided it altogether.

Therapy

• Various forms of cognitive behavioral therapy are commonly used to treat aviophobia, most of which involve conscious "thought stopping," or replacing the thoughts that trigger anxiety with more rational thoughts. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often combined with gradual immersion techniques, which expose fearful patients to airplanes, followed by actual flying. Some therapies include virtual reality flights to help patients become acclimated to it before actually attempting to board a real flight.

Live Seminars

• Some airports and international airlines offer live seminars to help passengers overcome their fear of flying. The seminars work much like gradual immersion therapy in that passengers are given tours of airplane interiors along with classroom instruction. In some seminars, passengers are eventually given the opportunity to take an actual flight, frequently with the same group. Many of these seminars are free, although passengers must pay for their own plane tickets for actual flights.

Online Materials

• Online materials are also available to help individuals overcome the fear. Some online courses are free and others are available for purchase. They frequently offer statistics about the safety of flying, along with relaxation techniques. Some programs also include one-one-one telephone sessions with the person who developed the materials.

Books and CDs

• Other programs are available as books and/or CDs and can be ordered for delivery or downloaded as e-books and podcasts. Like the online materials, these programs are designed to reassure fearful individuals about the safety of flying and offer relaxation techniques and self-help approaches. Individual therapy sessions are sometimes also available.