Flying-Anxiety Treatments

Fear of flying is a complex psychological issue that afflicts millions of Americans. It's a common anxiety disorder that even has its own term, aerophobia. It's considered an irrational fear, because the risk of dying in a plane crash is minimal. And yet it can lead to anxiety attacks and even vomiting at the mere prospect of boarding a plane. Fortunately, various flying-anxiety treatments are available to help people get over their fear of flying.
  1. Fear of Flying Treatments

    • Fear of flying often has little or nothing to do with the real risks of flying, which are minimal; according to the U.S. Department of Transportation statistics, flying is 29 times safer than driving an automobile. The fear has more to do with elements of the flying experience than with the actual risks. It is often the result of several different factors, including a fear of heights, claustrophobia, the loss of control and personal freedom, and a failure to understand air travel.

      The various therapies suggested for persons with a fear of flying are all based on giving the patient a better understanding of the flying process and of airline travel's overall safety record, touching on such common flashpoints for anxiety as turbulence, takeoffs, and landings. Flying-anxiety treatments also include stress alleviation techniques such as deep breathing, visualizing a safe arrival at one's destination, and other common methods to "cool down."

    More Serious Flying Anxiety Treatments

    • For people who are unable to control their fear of flying through self-help treatments, there are a variety of professional options.

      Cognitive behavior therapy, which often includes hypnotherapy, is based on the theory that something triggered the fear--maybe a particularly bumpy flight or media accounts of a deadly plane crash. Generally through hypnosis, the patient is taken back to this originating event so that he may learn to understand, and then conquer, the source of his fear.

      Virtual reality therapy combines common anti-phobia exposure therapy with a computer-generated replication of the flying process. The treatment is conducted in the therapist's office and augmented by trips to the airport, where the therapist and the patient spend time on airplanes and maybe even take a flight together.

      Quite often, physicians prescribe medication, generally relaxants or anti-depression drugs such as Xanax or Valium, to be taken before a flight. Persons who suffer from flying anxiety also have been known to medicate themselves before or during a flight, sometimes using alcohol. Physicians and psychiatrists see medication, whatever kind it may be, as only a short-term solution and not a substitute for therapy.

    Some Tips for Fearful Flyers

    • Stacey L. Chance, who teaches an online Fear of Flying course, has put together a comprehensive online fear-of-flying course and also offers audiocassettes and a book, "Wings of Desire," to help aerophobiacs get over their fears. He's put together the following list of 10 tips as a self-help guide for those who have gone through his course:

      1. Millions of people fly every day. I am not alone.
      2. Flying is the safest form of transportation. I'd have to fly every day for 22,000 years before something happened.
      3. It's my choice to fly. I will be comfortable and make the most of my time.
      4. I trust the well-trained and experienced crew. They care about me and about their own safety.
      5. The plane is strong, stable, reliable, and well maintained.
      6. The plane is happiest in the air. That's where it's meant to be.
      7. The air is a fluid, like water. The plane is just swimming through the air.
      8. Turbulence may feel uncomfortable to me, but it is a normal part of flying--just like a bumpy road is part of driving. It's like being in a car or a boat--it's not always smooth sailing.
      9. Nervous feelings pass quickly. I have the tools to help myself.
      10. Even if I feel panicky it cannot hurt me or cause me to lose control.

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