Do your palms get clammy at the mere thought of flying? Have you been steering clear of airports, avoiding travelling through aeroplanes? Was your last experience completely nerve wracking? You’re not alone! Up to 25% of the American population suffers from the fear of flying or aerophobia.
Also known as aviophobia, this fear of flying may be liked with airplanes, helicopters, or any other flying vehicles such as rides in amusement parks. It often occurs alongside other phobias such as acrophobia (fear of heights) that affects 1 in 20 individuals, or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). Since flying has become somewhat of a necessity in this day and age, either because of personal or professional travelling, aerophobia can negatively influence your quality of life.
What Causes Aerophobia?
Several factors may contribute to the onset of aerophobia. If you’ve previously had a traumatic experience during a flight or had a loved one involved in a plane crash, it’s highly likely you’ll be afraid of flying. In fact, even the news coverage of plane turbulences, accidents, and airline disasters can instill this fear and make you wary of boarding a plane.
Similarly, your environment also plays a part in your phobia. For instance, if your parents or close relatives had a fear of flying, it’s possible that you may have internalized their fears as well.
Apart from this, a person may develop aerophobia due to circumstances not directly related to flying. Take for example a person who continually needs to travel from one city to another for meetings that make them nervous and are an unpleasant experience for them. This can cause them to gradually start dreading flying.
Likewise, if your memories of flying are associated with you visiting a relative you’d rather not meet or going to a place you don’t want to be at, you may also start exhibiting the fear of flying over time.
How Can You Overcome the Fear of Flying?
Even if you don’t quite know the underlying cause of aerophobia, there’re several treatment methods that can help you overcome it. These include:
- Anxiety management techniques: Breathing exercises, identifying irrational thoughts and symptoms of panic, and using soothing mechanisms to curb anxiety such as medication or listening to music.
- Group therapy: This is effective for individuals who don’t suffer from any other psychological or physical disorder apart from aerophobia. Group therapy employs cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to treat multiple people simultaneously.
- Exposure therapy: You’re likely to conquer your fear of flying if you’re put through controlled flying and stimulation exercises, or gradually begin boarding actual flights.
- Hypnosis: Hypnosishelps in eliminating thoughts of fear when your mind is at its most relaxed state, and instilling positive thoughts. This can help you overcome your fears.
Rekha Shrivastava at Blossom Hypnosis provides subconscious mind therapy using hypnosis for individuals wishing to overcome phobias and fears.
Book a free consultation at our office in Pittsford or via Skype!
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/fear-flying-good-things/story?id=20471481
https://www.medicinenet.com/phobias/article.htm#what_are_the_causes_and_risk_factors_for_phobias
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