A fear of flying, or aerophobia, is a common thing. In a world where it’s increasingly common to have to take long journeys in an airliner this can be a problem. But there are things that you can do to help. The method of cure depends upon the acuteness of the phobia, with some people having only a mild, manageable fear, and others exhibiting all-out panic. Here are some ways that can help.
For people that have misgivings about flying, and perhaps a mild sense of panic when they consider the idea of being trapped in an aircraft, one of the best things to help is information. The more than you know about the normalities of flying, the more likely you are to be able to manage your feelings once on board.
Sometimes the feelings are stronger, and relate to an earlier formative experience that has planted the idea of fear in your mind. Addressing this experience and being able to rationalise your thoughts towards it is an approach used by cognitive behavioural therapists. The only problem here is that sometimes the fear is so powerfully rooted in the unconscious that it’s not capable of being rationalised. Practitioners of systematic desensitisation use another therapy. This involves exposure to the feared experience in increasing increments, although without actually being on a plane it can be difficult to address the phobia, unless it’s more of a combination of claustrophobia or irrational fears of terrorist incident or other media-fuelled anxiety.
Desensitisation is tricky with flight in particular, because unless the phobia is a more vague fear of confinement or heights, you can’t expose yourself to it without actually being in a plane. This is why courses such as the Fly Without Fear package are so good. They involve actual airliners, so you’ll face your fear in the same thing you’ll be using to get on your holidays.
Whether you have deep rooted worries or something a little more general, it helps to talk to other people about it, especially if that person is a professional in a position to help you.
These holiday deals all inclusive are a great opportunity to use these tips.