Adventure Awaits! How to Overcome Fear of Flying Phobia.

Fear of flying phobia is common. Learn how to overcome fear of flying so you don't let this interfere with your work or family any more. Adventures awaits!

Recently, I took an international trip with my family that required a 16-hour plane ride. Stuck in an uncomfortable middle seat for this unpleasantly long flight I had lots of time to think and reflect in order to make the most of this extended period of nothingness. One of the topics I thought about is how life would change if I had a fear of flying phobia and the trips and family adventures I would miss out on. Fear of flying is common and many of my patients talk to me about this very thing. You can learn how to overcome fear of flying phobia. There are many adventures that await you (or business trips). Don’t let the anxiety and fear that accompany this hold you back- get treatment and put the anxiety behind you.



What is a fear of flying phobia?

Fear of flying, or aviophobia, is a type of “specific phobia” involving unreasonable and out-of-proportion levels of intense, persistent, fear of specific objects, situations, activity, or people.

Taking control to manage (and avoid) anxiety

Fear of flying phobia is common. Learn how to overcome fear of flying so you don't let this interfere with your work or family any more. Adventures awaits!

Oftentimes, people with anxiety manage it by doing something that makes them feel in control. Anxiety causes such out-of-control feelings it’s a natural response to reflexively do things to feel back in control. Not all forms of “taking control” actually help us in the long run but they need to be recognized as attempts at self-soothing and anxiety management.

 

These attempts to regain control over anxious feelings may take the form of:

 

  • Obsessively organizing the house,
  • Deciding to drive backroads to avoid a bridge or highway,
  • Choosing to drink alcohol before an event to calm down,
  • Or most commonly, to avoid the anxiety-provoking event entirely.

Flying in an airplane is the ultimate loss of control.

You aren’t flying the plane (well, I hope you aren’t!) and you can’t get off if you want to. If you have a panic attack you will be “trapped” in the airplane for the duration of the flight. It’s no wonder that so many people with anxiety have a fear of flying.



Avoiding the anxious trigger (flying)

Avoidance is usually the coping mechanism that wins with fear of flying. People with a flying phobia will do whatever they can to avoid a flight. I have patients who are willing to drive for 24 hours to make it to an event that they could have flown 3 hours to get to. And 2 days later they have to turn around and drive back. Oftentimes, they insist this doesn’t bother them but I wonder how much that is a defense because the idea of flying is UNTHINKABLE to them.

Is a flying phobia really a big deal?

Having a fear of flying phobia may sound like it wouldn’t cause many difficulties in one’s life since most people don’t need to fly often…. until you hear individuals describe how it has changed their life. I have had patients completely alter their professional trajectory out of fear they would need to travel. This includes declining promotions that they otherwise wanted because the jobs would involve distant business meetings or deciding to change careers entirely to one that will never require airplane travel.

The whole family is affected by this

Fear of flying phobia is common. Learn how to overcome fear of flying so you don't let this interfere with your work or family any more. Adventures awaits!

This phobia interferes with family life when people end up staying home from family trips that require flying. Weddings missed and distant adventures never experienced, a flying phobia can be made into a whole family affair.

 

When people do acquiesce to taking a trip, their anxiety may skyrocket and they often fret and seek reassurance from the time the trip is booked until it happens… sometimes declining to go at the last minute. It can be paralyzing for them. If a trip is booked a year in advance, without treatment a person with a flying phobia may spend the majority of the year with anticipatory anxiety worrying about this upcoming vacation.

Good news! There are excellent treatments available to overcome fear of flying:

Fear of flying phobia is common. Learn how to overcome fear of flying so you don't let this interfere with your work or family any more. Adventures awaits!

Many people seek out medication from their doctor to alleviate the terror they feel about flying. This usually takes the form of as-needed anxiety-relieving medication they can take just before getting on the flight. Although this can reduce the person’s anxiety, and be the reason they agree to fly, there are more effective preventative treatments available.



In the situation of occasional airplane travel, using an as-needed benzodiazepine is possibly reasonable (I say possibly because it depends on the particular person’s history. Benzodiazepines are not appropriate for everyone even if the situation is a reasonable one to use it for). Oftentimes, when a person knows they have a medication that will reduce anxiety, this is enough for them to agree to travel. They may never love flying, but they know they can “white-knuckle” it and get through when they need to.

 

Solely having treatment be an as-needed benzodiazepine isn’t ideal if:

 

  • A person has to travel regularly,
  • They experience high anxiety at the thought of flying,
  • Avoiding flying impacts their life negatively.

 

People can overcome this fear by doing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specifically aimed at addressing their fear of flying.

How to overcome fear of flying: A great treatment option

Created by a pilot (he is also a therapist) who knows everything about airplanes, Soar is a great example of a successful program to address the fear of flying.

 

I love this program because it combines his flying expertise with specially created CBT programs to target fear of flying. He has DVD’s to listen to on your own time, and some packages include 1:1 counseling with him. He even has an emergency program called “Help Me Now” targeted to people flying the next day who need immediate intervention so they can get on a plane.

 

I have had patients terrified of flying use this program who can attest to its benefits. They now fly comfortably without the need for anxiety medication.

 

Watch these educational videos from Captain Bunn about fear of flying. They include pointers about how to get rid of it.

Fear of flying does not need to control you!

Don’t miss out on any other family vacations or work trips that are needed for your career. There are treatments available that can successfully treat flying phobia so you don’t need to avoid and worry any longer.

 

Get the help you need. Talk to your physician and/or check out the Soar program so you can eliminate this fear of flying permanently.



For additional help and information about anxiety read these articles:

Shifting Thoughts and Taking Control: Cognitive Restructuring for Anxiety Management

5 Ways to Stop a Panic Attack

The Best Resources for Anxiety

 

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