Deal With the Fear of Flying
If you’re afraid to fly, you are not alone – more than one third of Americans suffer from the same phobia, ranging in degree of severity. In fact, the fear of flying (also sometimes referred to as aerophobia or aviatophobia) is one of the most common anxiety disorders and is often linked to other phobias such as the fear of heights or claustrophobia.
Experts say that the fear of flying is an irrational fear, since air travel is quite safe. The chances of being in an airplane crash are nearly one in a million - your chances of being in an automobile accident are far greater.
But for millions of Americans, the fear is very real and can be extremely debilitating. If you suffer from a fear of flying that is negatively impacting how you live your life, learn how to overcome or at the very least, cope with your phobia.
Steps
- Educate Yourself - There are some instances where being educated about the realities of flying and aviation can help diminish the fear significantly. Simply learning about how airplanes fly, what certain noises are, the safest parts of the plane, new safety innovations (i.e. LiveWire’s electrical circuit test), and the training of pilots and crew can help. Some airline and travel companies even offer courses designed specifically to help people get over their fear of flying.
- Therapy - Cognitive therapy is often used to desensitize and expose people to their fear, typically when education alone is not enough. Such therapy is based on the theory that the fear stems from an initial sensitizing event that essentially created the fear. Virtual reality treatment is another promising form of therapy that is being used. A headset is used to simulate real flight and therapy is given during simulation. Experts say eight to ten sessions can usually treat the phobia.
- Medication - For extremely severe and incapacitating cases of aerophobia, psychoactive medications may be prescribed (usually relaxant or depressant drugs) to help you relax during a flight. Many healthcare professionals advise using medications as a last resort. There is also conflicting opinion over the use of alcohol. Some experts advise against using consuming alcohol as a form of medication because of its risk of dependency and its enhanced effect on the body during air travel. In a pressurized airplane cabin, intoxication can occur more rapidly than normal because of the reduced oxygen content. However, other experts concur that if an individual can hold their alcohol (i.e. is not an alcoholic), than a small, limited amount of alcohol can be an effective short-term treatment for a mild flying phobia.
Warnings
- This Article is no alternative to seeking real medical attention. Irrational fears or phobias ARE conditions that need to be treated by a trained psychologist and not over a beer with your best buddy.
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