Overcoming Aerophobia: The Fear of Flying

Aerophobia is a type of specific phobia that involves a fear of flying or air travel. While statistics suggest that air travel is actually safer than traveling by other means including car and train, flying remains a common source of fear.

Symptoms

People who have aerophobia experience persistent and intense anxiety when they think about flying or when they travel by air. The symptoms of aerophobia, also known as aviophobia, are similar to those of other specific phobias. Physical symptoms of the fear of flying may include:

• Chills

• Choking sensations

• Clouded thinking

• Disorientation

• Flushed skin

• Gastrointestinal upset

• Increased heart rate

• Irritability

• Nausea

• Shaking

• Shortness of breath

• Sweating

In some instances, people may even experience a full-blown panic attack. A panic attack is an episode of intense fear that can be accompanied by symptoms such as heart palpitations, feeling detached from reality, and a fear of dying.

Causes

The exact causes of a fear of flying are not known, but a number of different factors may play a role. One review found that the fear varies greatly from one individual to the next and is influenced by a complex array of physiological, psychological, and social factors that are unique to each person.

Some of these factors may include:

• Experiencing a traumatic flight or plane crash: Even watching extensive news coverage of airline disasters can be enough to trigger a fear of flying. For example, many people experienced at least a minimal fear of flying in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

• Environment: If your parents also had a fear of flying, you may have internalized their trepidation. This is a particularly common cause of aerophobia in children but affects many adults as well. You might pick up the fear of flying from another relative or friend, but parents seem to have the biggest influence on phobias.

• Other related circumstances: Your aerophobia might also be rooted in an entirely different conflict. For example, a fear of flying that develops soon after a job promotion that requires travel could be caused by concerns about the job itself or its impact on your daily life. Likewise, children who must fly frequently to visit divorced parents sometimes develop aerophobia as a coping mechanism for the trauma of the divorce.

Treatment

Fortunately, the fear of flying is a treatable condition, even without knowing the underlying cause. Some common treatments include:

Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is usually the first-line treatment for phobias including the fear of flying. CBT is an approach that focuses on changing the negative thoughts that contribute to fearful behaviors. Many specific treatments for phobias are based on CBT, but other treatment options are sometimes used as well. Some of the most frequently used approaches include:

• Exposure: Experts agree that the best way to overcome the fear of flying is controlled exposure, whether that's through virtual reality, a flight simulation, or actually flying.

• Systematic desensitization: This involves gradually progressive exposure to a fear object or situation, which is often used to treat phobias such as the fear of flying.

• Individual therapy: Individual CBT, hypnotherapy, and virtual reality techniques can also improve your fear of flying. One study found that an internet-based exposure program was effective in the treatment of flying phobia.

Conclusion

If you are experiencing a fear of flying, it's best to make an appointment with a qualified mental health professional. They can diagnose the phobia, determine whether you have any concurrent disorders, and develop an individualized treatment plan.

The fear of flying can have a major impact on your quality of life. With proper treatment, however, you can learn to manage and even overcome this common phobia.

Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/aerophobia-fear-of-flying-2671844

What are your thoughts about phobias? Do you have any and how do you cope?

#Phobias #Psychotherapy #Anxiety