What is Fear of Flying?
By Victoria Gallagher C.M.Ht.
First of all, it is not the inability to travel in a plane! Mot ‘fearful fliers’ do actually fly – they find it a very uncomfortable experience.
How each person experiences fear of flying will differ considerably and can range from a mild concern, that passes once you have made the decision to fly, to a powerful and over-powering fear that makes air travel an impossibility.
* Mild fear of flying – A person who becomes a little nervous at certain stages of the flight
Becomes uneasy upon entering the plane, when the doors close, when the plane takes off or lands or maneuvers, or if they experience turbulence, etc. This is not a true fear of flying. Even the most confident flier will, on occasion be on this end of the spectrum.
* White Knuckle Flying – This person will travel by plane as a last resort, because they have no other choice.
Avoids going on holidays or applying for jobs that might require air travel. Will spend long hours traveling by car and ferry, much to the discomfort of those who may accompany them.
Phobia of Flying – A person whose fear of flying is so strong that they cannot fly at all – even the thought of being in a plane causes anxiety.
For the person with a flying phobia the experience of being on a plane can be quite distressing and may result in panic attacks, nausea, shaking, hyperventilating, etc. A phobia of flying can be so incapacitating as to make air travel quite impossible and can even prevent them traveling to an airport to meet someone else.
Fear of flying is widespread – Up to 1 in 6 fear flying – depending on the intensity of their phobia they may either avoid air travel altogether or may only be able to fly with the aid of alcohol or medication.
For some this is inconvenient or embarrassing. For others it is a major block – as when their aero phobia prevents them and their families going on holidays together.
In some cases fear of flying can have a major impact on a persons career – they will avoid or turn down promotion or will not even apply for positions that might require them to travel by plane.
You can learn how to manage your fears – A flying phobia can be dissolved. You do not have to learn to live with it. Nor do you have to continue holding yourself back from the convenience of air travel or from holidays or career advancement that involve travel by air.
Finally, remember that fear of flying, like all phobias, is a learned response. You were not born as a nervous flier. You learned to feel this way.
You can UN-learn it. You can learn to manage or even dissolve your fear of being on a plane.
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