FEAR OF FLYING: ASSOCIATED CAUSES

Lights at the side of the runway show pilots the correct approach angle

A fear of flying is often connected with other fears and phobias. We collect fears from different sources and clump them together and end up exaggerating the size of each of them.

Claustrophobia often exaggerates a fear of flying for obvious reasons, and sometimes a fear of heights will lead to a fear of flying. General anxiety frequently transfers into a fear of flying. An interesting aspect of having a fear is that it can give the sufferer, what are called secondary benefits, that is to say it maintains rather than removes the fear.

This means that the fearful person perceives a benefit fear from having the fear, attention, uniqueness, importance or the person may even be defined by their fear. In these cases the fear is about the solution not the subject. It is difficult to overcome a fear of flying if the perceived benefits are less than   unconcious benefits that are obtained by keeping the fear.

A delay before boarding adds to the stress of anxious flyers

IT IS NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. What sets off these fears? It might be, for example, the arrival of holiday brochures or travel programmes, or the stress and anxiety at the thought of being at an airport. Then in flight, the possibility of turbulence, noise and aircraft movements. Fear is defined as “an unpleasant emotion caused by exposure to danger, expectation of pain etc, a state of alarm, dread or fearful respect of something, anxiety for ones safety, or to avoid the risk of something. ” Interestingly those who suffer from a fear of flying list symptoms rather than being able to define the fear itself.

Common fears related to the fear of flying include; Claustrophobia, Agoraphobia, A fear of Heights and Panic Attacks. There is rarely anything irrational about the fear of flying, it is not like being scared of vegetables, as some people are. Unfortunately, people who suffer from any fear tend to be slightly embarrassed by it and consider it to be a personal weakness.

This is made worse by many people who mock those worried by flying. It is extraordinary that friends and family can be dismissive about a fear of  flying simply because it is not something they fear. No doubt the exhilaration they feel for flying makes it even more difficult to understand the feelings of people who don’t enjoy it.

Aircraft do not defy the laws of science, they use them.

Few people attempt to overcome their fears until it begins to affects their life adversely and consistently. Many live in the hope that one day it will just miraculously go away. Perhaps the most debilitating fear is the one of enclosed spaces. Many people find it comforting to hear that the pilots’ windows can be opened in flight. The clunk of the door closing that is often the start of a chain of reactions sometimes ending in near panic attacks. However an actual panic attack in flight is very rare. On out Fear of Flying Ground Course we can let you operate the doors so that you will know exactly what’s happening when you hear it happen on your flight THEY CAN BE AVOIDED BY USING THE CORRECT BREATHING TECHNIQUES. The fear of open spaces has an obvious difficulty for anyone who has to fly. The feeling of detachment is exaggerated in an aircraft of course. Many people with a fear of flying feel abnormally detached from reality when they are in an aircraft with apparently no means of support and floating thousands of feet above the ground. Some people are relatively at ease in a plane until it is flying over the sea, when suddenly their fear hits them. There are no hard and fast rules.

The things that worry you are not necessarily the things that worry other people even though superficially they may appear to be identical to anyone else’s. We have an interesting  Fear of flying video showing you how to be persuaded that the plane really is moving, which can reduce the feeling of remoteness…often described as just ‘hanging there in the sky’.

Fewer people worry about the landing than the take off.

THE CHANCES ARE YOU WILL OVERCOME YOUR FEAR. It’s the detail of your fear that is important to address… that’s why there’s so much information on this site. Many of the people who suffer from a fear of flying are amazed to hear that a fear of heights is quite common among pilots. The most important part  of the cure is to face the fear… avoiding it will encourage it to have a greater effect on you. Our Sights and Sounds Seminar is designed to help people confront their fears in a safe and supportive environment.

Go to our START HERE page and the Action Plan page to start on your journey to overcome your fear of flying.