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Fear of Flying (2)
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Can you overcome
the fear of flying?
In most cases, yes. But the mechanism for overcoming
a fear of flying will depend on the extent of your phobia, the
underlying reasons, and how much you want to be rid of it. You
won’t overcome your fear of flying overnight – it
will be a slow process that you’ll need to chip away at
with each flight.
The first step on the road, or flight, to overcoming
your fear of flying is to understand why you have the phobia in
the first place. Is it the fear of crashing? Is it the confined
space of the aircraft? Is it the possibility of a hijacking? Or
is it the airline food? All of these causes require different
approaches to overcoming them, and there are solutions out there
for those who feel they may need help but the first step is to
identify the root cause of the problem. |
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Self Help
You can teach yourself to overcome your fear of flying, but the
success of such an approach is largely dictated by the strength
of your resolve to do so. If you take an analytical approach to
the problem, identify the reasons for your fear of flying, and take
the necessary steps to address those problems, you can definitely
overcome your phobia. There are plenty of self-help resources available
to you, but the key here is your resolve and your mental toughness
to accept the help and practice it in real life. Many people however
need the physical assurance of a real person to help them actually
set foot on an aircraft, which no amount of cassettes or books can
substitute for. You may find that self-help books and programs will
be a good 'first-step' on your road to overcoming a fear of flying,
but you may need to take further steps to fully take control of
your fear.
Fear of flying courses
There are plenty of courses available to help you overcome the fear
of flying. Some are led by private organisations with people who
specialise in dealing with flying-phobic people, while others are
airline-sponsored courses provided by the airlines as a means to
encourage more people to fly and as a service to their passengers.
Consult your airline or travel agent for information about such
courses. Essentially, all fear of flying courses adopt the same
curriculum. Step one is to teach the would-be passenger the mechanics
of flight. The aim is to teach you that a plane is designed to fly,
designed to stay in the air, and designed to lift huge amounts of
weight. Knowing the mechanics of flight gives you a better understanding
of the probability of flight, rather than the impossibility of it,
and learning about the fail-safe systems in modern day aircraft
will go a long way to easing fears about flying. |
Secondly, you will be taught about the sounds
and experiences you’re likely to encounter on a flight and
pre-warned is forearmed as they say. Turbulence is a big part
of this lesson as turbulence is often a major player in people
developing a fear of flying. Understanding what causes it, what
effect it can have, and what an aircraft can handle demonstrates
that many of the fears surrounding turbulence are baseless and
non-sensical.
Thirdly, these courses try to address your specific
fears about flying. By talking about your fears you are essentially
acknowledging and addressing them – one of the biggest steps
you can take in overcoming any kind of phobia. You will be in
a supportive environment where you will be encouraged to openly
discuss your fear of flying and will be able to ask questions
from qualified and experienced people.
Fourthly, these courses provide you with mental
and physical exercises designed to help you relax. Normally the
courses will be held in a mock-up of an aircraft to get you used
to the feel of being on board and you will be taught breathing
and relaxing exercises that you can use during a flight. There
will normally be some participatory exercises where you will be
actively encouraged to talk to your fellow passengers. This has
two effects – the first being to take your mind off what
is happening around you and on the plane, and the second being
that you’ll discover that your own fears are not unique
– that many people share the same fear of flying that you
do, and are doing things about it.
The ultimate aim of a fear of flying course is
to get you on-board an aircraft and actually take a flight. To
that end, most fear of flying courses will culminate in a short
flight to get the participant to practice the strategies of the
course. That doesn’t mean that you are obligated to take
the flight if you still feel that you cannot overcome your fear.
You may find that you need to do more than one course before you
can take that final step and take a short flight.
Learning to cope with the fear of flying is a
process. Nobody enters this world with a phobia about flying –
it is a learned response to situations you’ve been through
or perceive will happen. Just like you can learn to have a fear
of flying, you can also ‘unlearn’ it the same way.
You won’t cure yourself overnight, or with just one flight.
It will normally take many flights before you can say you’re
truly comfortable with the prospect of flying – if ever.
But by taking it one step, or flight, at a time you can begin
to address your fears and do something about them.
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