Does the thought of flying leave you with a feeling of panic? Do you feel sick to the stomach at the thought of travelling on a plane? Is your life restricted because of your phobia? Maybe you just don't bother going abroad at all, or you go by car or rail even though statistics prove that plane travel is the safest way to take a journey. Does your imagination run riot at the thought of flying.
What if there's a fire and you can't get out? What if it crashes on take-off and you get killed as it hits the ground? What if an engine fails, or sets alight while you are in the air? What if you have a panic attack and can't breathe? What if there's a terrorist on board who blows the plane up in mid-air?
These are just some of thoughts that are common to people with Aerophobia. I could go on and on because each individual sufferer, while having fears in common with other sufferers will have their own personal imaginings about what might or could happen. Therein lies the secret to letting go of this often lifelong phobia.
The fear of flying phobia which is actually an anxiety disorder comes from imagining what might happen rather than with what is actually happening. Your mind is intrinsically linked to your body and when you think scary thoughts your body acts as if the thing you are thinking is actually happening.
Picturing disaster thoughts in your mind tricks the body into thinking these things are actually happening so it's no wonder you are having a physical reaction. Who wouldn't be scared by the thought of dying a horrible death in a burning aircraft. Those people without the fear of flying are not running the same mental movies as those with Aerophobia. That's the only difference.
The reason you have this phobia is because of the mental pictures you create as you fantasise on what might or could happen. If you change your mental movie you will change your reactions and you will become one of the people who fly comfortably and easily.
What You Can Do About It? You weren't born with a fear of flying, you learnt it somewhere. Maybe you remember the initial incident and maybe not, it really doesn't matter. When you learn anything new, constant repetition of it turns it into a habit and it is installed into the mind like a piece of software. Whenever you think of the thing you fear your mind automatically runs the old familiar software program which in this case is fear of flying and you experience all the psychological and physiological effects that go with the fear.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to uninstall the old software program and install another one? Wouldn't it be fantastic to book a flight and actually look forward to it. Imagine being able to enjoy the journey and feeling relaxed and happy while flying.
I can promise you that it is possible to change your disaster pictures to life-enhancing ones. Neuro Linguistic Programming, NLP for short has very effective techniques that can be used for deleting old unwanted programmes and installing new and more uplifting ones. The techniques are easy to use and I personally have assisted many people to release the fear of flying and many other phobias using NLP. Are you ready to be free right now?
Many people, from all walks of life, rich, famous, male, female and even an ex-president have all suffered from a fear of flying. If you too suffer from this, no amount of statistical waffle manages to calm you down when you begin thinking about taking a flight or booking a holiday. Even though it is recognised as one of the safest forms of transport today. That is still no help.
Yes, being honest. There is no totally safe way to travel anywhere, there never has been, yet what can you do to overcome or lessen this fear? If you want to you can overcome your fear of flying easily. Any fear can be overcome if you want to badly enough. Not to sound trite, but many people don't actually want to let go of their fear for many reasons. They get sympathy from others. They think you have to have a fear of something. Yet what if you wanted to overcome your fear and start exploring this wonderful country and world of ours?
IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF YOUR FEAR - Do you know someone who died in a plane crash? Did the events of September 11, 2001 affect you severely? The first step in finding the solution is finding the source. Sometimes the source has nothing to do with the fear at all.
ASK FOR A TOUR - Call an airline and explain to them that you would like to have help overcoming your flying phobia and would like to have a tour of a plane. American, Northwest, and US Airways are the most friendly with this request. Talk to the the companies and ask them what do they do if somebody tells them, they hate flying. Talk, research about your flight company and their high levels of health and safety. All companies I've been in contact with are more than willing to help you let go of your fear. If they can help in even only a small way, they will. Of course, you won't get flight certification, but it can do wonders for helping overcome fear.
TAKE A RIDE IN A FLIGHT SIMULATOR - The sensation of flight may actually help you to realize that the fear can be easily overcome. Then again, if you still have intense anxiety in the flight that remains safely on the ground in a stationary position, then you might find that the fear is deep rooted in something other than any actual danger.
TAKE A RIDE IN AN ULTRALIGHT PLANE - This might seem crazy, but ultra light planes are amazingly safe in that, if something mechanical does go wrong, they can easily glide to a safe landing. You might find that you absolutely love it!
READ BOOKS - Read stories about other people who have faced their fear of flying and seek inspiration from them. There is nothing specific about you that makes it impossible to overcome your fear of flying.
SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PROFESSIONAL - You might want to talk to a psychologist who can help provide you with tools to help you deal with the anxiety you feel when faced with the need to fly.
EVALUATE YOUR FAMILY SITUATION - I never feared flying until I got in a plane with my newborn daughter. My tears just flowed thinking, "What if something happened to her?"After a while I began to realize that she would learn from me. What was I teaching her? I began bum to myself, knowing that I wanted her to live as fearless a life as possible. Years later, I flew without my children. Once more I started to feel sick to my stomach. What if something happened to me and they were left behind? I was half way through the flight when I was reminded of words I told my child. "You live in a world that is designed to keep you safe. Accidens can and do happen, yet the biggest accident is that you let the fear of accidents stop you. You must trust in yourself, trust in your mother, and trust in your God that you will be just fine." I relaxed. I have flown many times since and recalled the words of wisdom that comforted my little girl and now comfort me.
TARGETED HELP TO OVERCOME PHOBIAS - Some phobias have many facets to them and need a multi-pronged approach, so that a fear can be loosened from its 'firm' foundation in more than one direction. There are programmes that have massive success in helping people overcome phobias forever. The results are often instant and lasting. The freedom a person who has lived with a phobia for a long time feels once released from that fear is life changing. These programs effectively identify the sources of fear and help to reprogram your mind, so those fears simply cease to exist. As technology advances, so does our world. Without being able to fly, you simply miss out on so many wonders that await you. You can miss job opportunities, once in a lifetime vacations, the birth of grandchildren, and sustained relationships with distant loved ones. You owe it to yourself to be proactive and finding the method that works for you so that soon you can be flying without fear!
Both Christine Wesson & Andrew Wilkie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Christine Wesson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness. Hi, my name is Christine Wesson and I've been a student of the mind for many years. I make my living as a full time therapist and I've helped many people to release trauma, phobias and general anxiety. Phobias are one of my favourite subjects as they ar. Christine Wesson's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Andrew Wilkie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Fitness. To learn more about how you can overcome your fear in as little as 7 days using powerful techniques. Click Here: