Fear for flying is characterized by fear of being on an airplane, helicopter, or any other aircraft, while airborne. The fear is also sometimes referred to aerophobia or aviatophobia. Generally, the fear is the most difficult to avoid or dodge, as people, sooner or later, will have to get on a plane for various reasons: for business, emergencies, vacation. When this anxiety grows, it can get in the way of a person’s life and prevent them from doing the things they want or have to do, such as travelling for work, going on vacations, or visiting family and friends.
The airplane phobia may be one or a combination of several phobias. It may incorporate claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), or acrophobia (fear of heights) and many other anxieties. This anxiety disorder typically is focused more on what might happen, rather than what is happening. People who are afraid of flying incorporate many components of anxiety into their fear. Some of these are:
- Fear of heights
- Enclosed or tight spaces and crowded conditions
- Having to sit in a hot or stale environment
- Having to wait passively
- Being afraid of turbulence
- Fear and lack of understanding of all the sounds and noises around
- Dependence on unknown machinery or an unknown pilot for your safety
- The feeling of not being in control
- Terrorism anxiety
Sometimes, the fear is also brought about by past trauma and events. In cases like this, people may seek treatment from professional psychiatrists and doctors in order to overcome the trauma that these past events have caused. Dealing with what happened may help to overcome the fear of being in the air.
People with the fear for flying exhibit many symptoms whenever their anxieties attack. These symptoms may either be physiological or psychological, and similar to reactions when something wrong is actually happening. Some of the popular symptoms are:
Physiological:
- Muscle tension, shaking, and tremors
- Deep, heavy breathing
- Heart palpitations and chest pain
- Discomfort in the abdominal area or intestinal discomfort
- Sweating, feeling weak, dizziness, prickly sensations
- Dry mouth
- Pale skin or face
Psychological:
- Impaired memory
- Narrowed perceptions
- Clouded judgement
- Negative expectancies
The fear may be brought about by past traumas, or the lack of information on airline procedure and safety measures. Often, when people are clueless about all the safety measures being taken on aircraft, they assume that several situations may happen, even though training has covered almost every emergency imaginable. Perhaps with added information on how flights work and the preparation given to the aircraft and crew, people will start to let go of their anxiety of not being in control and overcome the fear of flying.
You can overcome your fear for flying – the Take Off Today! Program makes it possible and will change the way you live your life dramatically.
