Aviophobia or as it's referred to as fear of flying, is a far more common problem than many individuals are ware. Aviophobia can manifest itself as a minor case of nerves prior to getting on an flight or may be a more intense episode of hyperventilation which may even stop a person from boarding a plane.
Understanding Aviophobia
There is a belief that of the people that fly regularly, 30% to 40% struggle with the fear of flying with varying feelings of severity. The reason or the trigger of the fear can vary depending on the individual. If fear of flying is a big worry for you and you'd like to conquer it, the best thing you can do is to determine the cause of the fear.
A bad past experience or exposure to unsettling statistics about increased crashes may be lodged in your subconscious and expressing itself as aviophobia.
Facing Your Fear
Understanding your responses and coming to grips with what causes the panic is the best way to get past one's fear of flying. This is the only meaningful way to handle the problem and people who attempt to deal with it by getting a Valium, or other anti-anxiety drugs, prescription from their doctors are just dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause. The medicating approach to fear of flying may well have negative repercussions in the long run.
Experienced therapists recommend that people who have a fear of flying should also work at confronting their fears. They state that this is a surer way of finding a cure and it involves actually spending time seated in an airplane when it is on the ground.
One way of facing one’s fear of flying is to willingly sit in an aircraft, while it's on the ground. There are airlines that help people with a fear of flying by allowing them to use it for this type of training or therapy session. These kinds of sessions, where you can get used to the atmosphere of an enclosed cabin and familiarize yourself with the layout and the feel of roaming around in a plane, can go a long way in accelerating the treatment of aviophobia.
Therapists recommend this method of dealing with the problem because it allows patients to have hands-on experience with the physical space and mental reality of being in a plane – both of which can be a source of fear for those who have aviophobia.
However, realize that the vision of boarding a flight, walking down the aisle, taking your seat and flying to your destination and use that as a driving force to remain strong at times when it all seems impossible.
For the complete article on Fear or Flying, check out: Overcoming The Fear of Flying
Jonothan Peters has written and researched extensively on the topic of panic attacks and anxiety. To learn more about the forms of treatment options for Fear of Flying go to: Overcoming The Fear of Flying