Presentation
We present data from pre‐treatment, post‐treatment and 1‐year follow‐up assessments in a sample of nine participants using a multiple baseline design. [onlinelibrary.wiley.com]
Treatment for Aerophobia Diagnosing aerophobia is important especially if the presented symptoms are of epic proportions. [fearof.net]
Learning about safety regulations and pilot training can also present you with facts that challenge irrational fears. Set travel goals – It’s easy to procrastinate on working on fears like aerophobia. [psycom.net]
The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy with exposures in imagination to behavioural therapy with exposures in virtual reality in the treatment of patients with flying phobia. [clinicaltrials.gov]
Scientific American presents Savvy Psychologist by Quick & Dirty Tips. Scientific American and Quick & Dirty Tips are both Macmillan companies. A full 40% of Americans don’t like to fly. [scientificamerican.com]
Entire Body System
- Unconsciousness
Oftentimes, anxiety is intensified by unconscious habits. Here are five things to practice before getting on your next flight. [local10.com]
The good news is that there are methods that can access the unconscious mind and work to enable the individual to overcome their fear of flying. [hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk]
A child’s fears can also be an unconscious expression of a parent’s anxieties. It’s odd, but sometimes a child’s symptoms reflect things the parents are struggling with but are trying to keep hidden. [guidetopsychology.com]
Our brains, he says, are torn between the conscious, reasoning mind – which he calls the head – and the atavistic, instinctual unconscious – the gut. [theguardian.com]
- Crying
And yeah, I’d have panic attacks, too, spending many of my flights hyperventilating and crying behind sunglasses, digging my nails into Dave’s arms or my own if I was flying solo. [neverendingfootsteps.com]
People cry and laugh, they take selfies to send to their kids along with the message that they'll finally be able to go on holiday. [refinery29.com]
One of the male flight attendants was injured by a beverage cart, and one of the female flight attendants who came to his aid started crying. [guidetopsychology.com]
- Fatigue
Adding to your dehydration, and possibly ending up with a headache and fatigue, is only going to make you feel more lightheaded, which is less than ideal if nerves are making you feel faint to begin with. 8. [telegraph.co.uk]
Red-eye flights, he says, can be more anxiety-provoking because of fatigue. But one question continues to haunt him: Is global warming making the skies less friendly? Maybe, but only at certain altitudes, said Paul D. [nytimes.com]
• A lack of oxygen at altitude may cause any number of symptoms of altitude sickness, such as headache, irritability, nausea, muscle weakness, fatigue, slightly blurred vision, and faster or shallower breathing. [guidetopsychology.com]
Flying is a magnet for our vulnerability, for our fear of death, for our existential panic, and every story of metal fatigue, clear-air turbulence and engine failure merely serves to confirm our sense of flight as unnatural, uncomfortable and, eventually [theguardian.com]
- Disability
Despite the safety statistics, they become disabled by fear and experience the psychological symptoms that make flying a misery. [guidetopsychology.com]
Background Flying Phobia (FP) is a common and disabling disorder classified as a situational specific phobia [ 1 ]. [bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com]
Gastrointestinal
- Nausea
Pharmacological treatment Medication is sometimes prescribed on a temporary basis to treat the symptoms of a flying phobia, such as anxiety and nausea. These drugs are usually taken shortly before a flight. [medicalnewstoday.com]
Pharmacological Treatment Medication is sometimes prescribed on a temporary basis to treat the symptoms of a flying phobia, such as anxiety and nausea. [pascoe.ca]
The physical symptoms include sweating, trembling, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting and other forms of gastrointestinal distress. [fearof.net]
Physical Symptoms of Aerophobia increased heart rate cold hands trembling nausea shortness of breath choking sensation These signs can occur when a person is thinking about flying, about to board a plane, or while flying. 3 Treatment Options Aerophobia [psycom.net]
Common symptoms include: sweating dry mouth panic attacks blurred vision racing heartbeat nausea What causes a fear of flying? Fear of flying is a learnt fear. [hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk]
Psychiatrical
- Claustrophobia
Related Phobias The fear of flying may be caused or worsened if you have certain other phobias, including: Claustrophobia: People with claustrophobia often experience a fear of flying due to the confined quarters and lack of personal space. [verywellmind.com]
It appears that people get aerophobia from being or having claustrophobia to the small spaces inside the fuselage of the plane or helicopter. [6] Diagnosis [ edit ] The diagnosis is clinical. [en.wikipedia.org]
Sarah Campbell, a New England resident in her late 50s, was so crippled by her claustrophobia that she didn't get on a plane for more than 29 years. If she and her husband wanted to travel, they'd spend days driving or taking the train. [aarp.org]
It could be, for example that you have feelings of claustrophobia stemming from when your brother locked you in a cupboard as a child or that you have are frightened of dying after losing someone close to you. [dailymail.co.uk]
They're worried they'll have a panic attack, experience a bout of claustrophobia on the plane, and lose control of themselves somehow. [anxietycoach.com]
- Anxiety Disorder
[…] and DSM- 5 ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) defined anxiety disorders including Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; [frontiersin.org]
The good news is that specific phobias such as fear of flying are considered to be the most treatable of the anxiety disorders. [flycalm.ca]
Aviophobia is classified as an anxiety disorder and is considered a specific phobia. It means that an individual has increased anxiety and excessive fear related to flying, or the thought of flying. [vanemag.com]
"Fear-relevant illusory correlations in different fears and anxiety disorders: A review of the literature". Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 42 : 113–28. doi : 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.07.003. PMID 27454587. ^ a b c Oakes, M; Bor, R (November 2010). [en.wikipedia.org]
[…] who counsels nervous air travelers and is coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders. [aarp.org]
- Denial
The initial fear is often much less severe and easier to calm than the pit of terror into which denial can throw me. [medicalnewstoday.com]
Neurologic
- Dizziness
Psychological symptoms include irritation, dizziness, thoughts of falling to death, inability to think clearly, disorientation and nervousness. [fearof.net]
Related Physical Conditions Some physical disorders can lead to a fear of flying, including: Sinus or middle-ear blockage, which can cause pain or dizziness during flight. [verywellmind.com]
[…] enochlophobia) a fear of heights (acrophobia) a fear of hijacking or terrorism Regardless of the cause of the fear, people may experience the following physical symptoms before and during a flight: sweating heart palpitations shortness of breath shaking nausea dizziness [medicalnewstoday.com]
But even restlessness and stress before flying are expressed by unpleasant symptoms such as shaky hands and legs, feelings of stress, sleep problems in advance of the trip, rapid heartbeat, nausea, dizziness or even abdominal or headaches - either when [pascoe.ca]
- Vertigo
People with cold, vertigo, sinus problems or other nasal conditions as well as tinnitus/ear issues may experience the fear of flying owing to the aggravation of symptoms during the flight. [fearof.net]
Having a cold, chronic sinus problems, or conditions such as vertigo or ear disorders can cause a very real fear of developing physical discomfort. [verywellmind.com]
It sets my heart racing and gives me a little vertigo. Heck, sometimes on high bridges, I need to walk on the inside of the sidewalk and look down at the ground to get across. [nomadicmatt.com]
While no two aviophobics are the same, fear tends to coalesce around phobias of distance – vertigo and agoraphobia – and constriction – claustrophobia, and concerns about an inability to escape. [theguardian.com]
- Giddiness
Some fear take-off, others fear landing, and a higher proportion are fine until the first giddy lurches of turbulence set in. [theguardian.com]
Treatment
The results obtained, at post‐treatment and 1 year after the completion of the treatment, support the efficacy of VR in the treatment of flying phobia. [onlinelibrary.wiley.com]
This study shows that the skills acquired in CBT treatment were associated with reduced flying anxiety. Also, the participants continued to use the skills after treatment was completed, which suggests that CBT has positive long-term effects. [medicalnewstoday.com]
[…] access to mental health treatments [ 35 ]. [bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com]
Virtual Reality-Assisted Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Fear of Flying: Acute Treatment and Follow-Up. CyberPsychology & Behavior, Vol. 3, Issue. 3, p. 387. CrossRef Google Scholar Bornas, Xavier Fullana, Miquel A. [cambridge.org]
That treatment, Farchione says, can be effective in upward of 80 percent of people. Treatment for fear of flying is trickier than for other phobias because an individual doesn't often have ample opportunity to engage in exposures repeatedly. [vice.com]
Etiology
"The psychology of fear of flying (part I): a critical evaluation of current perspectives on the nature, prevalence and etiology of fear of flying". Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. 8 (6): 327–38. doi : 10.1016/j.tmaid.2010.10.001. [en.wikipedia.org]
This model is not an account of the etiology of flying phobia (for a discussion of etiology see Oakes and Bor, 2010a ) but of the processes that may operate to perpetuate the fear of flying. [frontiersin.org]
The psychology of fear of flying (part I): A critical evaluation of current perspectives on the nature, prevalence and etiology of fear of flying. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2010;8(6):327–38. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.tmaid.2010.10.001. 5. [bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com]
Epidemiology
[…] combination with other approaches. [2] [3] Outcomes [ edit ] Studies of interventions like CBT have reported rates of reduction in anxiety of around 80%, however there is little evidence that any treatment can completely eliminate fear of flying. [3] Epidemiology [en.wikipedia.org]
The epidemiology of DSM-IV specific phobia in the USA: results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Psychol Med. 2007;37(07):1047. doi: 10.1017/S0033291707000086. 19. Kazdin A, Blase S. [bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com]
Prevention
If your phobia of hitting the sky is so overwhelming that it prevents you from even considering a short flight across Europe, it might be time to seek help. [netdoctor.co.uk]
Rachel Goldman 5 Excuses We Use to Neglect Our Health During Travel and How to Prevent These Bad Habits Dr. Rachel Goldman Dr. [vanemag.com]
They are only seen as a short-term solution; they can prevent anxious fliers from addressing their fears, which may be more pronounced the next time they fly without the crutch of medication. They can also be addictive. 4. [medicalnewstoday.com]
Last but not least, if you’re scared of someone opening the doors mid-flight, fear no more: The doors are locked, and the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside prevent this urban myth from becoming a reality. 3. [ef.com]