If you won two plane tickets to a destination on your bucket list, would you jump for joy or would your stomach sink with dread because of your fear of flying? Would the days leading up to the flight be filled with excitement or would you be gripped with fear? How would you feel during your ride to the airport; experiencing sweating palms, dry mouth, panic attacks, blurred vision, racing heartbeat or even nausea? Would you need to take a sedative just to make it onto the plane?
It’s important to note that not everyone who suffers from fear of flying will experience the same amount of distress.
Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias, with an estimated 1 in 10 people experiencing mild to severe anxiety. To those who doesn’t suffer from anxiety, this may seem like an irrational fear. Our mind will create feelings of anxiety when it believes we are in danger. Protecting us is the primary function of our subconscious mind, so if something is seen as a threat, action needs to be taken (flight or fight).
Let’s face it – living with a fear of flying is anything but fun. Your fear can literally become your prison, as a great deal of the world becomes inaccessible to you. There are many aspects of flying that can lead to feelings of anxiety; including fear of having a panic attack, fearing the plane will go down, claustrophobia, fear of heights, being out of control and fear of terrorism. If you can successfully identify what triggers your anxiety, you’ve taken the first step in overcoming the fear.
Of course, you’ve no doubt heard that flying is the safest way to travel. Yet the fear remains. This is because you need to let go of the fear where it resides, which is in your subconscious mind. Your subconscious has been programmed to fear flying, for whatever reason. The good news is that your subconscious can be re-programmed. This is exactly what hypnosis can do for you.
The most successful way to overcome phobias is exposure to feared triggers. It’s important to remember that avoidance keeps your phobia alive and intense. With fear of flying, one of the biggest factors is anticipatory anxiety; the fear experienced in anticipation of taking a flight. Any successful treatment will help fearful fliers manage anticipatory anxiety before, as well as during, a flight.
Hypnotherapy can help you to become a relaxed, calm thinker – help you to feel safe and in control. Hypnosis uses relaxation techniques and the power of suggestion to promote a positive change, through helping you recognise what triggers your fear and why, as well as changing your reaction and experience into a positive one.
Imagine what it would be like to:
Enjoy planning a trip to an overseas destination.
Feel calm, comfortable and confident on the plane.
Replace feelings of anxiety with a sense of anticipation.
Use hypnotherapy to let go of the fear of flying once and for all! Click here to find out more.