As many as 10% of the UK population have a fear of flying, or Aerophobia, according to Anxiety UK.
Many people who come to see me for their flying anxiety really dread the run-up to their holiday, which starts to build as soon as the preparations begin.
Certain related tasks can be a trigger such as packing, organising money, organising parking arrangements and the journey to the airport itself. So it’s about looking at what tasks are most triggering for you and dealing with those one at a time.
If you have a holiday booked, and you’re starting to dread the thought of travelling or, maybe, you’ve avoided visiting family or friends abroad, then this article is for you.
Here are three steps I use with my clients that can help you overcome your fear of flying, so you can finally be in control and look forward to your next holiday.
Step One – Identify Your Anxiety Triggers
When does the anxiety start for you? At what point do you start to feel those unwanted feelings?
It’s really important not to ignore these signs and create some awareness around what triggers you.
Perhaps it’s when you’ve booked a holiday, or maybe it’s when you start packing your clothes or packing the car to leave for the journey to the airport.
When you identify the triggers, you can start to create some understanding why you feel this way.
For example, was there a specific moment that created this with some kind of association perhaps? Maybe you experienced bad turbulence on the plane which now sets off anxiety, or you may have had a bad check in or baggage experience.
Your fears may be due to a loss of control or due to the feelings of claustrophobia due to the confined space, or due to a panic attack. Once you understand and become aware of the root causes, you can then start to change your perception and work with reprogramming your subconscious mind.
Step Two – Change Your Focus
When we focus on a negative outcome that is frightening for us, our body goes into survival mode, and we may experience faster breathing, we may sweat more and feel panicky.
The more we think about a certain outcome or scenario, the more it becomes normal and forms a habit to think that way. These habits are stored in your subconscious mind so this is where hypnosis can come in really useful to change a pattern of thinking to one that serves you rather than hinders you.
Hypnosis can help you to change this habitual way of thinking and change our focus about a particular trigger or situation.
Start by using your imagination within hypnosis to dump the negative thoughts about flying. That might be imagining dumping these thoughts in the bin, or burying them in the garden and replace them by positive images of your desired outcome like you looking calm and collected at the check in queue for example.
Go through every trigger point from packing the car to getting on the plane, sitting in your seat and then landing to getting off the plane with a positive outcome for each trigger point.
Step Three – Learn Self Hypnosis
Putting yourself into a trance like hypnotic state is so much easier than you may think because you do it several times a day, probably without knowing about it.
For example, when you’re sat at the traffic lights waiting for the green light or, perhaps, scrolling away on your phone or being completely lost in a great book or movie.
It’s when we are in this state of mind we become more “suggestible” and when negative ingrained thought patterns, habits, and behaviours can be modified.
By learning the art of self-hypnosis, you can access your subconscious mind at any time. You can reset your thoughts, feelings and behaviours about flying and change your perception of it.
While in hypnosis, you can plant your own suggestions and replace those unwanted sensations with ones that you desire and serve you better.
You can become more comfortable, calm and more relaxed about different aspects of flying and become in control of the way you think and feel.
How Fear of Flying Hypnosis Helped Simon
Simon Pyewell was tired of feeling stressed out and anxious every time he and his wife travelled abroad.
Before he came to see me, the only way Simon could treat his fear was to take medication to calm his nerves, but this came with nasty side effects.
He also wanted to travel further afield, but due to his limiting flying anxiety, they only travelled short haul. The thought of travelling on a plane for more than a couple of hours was just too much for him.
On the initial consultation, we discussed his past experiences, thoughts, and emotions relating to his flying anxiety.
I developed a personalised treatment plan for Simon that incorporated suggestion therapy, visualisation techniques and positive affirmations to help him access and reframe his subconscious beliefs that were driving his fear response.
Over the course of the tailored 3-week program, Simon made significant progress. After each hypnotherapy session, he reported feeling more at ease with the idea of flying.
He began practising relaxation techniques whenever he felt anxious to interrupt the old habitual patterns.
By the end of the treatment plan, Simon felt confident enough to attempt a short flight without the need for any medication, and reported feeling much calmer and relaxed when travelling to the airport and at check in.
This success marked a turning point in his journey to overcoming his fear of flying. Now, Simon & his wife plan to book a long haul flight for next summer.
How to Take Control of Your Fear of Flying
Don’t let your fear of flying get in the way of enjoying your next holiday any longer!
If your fear has been limiting your life in any way now is the time to do something about it and get in control of your fear and anxiety.
If you’d like a more tailored approach to conquer your fear of flying once and for all, or if you’d like to learn more about the art of self hypnosis, contact me to book a free no obligation initial consultation. See how hypnosis could change your life.
