Fear of flying

[Heavingonajetplane]

I have a fear of flying..but this year I am determined to fly!

If you had a fear of flying how did you over it?

Thanks

Following!

A combination of a good flying companion, meditation techniques and a couple of g&ts. I'm pretty much ok now.

My older DS (now 14) had a massive fear of flying. It's a problem when we live in the UK and his grandparents live in Australia.....

With him I did a number of teeny trips- Guernsey and then Jersey on the principle if it all went horribly wrong we could get a boat home. Then France (train home...) Just built it up really. Last year we went to Greece (4-ish hours) and then this year hopefully we will go to Australia.

He's pretty okay now but for the firstt few ones he had to have his headphones in, lots of snacks and a big book of puzzles to do to keep his mind off things.

I know that some airlines like BA do fear of flying courses and I have only heard good things about it from several people who say it is a really fantastic course. But for us we just built up slowly.

Also if ear pain is an issue for you I recommend these... they actually work. I buy mine from Amazon for around £6

www.earplanes.com/

I used hypnotherapy to help me with another phobia. Hypnotherapy is really good for phobias. Hypnotherapy has actually been recognised by the British Medical Association since 1965 so it's not a quack science. Like with all therapy, the rapport is quite important (as well as qualifications obviously). I phoned a few people, explained my problem and went to see the lady I liked the sound of. She looked confident, warm and professional. She didn't have an experience with my particular kind of phobia but it didn't seem to matter as she was an excellent listener I had 5 sessions with her. Best £300 i ever spent.

Hypnotherapy. Amazing and life changing.

My therapist dug a little into possible causes ( bad experiences etc) mine was actually about lack, of control. The most powerful part was about fear being a choice that I can control.

She also asked how I wanted my flight to be and now I can relax, read, chat as I had wanted.

I started with a couple of sessions before each flight, three flights later I use the recording of the session that she gave me.

I found a local therapist here. Hypnotherapy Directory

I think British Airways run courses

Phobias are irrational.
An arachnophobe knows that a spider in their house is harmless, and it is more scared of them, than they are of it.... but that doesn't make seeing one any easier.

@Heavingonajetplane most major airlines have their own fear of flying courses. And start small. No jetting off to Oz for your first ever flight.

I’ve done the Virgin Atlantic fear of flying course which really helped my fear of flying, but didn’t remove it completely. It’s a lot to take in, and I think doing it twice would help.

I have also been prescribed diazepam which really didn’t work. I now take Citalopram anti anxiety meds and that really does help.

I know the facts about safety..but knowing doesn't help!

Plannng a short internal flight..up to Scotland probably

That is a good idea. And if you really can't face the return flight, there are other options to get back home.
My only flights have been to the Channel Islands, so also short ones.
But be aware that the smaller the plane, you more you feel things like turbulence.

I work for an airline but I am terrified of flying , we’ll take off. I literally force myself to get on a plane and then pray to myself till I’m up in the air. It’s the only way I’ll see the world. I’m also guilty of looking at fellow passengers and thinking god or whoever wouldn’t let bad things happen to them so I’m safe. Probably stupid but it gets me through.

So helpful

Well, no one has lived to tell us otherwise though. And there will be the huge panic beforehand. People on the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers knew what their fate was going to be. What an awful feeling to have in your last moments.

Doctor prescribed me a tiny dose of diazepan. That stopped me panicking and I discovered it wasn't a fear if flying, it was a fear of the panicking/pounding heart/shaking/impending doom etc.

A few flights later, after not being physically able to panic, I was over it.

Don't mind flying now, even quite bumpy turbulence doesn't phase me.

I still don't like the taking off bit though, especially when the wheels are getting pulled in and I can feel the wobble/vibration from that but that only lasts a few seconds.

I was petrified of flying for years. Many failed holidays even to the point of getting to the airport and coming home. A few failed fear of flying courses. The money I lost. Last year I was determined to do it. Booked a short flight to start with. What worked for me was to break it down into sections. Get to airport ✔️ get through security ✔️ etc. I then told myself I hadn’t got a choice and had to do it. Someone said to me that nobody said you had to enjoy flying but get through it to have a wonderful time the other end

I went as a last minute stand in on a coach tour to Paris (from Scotland) with my mum in the summer.
The journey was during the Olympics and so bloody awful that when we were on our river cruise I booked to fly home rather than endure the coach/ferry journey.
Never been so relieved to get on a plane in my life and never moaned once.

I read the book Flying With Confidence which did help actually and made my last flight less stressful. There was a line in it that I kept repeating to myself whenever the plane had turbulence which was something along the lines of “turbulence is not dangerous, it’s just uncomfortable”. It also explains the reasons behind the various sounds you hear in the plane which helped put my mind at rest.

Some things that helped me:

• Accepting that I will 'feel' fear, but that doesn't mean something bad is going to happen (i.e. don't equate feeling with fact)
• Looking around at the faces of other people (who rarely look scared)
• Doing something to get me out of my mind and into my body. E.g. scrunching up my toes and relaxing/ focusing on relaxing my shoulders as much as possible/ squeezing my thighs with my hands
• Are you a knitter or do you do any other portable craft? I knit and that really helps

And for me the rationality did actually help. I used to cycle through central London every day, completely without fear, but was a gibbering wreck on a plane. One day it struck me how bonkers that was as I was far, far more likely to die cycling than on a plane

Also, flying with my kids. I absolutely refuse to let on that I am/was scared of flying as I don't want to pass it on. So when I'm with them I have to totally fake it (and then it turns out you make it...)

i accepted the fear, i looked out the window, then i saw the streets getting smaller so then i used the inflight tv to watch documentarys, then on return i was zzzz on landing

basically feel the fear and do it anyway was my motto

I also found this book really helpful (and I read lots of them!). It's a bit old now, but I expect the ideas still hold true!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fly-Without-Fear-Keith-Godfrey/dp/1849531102

@HippyKayYay Thanks..yes I knit..but I assumed knitting needles wouldn't be allowed? Am I wrong!?