Best treatment for phobias?

[Autumn101]

Just wondering what people have found works best for phobias?

I have tried hypnotherapy, relaxation and visualisation type treatment, anti anxiety meds but nothing has really worked that well.

My phobia is flying, have had it all my adult life. Flying tomorrow and the anticipatory anxiety this time has been horrendous. I desperately want to get this sorted long term

Give hypnosis/hypnotherapy another try (although bit late for tomorrow!) - phobias are always a product of the subconscious mind rather than the conscious.

I know, I thought I was in a better place for this flight then it hit me massively this week!

Will try hypnotherapy again

TRy the headspace app its free for 7 day trial. Loads on anxiety and meditation.

Please help!
I booked a weeks holiday to Portugal months ago for me DH and two children. I suffer from occasional bouts of severe and debilitating anxiety. Now the holiday is closer I have debilitating anxiety around the flights to the point where I cannot do it.
I am desperate to now allow my children to see my anxiety and I am desperate to not allow my anxiety to impact their future travelling/life etc.
My question is, to avoid a total spiral of mental illness, can I drive from Paris to the Algarve for our holiday instead? We’d stop along the way and visit towns/cities to make it less arduous.
Am I really stupid?

It's a long way - 19 hour drive (assuming no breaks!) and would cost a fortune in fuel and tolls, plus hotels and meals en route. When are you due to leave?

I used to have terrible flying phobia and would be crying in line to get on the plane! I also tried Hypnotherapy which did not work. In the end I got a book called "Fly Happy" by Rob Kelly (from Amazon). Once I figured out how and why I was creating all the anxiety, it was an easy fix - no more Phobia!

Of course you can drive but I would recommend working out the cost of hotels/air bnbs along the way and make it all part of your holiday by factoring maybe 4 extra days on top for the travel. We're driving to Spain to make it more an adventure. Only Costa brave so not so far but would be willing to drive further if I had to. In fact I watch a YouTube who drive all the way to Afghanistan from Dover. So it's doable.

As someone who has had the same phobia the best advice is to sign up for the easyjet fear of flying course both online and with the free mp3 player you receive and just do the course daily (or used to).
Then as part of the process you can pay extra to go on a arranged flight with others in the same situation where easyjet staff fly you on a plane and whilst on it will go through the whole process.
Is a life changer for me and many others.

For me also regularly watching YouTube videos of planes taking of/turbulence eto also helped normalise flying and like the easyjet video helps me understand the process e.g the noises you hear pre and after takeoff, turbulence and even things like why the plane won't turn over on takeoff.

What I finally did (because im lucky to live near an airport) was post easy jet course was to fly to Dublin/IOM/Belfast and just did day trips which also helped But hopefully the course will be enough.

Can be quite pricey process but if your phobia is as bad as mine was then it's worth it especially the in person Flight with the staff.