Has anyone tried hypnotherapy (or anything else) for fear of flying?

[WindDoesNotBreakTheBendyTree]

We need a holiday, and I want to take the children to Italy or Portugal before were not allowed/can't afford to travel to Europe any more. Trains are so expensive/take so long. Car hire could be fun in a road trip way but also long.

Haven't flown for 11 years. Used to fly a lot for work before that but 3 kids + different career etc mean I haven't. Also got GAD, so anxiety is a massive issue for me generally.

Thinking about hypnotherapy. And diazepam. Anyone had success with either?

No but my mum didn't fly for 40 years, a real crippling fear when even if her and Dad dropped me at the airport she would be trying to get on the floor of the car. Couldn't look at planes flying ahead etc etc.

She read Allan Carr's easy way to start flying (it's called something like that) and now she lives abroad, flying home every month! A different woman!

Try it

My friend had hypnotherapy for fear of flying. When she came back from her first holiday abroad in more than 15 years, she was straight on the net booking her next holiday. Definitely check out a good therapist.

Many airports hold one day courses to help cure fear of flying, that might help you too.

Hi there,

I had hypnotherapy on Harley Street and whilst it definitely helped me feel a little more calm, it hasn't been the miracle cure I hoped for. For me personally I found CBT to work most effectively to retrain my brain in the way I think about flying.

I do take Valium every single flight still and it takes the edge off like nothing else. I combine it with loud music on takeoff so I can't worry about noises. I also always let the cabin crew know so if it does get turbulent etc, they can just give me a thumbs up.

Also, someone once asked me this question and I always think about it when I fly. 'Are you frightened of walking down the street and a plane falling out of the sky and killing you'. Of course not, because our fear of flying is irrational :)

Wishing you all the luck, I know first hand how traumatic this can be.

My flying phobia started in my early 20's, I don't know what triggered it but as the years flew by (pun intended ) it got worse. I moved into a job where there was a fair bit of travelling involved so avoidance became difficult. I went to the GP who prescribed diazepam for flights, 10mgs for each flight worked for me.

However, a work trip came up whilst I was pregnant. I knew I couldn't take diazepam so looked at alternatives. What worked for me was the self-help route. My fear stems centres around mechanical failure or something happening to the plane that would cause its engines to fail. All pretty irrational, I know, but that's phobias for you.

I found a book in my local library "Fly Without Fear" it was written by a pilot and a psychologist. I found the first part looking at the technical spec of a plane and how much they can endure to be most helpful.

I read that book cover to cover, it really did help. I was able to fly unmedicated for the first time in years, this was a couple of years back and it's got easier each time.

If the book hadn't worked I would have tried hypnotherapy next, but as I said didn't need to.

If I can do it I'm sure you can too, good luck!

I have flying phobia for a reason. I started with some hypnotherapy which worked reasonably well but I also take diazepam. over the years I have reduced the dose considerably but it really does work and your GP should be supportive in prescribing. you can also take something to help with your breathing if you aren't asthmatic but again you would need to talk to your doctor.

the hypno only went so far - actually getting me to the point where I could look at a plane or watch one in the sky or on tv because my fear was extreme. personally I would do both and start with a pretty hefty dose of diazepam but recognise that you cant drive after taking it.

I've had hypnotherapy for fear of flying with a Qualified Doctor who is also trained as a hypnotist (be careful as anyone can set themselves up as a hypnotist/ CBT therapist. It has taken the edge off the terror in as much as In I can get on the plane and don't have panic attacks anymore.

Diazepam etc did nothing for me, still felt panicked (but woozy!)

Still absolutely hate flying though!

Thanks everyone, I may try the brain training essay thing, and have rung a hypnotherapist for a chat. Got an appointment on Thursday to give it a try, she has good reviews... so we will see.

I did the fear of flying course at my nearest airport – held by BA pilots and a psychologist (who also wrote the book mentioned upthread.)
It was pricey but it has really helped and ended with a 30 minute flight with pilots in the cabin talking through all the noises and sensations and what the pilot flying the plane was doing at each stage of take off/landing etc.
I found it invaluable – a lot of my fears were of the "Oh god, what's that noise? There must be something wrong, the plane's going to fall out of the sky" variety. Learning all these details really helped me calm down about flying and one of the best things I learnt was to think of a plane in the sky like a spoon in jelly. The spoon is the plane and the jelly is the air pressure which keeps the plane in the sky! Learnt lots more useful things like this that calm my nerves during turbulence, the best thing being a plane can't just randomly fall out of the sky!
You could always try the book if the course is out of the question.