Whether for work or pleasure most of us have found ourselves whizzing around the home like a headless chicken trying to pack, organise, tidy up, remember the vital documents all while ensuring the world around us doesn’t implode in our absence. It hardly warrants time for us to wonder if we have a fear of flying.
Off To The Airport
Everything is present and correct. The journey has begun. Right now is the time to soak up the quiet calmness before battling it out at the airport.
We’ve arrived at the entrance. This place is vast. People are everywhere; some rushing, others lounging, some arguing and I can even see people happily sleeping on the floor. Like most, we stand with our gaze fixed at the electronic boards trying to find our flight. No one mentioned I needed a coding degree to understand this! We eventually find it and begin walking down what feels like a never-ending narrowing corridor. I am sure the walls are closing in. Someone is sucking the air out. How long is this tunnel?
Phew, made it out. Bags checked in, now time to browse the duty-free, you never know when you’ll need that giant Toblerone or an extra bottle of perfume. Perhaps a little dink at the bar too-it might help, you know, to pass the time.
Our flight has been called to the gate!
Just what have we let ourselves in for?
Why are we flying anyway?
I’ve just caught a glimpse out the window of several humungous white aeroplanes; surely they aren’t all that big? They must be long-haul or cargo planes, I’m only going to Spain. Its time to stand in line. As we edge closer to the people checking tickets and passports it dawns on me that there are no tiny planes, ours is one of those huge ones and its growing in size the closer I get. At least it answers one of my questions; how everyone around me is going to fit on a small plane. It does, however, pose many more like how is it going to take off and land? How can such a heavy item remain in the sky and not fall down and kill us all? I’ve changed my mind; I don’t want to fly. Who thought going across the sky was ever a good idea?
I did endure that two and a half hour flight and, to be honest, I’d rather have had a root canal. But I’ve yet to see a dentist in any airport let alone one offering that as an alternative to flying. Of course, the time away was lovely but at the back of my mind was this black clouding mist; I had to endure that all over again to go home. Surely something out there could help me? I can’t be the only one.
Fear of Flying
Many are terrified at the mere thought of boarding a plane; fear of flying affects 1 in 10. Perhaps the take-off and landing cause panic, maybe it’s claustrophobia or some other related reason that is stopping you from exploring the world around you. Fears are often separated from phobias because after all, a phobia is an irrational fear, and there is plenty to be scared of when it comes to launching yourself into the air.
Perhaps you hate flying, or it’s just the long-haul flights stress you out. Maybe you end up self-medicating with tranquillisers or alcohol to cope with the ordeal. While these methods may work in the short term, none of them are positive nor a solution to the issue.
Fear of flying is such a common problem that many airlines offer courses for those who are afraid to take to the skies. These courses provide advice, education, support, relaxation, simulations and even short flights with 1-1 support.
It may appear an obvious way to deal with this fear is to merely avoid it, but this only enforces it making it much worse.
Hypnotherapy is an extremely useful tool for removing fears and phobias. By delving into the subconscious mind, information can be accessed and processed more effectively. This access achieved through a state of conscious relaxation allows for the rapid desensitisation of phobias.
Techniques such as guided visualisation specifically target fears through the form of mental graduated exposure therapy. Another technique is regression therapy. This is when the therapist takes the person back to when the phobia was first implanted into their memory.
If you would like to know more about hypnotherapy for fear of flying or for any phobia or fear, contact us today for your £10 only consultation.