Has Anyone Cured their Fear of flying?

suki1001

phill99 wrote: »

I don't understand this fear of flying. Flying is incredibly safe. Crashing is quite unsafe. That's what you should be worried about. Crashing into the side of a mountain, running out of fuel, a wing falling off etc. They are all really dangerous. But flying: absolutely no problem.

But that's the problems with phobias - rational doesn't come into it. If it was easy to think - oh, it's just a spider, or it's just a long way down, but the building I'm on isn't going to collapse. Then it would be very easy to stop, but just rationalising it in my head - well, if only. I cannot describe the fear that takes over, it's beyond worry, it is dreadful.

It is exactly the same as people who have a fear of spiders, if that eplains it any better to you.

FBaby

suki1001 wrote: »

It is exactly the same as people who have a fear of spiders, if that eplains it any better to you.

Indeed, my partner has a real phobia of spiders. I love them I told him that for me, flying was the equivalent of him having to lay in a bath full of spiders. He got it

suki1001

FBaby wrote: »

Indeed, my partner has a real phobia of spiders. I love them I told him that for me, flying was the equivalent of him having to lay in a bath full of spiders. He got it

That's exactly it!

suki1001

karen310 wrote: »

I could have written your post , I still don't enjoy it , but like the our poster I do it to get where I want to go ( although I once didn't fly for 14years).
What helped me was Allen Carrs book on fear of flying , I got it of Amazon and was attached to it for weeks before every holiday. It explains all the noises , turbulence etc. I don't think I will ever enjoy it , and I really don't like take off , but I can at least do it , and whilst on board get up and go to the loo , watch the film or nod off ( I could do none of those things when used to fly when I was paralysed with fear :rotfl:).

I will try that book, we have the smoking one. Still don't know how you manage to do it for holidays.

marisco_2

The fear of flying is far, far worse than the actual experience of it. Is there one specific thing that worries you? I am sure a company use to do courses to help people conquer their fears. Explaining the different things you might experience such as how it feels during take off and landing, the noises you may hear and what they mean and that going through turbelence is fine.

I hope you do give it a go. Travelling is a wonderful, life changing experience. I have been fortunate enough to have travelled the world and only ever had one hair raising experience on a flight. That was in Russia though on Aeroflot, so to be expected really. Avoid them and you will be fine.

suki1001

The one thing that worries me? The whole thing!

It's very difficult to pinpoint, I hate being in the plane and feel very claustrophobic, at the same time they look far to big to actually be able to stay up in the sky, I hate the noises, I hate that I feel like a freak and I'm a complete gibbering wreck, I hate the take off, the speed, the bumpiness, the creaking, the sheer height, the distance from the ground, I can't bear to eat, drink, move, look out of the window. I hate the captain reminding me how high we are of the ground, the lifetime you feel you're up in the air, the safety checks to remind me that something might go wrong, the impending sense of doom. Have I forgotten anything? I don't know, but that's it in a nutshell!

I feel the same way on fair ground rides and those big wheel things you get in cities.

RAS

Hi

I recommend Neurolinguistic Programming. There are several phobia cures and the NLPer needs to identify the right one for you. For example, if you have become phobic as a result of a specific event, then the fast phobia cure works well but not as well on a phobia that has no obvious trigger.

Also try "tapping" which is surprisingly effective although I find it a bit bizarre. The advantage of this is that you can do it for yourself and train up your companion to remind you to do it iif you start getting symptons.

Abbymoo

I've only done short flights, Liverpool to N.I. mostly and I can honestly say I've hated it more every time. For weeks beforehand I have nightmares of falling out of the sky, wings falling off, the plane going up in flames etc. I hate the feeling you get when you first take off, I hate the feeling when the plane banks to one side, I hate knowing how high it is. I don't eat or drink for at least a day beforehand so I won't have to get up, shaking like a leaf and try and make my way to the (usually disgusting) loo. If you find an effective cure do let me know as OH wants to go to America and I'm trying to pursuade him it'd be much nicer via boat, but he gets seasick so we're kinda stuffed!

mel48rose

suki1001 wrote: »

Well the people who work at the airport are lovely, but it just doesn't help. I ca't stand the sensation of being in the air, the height everything.

Absolutely the same for me. We went to Spain by coach, the longest 24 hours ever. Would love to conquer my fear also.

mel48rose

suki1001 wrote: »

The one thing that worries me? The whole thing!

It's very difficult to pinpoint, I hate being in the plane and feel very claustrophobic, at the same time they look far to big to actually be able to stay up in the sky, I hate the noises, I hate that I feel like a freak and I'm a complete gibbering wreck, I hate the take off, the speed, the bumpiness, the creaking, the sheer height, the distance from the ground, I can't bear to eat, drink, move, look out of the window. I hate the captain reminding me how high we are of the ground, the lifetime you feel you're up in the air, the safety checks to remind me that something might go wrong, the impending sense of doom. Have I forgotten anything? I don't know, but that's it in a nutshell!

I feel the same way on fair ground rides and those big wheel things you get in cities.

I couldn't have put it better myself. Is there any help for us?? :rotfl: