By Lora Ford
People are not disturbed by things, but by the views which
they take of them.
-Epictetus, 1st Century, AD
Why are 25 million Americans afraid to fly? The modern jetliner is the safest
of all forms of travel - even safer than walking! Most fearful flyers are aware
of the statistics and understand them intellectually, but they endure flights
filled with anxiety, panic or they avoid flying altogether. When we fly there
is an enormous potential for danger, and it is natural to feel anxious
when we are unsure or fearful. Einstein said, "Imagination is more powerful
than knowledge." Fearful flyers often let their imaginations take control.
The fear of flying is not usually due to a single or simple cause. A commonly
shared reason is the loss of control. Also at the top of the list is acrophobia
(fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces), and a fear of crashing
or dying, which is often due to a lack of knowledge about the flying experience.
The more we understand something, the less fearsome it will be. Many passengers
observe routine everyday operations and think they have experienced a brush
with death.
Sometimes a previous bad flying experience may lead to a fear of flying. It
may be something as common as an especially bumpy flight. It is important to
point out that if one's fear is from a past trauma or accident, a consultation
with a qualified counselor to resolve those underlying issues may be something
to consider.
Among other contributing factors are several months of stress prior to the development
of the fear of flying. Research has shown that an initial panic attack is often
preceded by six to eight months of stress. Or perhaps there is a role model:
does someone close already have the same fear?
Although the news media serves a vital need in society, sometimes it adds to
the skewed perception of risk. A single incident may stay in the headlines for
years. We may never read the headline: One Thousand Flights Arrive and Depart
Uneventfully at Sea-Tac International Airport Every Day! But that is the common
daily occurrence.
"Secondary gains" may contribute to a fear of flying. Is it possible one is
gaining sympathy, attention, control over others or freedom from doing something
unpleasant by avoiding flying?
Whatever the causes, a more comfortable flight is possible by overcoming the
escalating spiral of worsening panic and fear. The trick is to change the mind
that one brings on board. Identify the specific fears. Understand and accept
the anxiety. The more one fights the fears, the more power the fears will gain.
Treatment and coping skills for the fears of flying involve many of the same
mental skills used by top athletes: relax your muscles, breathe calmly and deeply,
stop distressing thoughts and replace them with positive mental images. The
more times one can pair up a relaxed feeling with an airplane (even if it is
just watching the plane), the more comfortable one will be on an actual flight.
Treatment for the fear of flying is called systematic desensitization (exposure
to a hierarchy of anxiety-producing situations while one is relaxed), and exposure
therapy. A fearful flyer can be helped by collecting a personal "bag of coping
techniques" to take on board. Experimenting with and then practicing these techniques
before the flight is important. What works for one passenger, may not work for
another.
There are numerous resources available: self-help books and audiotapes, classes
and seminars, and counselors who specialize in anxiety disorders or who can
refer to those who do.
The fears of flying can be understood, accepted and controlled.