Fear of flying – The fear takes off
Whether on vacation or on a business trip – according to a survey by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research, 16 percent of all Germans are afraid of flying. Another 22 percent have a queasy feeling and feel uncomfortable. Accordingly, about a quarter of the local population suffers from fear of flying or aviophobia. And yet this fear is completely irrational: after all, statistically speaking, the airplane is the safest means of transportation of all.
The reasons for fear of flying are manifold. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that flying is less commonplace for the majority of people compared to driving. Many find the fact that they are at the mercy of the pilot and crew members and cannot influence their own destinies simply worrying.
The trigger for the fear of flying is one’s own imagination. Even before or during the flight, those affected begin to imagine what disasters might occur. Such scenarios are then constantly played out in the mind, with the mental tragedy often ending in a crash. Added to this is the fear of terrorist attacks, technical failure and the unknown. Negative experiences can also be the trigger for fear of flying. For example, those who experienced an emergency landing or severe turbulence as a young child are more prone to aviophobia in adulthood.
However, even those who have not had any unpleasant experiences or have never flown before probably have an anxious disposition in general. Even normal operating procedures or harmless noises during flight can trigger anxiety reactions. Also, someone else’s fear of flying can transfer to you. This so-called imitation learning often underlies the fear of flying.
When the flight brings primal fears to light
In principle, there is nothing reprehensible about the fear of flying. This is because fear is an innate physical reaction of humans to situations that they perceive as dangerous. After all, fear is supposed to warn us of dangerous situations and lead us to impulsive reactions.
Those who suffer from a fear of flying often feel uncomfortable in their skin even a few days before departure. Most are a bit tense and worried. At the latest when boarding the aircraft, more severe symptoms appear, such as sweating, trembling or slight dizziness. However, not everyone who avoids traveling by plane suffers from a pathological fear of flying. An anxiety disorder is usually only present when those affected react in panic and as if paralyzed and suffer from breathing difficulties, for example. The pathological fear permanently impairs the lives of those affected, especially since they consider the situation to be life-threatening.
Now we know what is meant by fear of flying. But that alone is not enough to get rid of the fear of flying.
One successful approach is to conquer a non-diseased fear of flying through EMDR self-coaching. Read more at Overcoming Anxiety in EMDR Self-Coaching with EMDR Goggles REMSTIM 3000.
How we can manage our fear
Overcoming fear in EMDR self-coaching with the EMDR goggles REMSTIM 3000
How we can unlearn our fears in self-coaching with EMDR and the EMDR glasses Remstim 3000. Fear reactions sometimes make themselves felt as quiet sensations, but more often than not,
Overcoming fear in EMDR self-coaching with the EMDR goggles REMSTIM 3000
How we can unlearn our fears in self-coaching with EMDR and the EMDR glasses Remstim 3000. Fear reactions sometimes make themselves felt as quiet sensations, but more often than not,
