Fear of Flying
Fear of flying is a phobia that affects a large number of people, some of whom will be able to fly but will feel very anxious, and others who are simply unable to enter a plane. Most people who fear flying are aware of the fact that it is more dangerous to drive a car than flying, but as in many other phobias, logic does not help control emotions. I assume that fear of flying is more common than fear of driving, since a driver, who holds the steering wheel of his car, or the passenger who trusts the driver, senses a feeling of control more than a passive flier
Since the trigger of fear of flying is catastrophic expectations and a sense of helplessness, the way to help people overcome their phobia is by helping them gain control over their catastrophic expectations.
After treating many people who have experienced a fear of flying, I concluded that there are three catastrophic expectations that trigger such a fear:
• Terrorists hijacking the plane.
• Engine malfunction or a bomb which causes a plane crash.
• Claustrophobia.
In the chapter:
"Visualization"
I discuss how to cope with dangerous situations. I suggest that there are two types of threats in everyday life. Some, where human powers are sufficient to overcome them, and others, where superhuman powers are needed to escape defeat. In accordance with this idea, while my patients' eyes are closed, I lead them to fantasize that they are the directors of a movie, and at the same time the heroes of that movie. After they visualize their catastrophic expectations almost actualizing, I lead them to overcome the dangerous situation by applying human or superhuman powers. Below are presentations of three such cases.
Case Presentations:
Case 1
Sara, a 35-year-old woman, works as a consultant in a large company in Israel. She has to fly about three to five times a year to different countries. About a week before the flight, she suffers at night from insomnia or from nightmares. During the day she is very tense and impatient with her husband and two children. During the flight, she runs to the bathroom very frequently, her hands tremble and she has headaches. Even on a long trip, she cannot read or sleep. Sara knows exactly what causes her to be so tense. She is afraid of terrorists who might hijack the plane.
I asked Sara, "If worse came to worse, and your catastrophic expectations were actualized, is there any way you could overcome the terrorists?" She broke with a nervous laughter and said: "I served in the Israeli army for two years and I went through basic training, but I was never trained to fight hijackers."
"Let's do it now." I answered. "Close your eyes and make believe that you are the director of a movie and at the same time the heroine of that movie. Please describe what you see."
"I see myself sitting in a plane flying to the USA. I am a nervous wreck. Near me sits a nice young man, trying to have a small talk with me, but I do not have the patience to talk. Suddenly, a man who sits a few seats ahead me stands up, pulls out a machine gun and screams, "Allah Akbar", demanding that everybody remains seated quietly. I see myself fainting."
"Please, roll back the movie. Apparently, you forgot, you are the heroine of the movie, and the audience expects you to save all the passengers," I said in a very encouraging voice.
"I woke up from my fainting. The man is still looking very threatening. I see myself getting up and approaching him. He raises the machine gun and aims it at me. In a very flattering voice, I explained that I have to go to the bathroom. He makes an approval gesture. I see myself raising my hand and spray his eyes with a perfume bottle. He drops the machine gun and rubs his eye with pain. Two men, who sit near him, jump up and pin him down. Everyone claps and praises my courage. I feel great."
Sara opened her eyes with a smile, claiming that she felt more in control. During the next few sessions, I guided her to improvise a variety of situations in which she is a heroine who saved the plane and the passengers from terrorists. At the same time, she learned to relax herself by applying a variety of relaxation techniques. At the end of therapy, she flew abroad and when she came back, she reported that before the flight and during it she felt fearful but not as panicky as before. During the entire flight, she kept a perfume bottle in her right hand and she practiced relaxation techniques.
Case 2
Tom has catastrophic expectations about flying. He anticipates that an engine malfunction or a bomb may cause his plane to crash. Although he takes a strong sleeping pill, he cannot fall asleep even during a very long flight. In the first session he described a traumatic experience he had about 10 years ago that triggered his phobia.
"It was a short and terrifying flight. There was a very strong storm; heavy rain, thunder and lightening. The plane moved in all directions. Many people vomited, while others cried, and some prayed. Since I am an engineer, I anticipated that the engine would break and the plane would crash." While Tom described his experience, he looked very pale and his voice was shaky.
I decided to help him cope with his terrifying experience by using humor. "Did you see Charlie Chaplin's movie The Big
Dictator?" I asked.
"Of course, I saw it. I love Charlie Chaplin's movies and I saw The Big Dictator a few times," he answered. "What made you think about it?" he
asked.
"Your story reminded me of the first part of the movie, when Charlie Chaplin is flying upside down and the audience is kept laughing, although his experience is somewhat similar to your frightening one." I asked Tom to close his eyes and to visualize the flight that scared him and triggered his phobia. Instead of visualizing it as a frightening flight, I suggested that he makes it a humorous one.
Tom went along with my suggestion. He described many funny and embarrassing situations encountered by the passengers. Instead of looking frightened, he kept smiling. After a few minutes, he turned to me and said in a frightened voice: "This may be funny but if an engine breaks it is not going to be funny anymore."
"Since you related to the frightening storm as if it is a funny movie, you can relate to the broken engine as if it is a science fiction movie. Keep in mind that you are the hero of a science fiction movie and an engine broke down, how can you save the plane?"
"Oh, that is very simple. I see myself going out of the plane, through the wall and I fly under it. I am like Superman, and I can land the plane safely."
Tom opened his eyes with a wide smile and said: "Instead of being frightened, I had fun like a little child. May I visualize the same scene every time that frightening thoughts bother me?"
"Of course you may, but try to be creative. Your thoughts are like movies and you are the director of your thoughts."
I met Tom a few more times until his next flight, which was not as frightening an experience as the previous flights.
Case 3
Rina is 50 years old. She never flew in a plane since she suffers from claustrophobia. She does her best to avoid elevators and caves as well. As her son and his family moved to another State, she decided to overcome her fear of flying and she bought a ticket for the next month. Unfortunately, she feels very anxious and she cannot sleep at night. Since early childhood, Rina felt very uncomfortable being in small narrow
places, and she could not remember any trauma related to such places. After sharing with her the way I see the contribution of
claustrophobia to survival of our ancestors, (See chapter:
"Claustrophobia, Agoraphobia & Acrophobia")
I suggested that she close her eyes and visualize a plane on which she may feel more comfortable. After a few seconds she started to talk: "I see myself sitting in a regular size plane but it is completely transparent. The sky above us is blue and very beautiful. I look down and I see the ocean and nice size ships. It is so peaceful and I feel very relaxed."
Rina opened her eyes with a smile and said jokingly: "Why don't they build planes like that?"
"From now on, you are going to build such planes in your imagination," I answered. "The reason you feel claustrophobic in planes is because in your unconscious mind you imagine yourself living in the prehistoric time. You see yourself being trapped in a small, narrow place, unable to
escape predators. Today you found out that you are able to control your unconscious imagination. I suggest that before and during your upcoming flight, you imagine the beautiful blue sky above the plane and the ocean below it. Keep saying to yourself: "There are no predators in this plane and no reason to be claustrophobic." I met Rina for a few more sessions before she flew to visit her son. I taught her various relaxation techniques. She felt more relaxed and she was able to sleep better. When she came back from visiting her son, she declared
that she was ready to fly to different locations with her husband for vacations.
I encourage everyone who suffers from fear of flying to try to help himself / herself by practicing relaxation techniques and mental imagery. If these steps are not sufficient, it is highly recommended to seek professional help.
People, who suffer from fear of flying, tend to have a cautious personality more than their peers. Since “knowledge is power”, it eases for self-acceptance and for positive coping with fear of flying, reading of the chapter
"Cautious vs. Daring" is recommended.