Fear of flying: experts explain how to control it – 7/4/2023 – Mental Health

Spending hours inside an aircraft is not very exciting for almost anyone. But for some people, just the thought of taking off can feel like torture.

The fear of traveling by plane can happen both to those who have never flown and to those who have already gone through a traumatic situation during a flight. It is a condition that involves anxiety and anguish, with negative consequences for the person’s life, such as losing job opportunities or even failing to take the dream trip.

“I have episodes of anxiety long before the trip. It starts the moment you talk about traveling,” says journalist Danielle Cerati, 35.

Danielle says that she was not afraid and had already taken several national and international trips by plane, until, during a flight from Porto Alegre to São Paulo, in 2017, the bad weather caused so much turbulence that she was never able to travel in peace again.

“It looked like the plane was falling, people started to pray. I was holding on to the chair. When I arrived in Guarulhos, I was so stunned that I couldn’t walk straight, I had to be supported by an airline employee”, she says.

After that experience, Danielle started to avoid travel, including work. Fear of flying became a constant topic in therapy sessions.

Last year, she achieved a great victory for those who are afraid of flying: she managed to go to Germany to visit her brother and meet her first nephew, who was born during the pandemic.

“He was already two years old and I only knew him from pictures. That was the motivation that made me take courage.”

For this, Danielle took medicine prescribed by a doctor to control anxiety during the trip. “I was able to travel, but not relax. It seems that the medications only took effect even after I landed. Then it was difficult even to leave the airport, fortunately I was accompanied by my husband”, she reports.

Psychiatrist Luiz Vicente Figueira de Mello, supervisor of Amban at the IPq-HCFMUSP (Anxiety Outpatient Clinic of the Institute of Psychiatry of the Faculty of Medicine of USP), explains that feeling fear is necessary for the survival of the species. “Human fear can be summed up in the risk of death”, he observes.

“The specific phobia of flying is situational. It is an exaggerated defense against the risk of death. In this way, it triggers defense symptoms, such as avoiding traveling or feeling sick during the flight.”

To control this fear, it is necessary to face it, advises the psychiatrist. “For this, we need treatment or guidance from a professional. Currently, we use cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), with or without medication, preferably antidepressants, which tend to increase the threshold of fear and anxiety. Anxiolytics can be used punctually, even if very carefully not to get used to its use”, he says.

Tammy Marchiori, a neuropsychologist, explains that cognitive-behavioral therapy works on a tripod, which are our emotions, our cognition —our thoughts— and our behaviors.

“CBT is based on scientific evidence and is indicated for the treatment of various disorders and phobias, including the fear of flying,” he says.

“The first thing we’re going to do is an assessment to understand the nature and intensity of this fear. Because no matter how many ten people you’re afraid of flying, each one will have a different trigger”, he points out.

CBT, clarifies the neuropsychologist, will work with cognitive restructuring, helping to identify and modify negative and distorted thought patterns associated with plane phobia.

“The person who is afraid thinks that the plane will crash or that he will be very ill during the trip. In general, these are very catastrophic thoughts. These thoughts need to be reassessed until they are replaced by more realistic ones”, he says.

During the therapeutic process, the gradual exposure technique is also used. “We gradually expose this person to situations involving flying, in a gradual and controlled way. It can start, for example, with the person imagining themselves inside the plane. We can complement it with viewing videos of flights and, sometimes, even with a flight simulator. It is also possible to take a shorter flight with the therapist’s accompaniment”, he says.

The professional also teaches strategies so that the patient knows how to deal with fear and anxiety alone, such as breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation.

For those who arrive at the airport still very afraid, Maria Rita de Cássia Micheletto, GOL’s cabin manager and flight attendant manager, informs that passengers can ask for help from employees of the airline they are traveling with.

Maria Rita claims that professionals are trained and are used to dealing with these situations.

“At the welcome reception, when the client introduces himself and tells us his fear, we try to listen to him, demonstrate confidence with clarifications about our work and explain about the maintenance and safety of the aircraft. It is also possible to call one of the pilots to talk to the passenger”, he says.

Flight attendants can advise on weather conditions during the trip and areas of possible turbulence. It is possible to visit the cockpit on the ground, in accordance with Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) determinations, so that passengers feel safer.

“We fully understand the fear of flying. It is a normal feeling and shared by many passengers around the world. It is important to highlight that flight attendants are fully aware of this fear and are trained to recognize it and act in a cordial, polite and empathetic manner in every situation. The crew is trained to provide information on flight procedures, reassure passengers and answer any questions or concerns that may arise during the flight. They are there to help and ensure that all passengers feel safe and comfortable during the trip”, says Maria Rita.

Follow the Mental Health blog on twitteron Instagram and Facebook.