Help for Fear of Flying FAQ

Fear of Flying FAQ

I know logically that flying is safe, but why am I still so scared?

Estimates vary, but as many as one in six of us are afraid of the safest form of travel. Yet despite knowing that flying is the safest form of travel and that you have more chance of becoming Prime Minister than you do of dying in a plane crash, you still break out in a sweat at the thought of getting on a plane.

That’s because this isn’t about being ‘logical’. The part of your brain that makes you fear flying isn’t logical at all. It’s the part of your brain that is designed to make you act to avoid danger without thinking too much about it. The same part that brings your arms up to protect your face if something comes flying at it, or jumps you back to the curb as a car approaches. It’s there to save your life, even if it makes you look silly in the process.

So being told that you’re far more likely to die on the way to the airport isn’t going to help you, even if it’s true. Logic doesn’t conquer the fear and anxiety around being scared of flying. It is a completely separate part of your brain that is driving your illogical fear. And that’s the bit of your brain that I’m interested in working with.

I’m not going to lecture your on air travel safety. It won’t work. At an airline fear of flying course you’ll sit through several hours of explanation about the safety of flying, while your nerves grow and grow as the flight approaches, to the point that you’ll barely be able to take in the information any way.

Which is why I don’t use logic to overcome your flying phobia. The only thing that’s going to work is to directly re-programme your brain.

 

But don’t I have to face my fear?

Think you have to face your fear to beat it? It’s not true. But when you face what once was your greatest fear and realise you’ve already beaten it, you’re going to feel great. This is why many of my clients who have done the airline flying courses still feel terrified when they come to see me. One exposure alone isn’t going to work. This is about changing the brain’s fundamental structure, so that when it comes to your time to fly, you notice the change. You don’t have to face your fear to conquer it, when we have collapsed your fear at a neurological level already.

With the techniques that I use, you’ll know that your fear has greatly reduced (or vanished completely!) without even going close to an aeroplane. You might need that flight to convince you for sure, but those old uncomfortable feelings you get just thinking about flying will have been transformed.

Do I need to know why I’m afraid of flying?

I have worked with enough flying phobia clients to know that there are many different reasons why people are afraid to fly. For some it’s the take-off or landing, others it’s the fear of heights or loss of control. Some feel afraid because they don’t understand the technology or the perhaps the science of flying conditions such as turbulence. Then for others it might be a worry about terrorism, falling out of the sky, the wings falling off, being trapped, falling ill. There are many, many reasons that people fixate upon.

For some of my clients, they know exactly when the fear developed. But for others, there’s no one thing they can pin it on. That doesn’t matter. We work directly with the fear response in your body that comes from the simple thought of flying. Because while you may not know where you learned it from, your brain is referring some experience (or collection of experiences) every time it creates that fear response in you when you think about flying.

 

Can you guarantee a cure?

Having treated many different phobias, I know that we are all unique individuals. While I do get fantastic results and feel very confident in my approach, I cannot guarantee that it will cure you. It’s a little like being a teacher. I can stand at the front of the class and deliver the same lesson, but each student will respond to it in their own way. What I can guarantee is that I’ll do my best and use the techniques and approaches that I have used on hundreds of clients successfully. Because it is important to me that I am able to do my best for you, I always speak on the phone before taking clients on. This free consultation gives you a chance to ask any questions you might have, and for me to ensure that I am confident in providing you with the best and most relevant service.

What does the Flying Phobia therapy consist of?

First, we speak on the phone for me to take an in-depth history of your fear of flying. This enables me to find out all the unique things about your case that will allow me to prepare an individually tailored programme for you. We then meet on three separate occasions face-to-face. These sessions are about an hour long. In them, I will use a variety of psychological techniques to collapse your fear at an unconscious level. I will also prepare a bespoke hypnosis CD for you to listen to between sessions and in the run up to the flight. I will be available for you on email and the phone throughout the duration of your treatment.

CALL ME on 07813 251 152, email info@victoriawardhypnotherapy.com or send me message and I’ll get back to you with more information.