Fear of flying: how to overcome it?

Overcoming preconceived ideas about plane anxiety

Fear of flying and all its variations is a fear as common as it is misunderstood. It is widespread, affecting up to 20% of passengers on any given flight. Many preconceived ideas circulate about it, most of them false. Here are the top 5 most common misconceptions about fear of flying:

• It's impossible to get rid of the fear of flying.
• You suffer from it all your life, to varying degrees.
• It's a question of willpower: by controlling your mind, you can get rid of it.
• It is inevitably linked to the fear of death.
• It only happens because I can't stand losing control.

All these preconceived ideas have one thing in common: they're wrong. One thing's for sure: fear of flying is a composite psychological disorder, but it can be cured in the medium to long term - if you find the right method.

It's possible to overcome fear of flying!

Don't let aviophobia stop you from flying! Since 2011, Peurdelavion.fr has been the specialist in fear of flying and its various treatments, including courses in several French cities, in-flight accompaniment and distance learning. On our site, you can find expert help and advice, as well as support from professionals specializing in therapies to take the fear out of flying. Overcome your fear of flying with techniques transmitted directly by a professional pilot and trainer, and a psychologist specializing in psychological disorders linked to aviophobia. Advice, courses and distance learning fofly.com is your privileged resource for in-depth treatment of the symptoms and root causes of fear of flying, whatever its degree, from mild anxiety to phobia and avoidance. On these pages, you'll find everything you need to ensure that no psychological barrier stands in the way of you enjoying your travels, vacations and business trips, in France and around the world!

Why courses for fear of flying?

Fear of flying is sometimes fueled by self-conditioning, which increases the longer it goes untreated. Different degrees of fear can then affect passengers: discomfort, stress, anxiety, phobia... The mildest degrees of air stress do not prevent you from flying, but at the cost of discomfort and sleepless nights. Avoidance strategies can be used to reduce awareness: pills, alcohol, in-flight distractions... But in all cases, they only serve to postpone the problem until later. In-depth treatment of fear of flyingThe surest way to get rid of your fear of flying (whatever the degree) is to treat it thoroughly and permanently, with the help of professionals. Proven methods exist. For example, the courses offered on peurdelavion.fr have been running since 2011. They have treated over 800 people with a very high success rate, with 95% of participants managing to take to the skies again after a one-day course. The courses allow you to devote the time needed to treat aviophobia in several stages. They enable you to build resilience to your fear of flying, so that in the short term you can enjoy air travel in a fully conscious state. Whether face-to-face or distance learning, our training courses develop a range of complementary methods based on the best of cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT). How to overcome fear of flying: Cognitive aspect: acquiring knowledge about airplanes and the world of air safetyBehavioral: deciphering fear, analyzing negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones and relaxationExperimentation: confront situations that cause stress in order to apply the knowledge acquired during the course, thanks to virtual reality and, ultimately, an aerial flight.

Where does the fear of flying come from?

Fear of flying is a complex phobia. It can take many forms and degrees. Its manifestations range from the anguished to the phobic. It often leads to avoidance maneuvers, from the most innocuous (distractions, alcohol, medication...) to the most radical (staying away from airports and airlines!). Whatever its nature and form, it's possible to get rid of it for good, and discover the pleasure of flying without anxiety or ulterior motives. What psychology tells us The psychology of fear of flying provides us with invaluable insights into the mechanisms that enable us to control our mind (we put them into practice in our courses and training sessions). Anxiety, phobia or simple discomfort: aircraft-related fears most often stem from associated disorders that are triggered by the situation of flying. The following psychological disorders may then occur, depending on the individual:

• Aerophobia
• Claustrophobia
• Aquaphobia when flying over the sea or ocean
• Agoraphobia
• Social fears
• Fear of death
• Emetophobia (fear of vomiting)
• Irrational fears linked to mechanical breakdowns
• Weather-related anxieties
• Mistaken beliefs about turbulence or air holes
• Fear of take-off or landing
• Etc…

Sometimes, several of these fears are intertwined and feed on each other. They all have one thing in common: they are disproportionate and fail to take into account the fact that air travel is an ultra-secure means of transport, far more so than the car. To free yourself from this fear, there are solutions, which we reveal to you on peurdelavion.fr and during training courses with professionals in the field of fear of flying.

Evaluate your fear of flying

Identifying what makes up your anxiety about air travel is often the first step towards recovery. What psychological disorders are involved, to what degree, what are your symptoms, what are your avoidance maneuvers... Putting your fears into words is fundamental to starting a healing program. To evaluate all these elements together, you can take our questionnaire now to assess your fear of flying.