Feel fear in the sky

As human beings, it is normal for us to feel fear. Some are afraid of spiders, snakes or the dark, while others fear heights, being confined in small space or even flying. Just like any other fear, the fear of flying can be caused by an irrational belief that the person will die from a plane crash. Even when statistics showed that a person is at greater risk of dying from a car accident than a plane crash. You simply can not rationalize a person’s fear of flying.

People who are afraid of flying are usually also afraid of heights, crowded conditions, mechanical things and enclosed spaces. All these can cause a person much anxiety. Aside from visible apprehension, a person would experience difficulties in breathing, abdominal discomfort, muscle tension, sweating, dizziness, pale face and heart palpitations.

An irrational fear of flying can be treated depending on the cause. If it is caused due to a personal trauma, the person should see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist would help these people overcome such unfortunate incidents. On the other hand if it is caused by lack of information, especially for first time flyers, the person will simply have to educate himself with the safety of flying. Pilots have been trained to operate under extraordinary circumstances and this is evident in the relatively few plane crashes.

Another treatment is by doing relaxing activities such as deep breathing stretching and even some meditation. People who fear flying should try to determine what activity could make him distracted and relaxed. If listening to music or reading books helps the person relax, then he should do so.

If the fear of flying is still present after all these, a person can consider hypnotherapy, which can effectively alter one’s behavior. Just make sure that the person performing the hypnotic procedure is qualified or certified. When the fear of flying can be traced back to the fear of dying, the person could benefit from some sort of religious or spiritual counseling.

There are also certain medical conditions that could explain a person’s fear of flying. For starters, an individual suffering from vestibular problems would feel dizzy and nauseated everytime he steps on a plane. Other medical conditions include sinus pain, allergic reaction, decompression sickness, traveler’s thrombosis, hypoglycemia, mitral valve prolapse and muscular pain. All these could explain a person’s anxiety when stepping inside the airplane.