You know flying is safe. You have read the statistics. And still, as the doors close, your heart pounds and your hands grip the armrest. Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias, and it costs people holidays, jobs and time with family.
What sits behind it
“Fear of flying” is several different fears:
- Crashing
- Turbulence
- Being trapped with no way out
- Heights
- Not being in control
- Having a panic attack in front of others
Knowing which is yours matters, because it shapes what will help.
What the research shows
A long-term hypnosis study. At Stanford, 178 consecutive patients with flying phobia were treated with a single 45-minute session in which they were taught self-hypnosis. Most completed a follow-up questionnaire between six months and ten and a half years later.
The clearest finding was about who benefited. Patients who were hypnotizable were more than two and a half times as likely to report a positive effect as those who were not.
This was not a controlled trial, so it cannot show how hypnosis compares with other treatments or with no treatment. But it suggests that one session can help some people for years, and that responsiveness matters.
Other treatments. The better-tested approaches are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with exposure, and virtual reality exposure, in which you experience a simulated flight through a headset. Controlled studies have found these effective, alone or in combination. Many airlines also run fear-of-flying courses that combine education, CBT techniques and a real flight.
Be wary of websites quoting 80 or 90 per cent success rates for hypnosis. Those figures do not come from controlled trials.
The Stanford method
The approach used in that study is simple, and you can use it yourself. It rests on three ideas:
- Float. Imagine your body floating, as if in a warm bath or in space. This produces physical relaxation.
- The plane is an extension of your body. Like a bicycle or a car, it is something that carries you. You float with it.
- Separate body and mind. Notice the difference between what is happening to the plane and how your body has to feel. Your body can stay comfortable while you think about the flight.
The aim is not to convince yourself that nothing could go wrong. It is to let your body remain calm.
Other techniques
- Graded imaginal exposure: rehearsing each stage, from packing to landing, while relaxed
- Anchoring: a cue, such as pressing thumb and finger together, linked to calm
- Reframing turbulence: like bumps on a road, uncomfortable and not dangerous
- Post-hypnotic suggestions: “When I fasten my seatbelt, my shoulders drop”
- Time distortion: suggestions that the flight passes quickly
Add knowledge
For many people, understanding flight is half the cure.
- Turbulence is normal and aircraft are built to withstand far more than they meet.
- The noises after take-off are flaps and landing gear retracting.
- Aircraft can fly and land with one engine.
- Pilots and cabin crew fly constantly, by choice.
A routine for your next flight
In the two weeks before
- Practise the float exercise for ten minutes a day.
- Rehearse the journey in imagination, stage by stage.
- Set your cue.
On the day
- Arrive early. Rushing raises anxiety.
- Go easy on caffeine and alcohol.
- Tell the cabin crew you are a nervous flyer. They are used to it and usually kind.
- Choose a seat over the wing, where movement is least.
On board
- Feet flat, hands loose in your lap.
- Breathe out slowly, longer than you breathe in.
- Float, and let the plane carry you.
- Use your cue at take-off and during turbulence.
- Have something absorbing ready: a film, music, a puzzle.
Do not just avoid
Avoidance strengthens a phobia. Each cancelled trip teaches your brain that flying was dangerous and you escaped. Short flights, taken regularly, do the opposite.
When to get more help
If you have panic attacks in other situations, if the fear is really about enclosed spaces, or if you have not flown for many years, see your doctor or a therapist. CBT is effective. Medication is sometimes prescribed for flights, but it does not treat the fear, and it has drawbacks.
The bottom line
Hypnosis can help with fear of flying, particularly if you respond well to it, and the float method is easy to learn. For a lasting result, combine it with knowledge and with actually getting on planes.
Next in the series: Ego-Strengthening: The Confidence Script Behind Modern Hypnotherapy
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.