I'm more scared of driving on I-95 more than flying. Maybe you can watch videos on YouTube of pilots explaining how planes work.

Medication and meditation.

I have claustrophobia and hate elevators. I don’t love airplanes either but can manage to fly when needed without medication or alcohol. Phobias are terrible and so hard to get rid of. I hate avoiding elevators. Seems so dumb but I get panicky in them. Should I force myself to go on them? For some reason I only panic if I’m alone. Makes no sense

Meditate.

Figure out the root of your anxiety or fear.

I don't have this fear but I can appreciate it. I hate flying more than ever these days!

Good luck

The more you fly, the more normalized it gets. I used to be a nervous flyer. But then I had to fly to Samoa - DC-LA-New Zealand-Samoa. All in one go. By the last takeoff and after more than twenty hours in various aircraft, I was jet lagged out of my mind and bored senseless. Was never nervous again. So that's my solution. Fly to Samoa.

Are there specific parts of flying that cause you more distress? You could then perhaps research those to understand the facts - maybe it would help you not fear the unknown. For example, I don't love turbulence and it sometimes starts to panic me. I researched turbulence and I read once that it's like driving over gravel, so I visualize that every time. I also have specific albums that I listen to (loud) when I get nervous. I used to have to travel into some dangerous places for work (not military, but traveled with the military) and when my panic would be high, I would listen to this same song over and over. Sort of still has a calming effect on me.

You just do it.

I refuse to let my irrational fear stop me. The more I travel, the easier it gets. I have to travel for work, so that forces me to confront my fear on a pretty regular basis.

I have a few things that help me personally. I like the middle seat. I know it sounds weird, but having a human next to me on both sides is comforting. I like watching the flight attendant. I like having a bottle of water and a bag of gummy bears. I listen to the same album, my favorite one, every flight. I have a magazine and a book in case I get antsy. I have a few mindless games downloaded. I lift my feet before take off and close my eyes. I only open them when we reach cruising altitude. I always leave notes at home (just in case).

These rituals help me deal with the anxiety. Find the rituals that help you. No judgment if alcohol or drugs are part of your ritual, but I have found a way to manage my stress without them.

Here's how I fought it - I researched the facts. It's the safest way to travel. At one point I was dabbling with things like Xanax (prescribed) and some rando guy at college gave me what he said was a Valium to try, and I did - afterwards I was like - I am more likely to F myself up here taking random drugs than in a plane crash! And I stopped taking meds cold turkey then. From there I guess it was systematic desensitization. I didn't let it stop me - it would be not be logical to allow yourself to drive but not fly and I would keep telling myself that.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, paired with anti anxiety meds worked for me. I didn’t fly for nearly a decade and now I average about 6-10 flights per year. I wish I had tackled it sooner. One thing my therapist said really stuck with me - what you are most afraid of is rarely what kills you. That, and practice- the more you fly the more your phobia will improve. Good luck and happy travels!

Anonymous wrote:Hypnosis user here. I found a clinician trained in hypnosis. I’m being vague with who I used for confidentiality reasons.
We did several sessions and I have recordings I listen to when I fly. Different ones for long and short flights. I have also heard good things about the fear of flying website listed above.

Curious about these “confidentiality reasons”. What exactly are you worried about? Are you aware that this is an anonymous forum? If you share the name of the hypnotist, no one will know who you are…