Fear is like a computer virus. Once installed it soon develops a momentum of its own. It is difficult for anyone suffering from a fear to examine it objectively because the very process of examining it will change it, and in all probability change it for the worse. This is why getting help and support is so important. While you examine your thoughts your supporter can make sure you avoid any negative thoughts.

• Fear is a normal human reaction

• Fear can be overcome

• Fear can be controlled

• A Fear of flying can be overcome

The problem is to break the cycle of fear. At the start of overcoming our fear, we are especially vulnerable, like an alcoholic is to a drink or a reformed smoker to a cigarette.
A smoker has to resist the thoughts of temptation and you have to resist the thoughts of being vulnerable and fearful. And you are vulnerable because a fear will attack at unguarded moments and enter your mind without your realising it.

An unguarded comment from a friend, an ill-informed comment in the press, a so-called television documentary, constantly and gently filling your mind with doubts.

By contrast, a drinker or smoker will at least be aware of the temptations before him or her and succumbing to the temptation will be obvious. Suffering from a fear of flying means that we pick up negative information subliminally and therefore not be able to reject it. Much of the information that causes and maintains a fear is lodged in the part of our memory (the long-term memory) to which we have no obvious access but unfortunately, is easily retrieved unconsciously.

Even our conscious and positive thoughts that might otherwise protect us from our fear are influenced by these unconsciously held pieces of information. This is why it is so difficult to dislodge fearful thoughts. We can rationalize and write down all the reasons that our fear is illogical but still something inside nags us and says ‘don’t believe it’ and this of course reinforces the fear. So the bad thoughts make it worse and the unsuccessful good thoughts make it worse by their failures.

Being fearful is easy, fighting the fear is harder. That’s why it’s easy for the fear to take over. Overcoming a fear of flying involves making decisions that have serious and costly implications. A family waiting for one family member to ‘make their mind up’ whether to travel or not, puts enormous pressure on that person quite unintentionally. The effects and influences of that occasion then adds to the pressures of the next.

Unlike smoking overcoming a fear of flying is an active process…it’s something you actually have to go and do. Smoking is something you just have to avoid doing…hard for sure but not as hard as overcoming the fear of flying.

See our products to help you overcome your fear of flying

Someone with a fear of spiders or heights doesn’t usually carry the responsibility of a whole family’s happiness. There is not an annual visit to a spider farm. Nor does it have the prospect of considerable financial penalties. Using hard facts like statistics puts even more pressure on an anxious flyer. This in turn aggravates the situation and puts more negative thoughts into the long term memory.

The downward spiral can go out of control easily. The task might seem hopeless… but it’s not. To restructure the information so that it is allocated to another part of the brain is what many therapies do, whether it’s by some form of temporary self deception or by a structured approach. However, it needs to be done at a time of no pressure… not at the airport or in the run up to travelling. So you need to start your strategy now. We promote a no nonsense, down to earth supportive but structured approach.

It’s likely to take longer than you expect but the upside is that it’ll be more successful than you believe. Be confident that you will succeed. The most important part of overcoming the fear involves confidence support and knowledge. How confident are you that having confidence in yourself can have such benefits? We will help you to develop your confidence.

That’s why our policy is to congratulate people for every step and they take towards going flying. So once again, tell yourself “well done” for coming to the site. And don’t underestimate the benefit that you get from deciding to do something about your fear of flying.

Smiling as a therapy. Smiling when you think of your fears will have a very beneficial effect as well. Try it.

Finally, in this section there is a belief amongst fearful flyers that worrying helps to stop things from ‘happening’ to them. They say, “If I don’t worry about things then something is bound to happen”. That’s a thought that has to be challenged, because it’s just not true.

Go to our START HERE page and the Action Plan page to start on your journey to overcome your fear of flying.