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It shouldn't surprise anyone that some internet information is accurate and some is bogus. How can anxious fliers find information they can rely on? The articles listed here will help.
As you read, you may be surprised that therapists may be unable to provide effective help. To treat anxiety, most therapists use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is effective when anxiety is caused by thoughts. But flight anxiety is caused - not just by thoughts - but by stress hormones released automatically when the plane drops in turbulence. These hormones increase the heart rate and breathing rate. They cause perspiration and tension in the body. And, most important, they grab the mind. No longer can the anxious flier keep the flight out of mind, and focus on a book or a movie. Feelings caused by stress hormone can be frightening. No therapy for flight anxiety is complete unless it prevents, or overrides, the effects of stress hormones.
It may also be a surprise that medications can make the problem worse. Anti-anxiety medications block desensitization and increase sensitivity to the plane's movements and noises. Read more.
Here is a list of the best dozen articles on fear of flying, what causes it, and how to fix it.
From the website of CBS travel guru Peter Greenberg
1. To help you prepare for a flight, here’s how to check the weather. http://petergreenberg.com/2014/07/02/how-to-check-the-weather-before-flight/
2. Since 2002, no major U.S. airline has caused a passenger fatality. However, events outside the U.S. have thrown anxious flyers for a loop. http://petergreenberg.com/2014/12/09/flight-anxiety-one-pilots-opinion/
From the Iberia Airlines “Love 2 Fly” website
3. When fear of flying starts, it is sometimes because there has been a bad flight. But, in many cases, difficulty starts for no apparent reason. http://love2fly.iberia.com/2014/09/how-and-why-fear-of-flying-begins/
4. Anxious fliers wonder how others fly with so little trouble. Confident fliers can’t quite understand why anyone has trouble. Why the difference? http://love2fly.iberia.com/2014/10/fear-of-flying-why-some-not-others/
5. When signals unconsciously transmitted between people are just right, the parasympathetic nervous system – the system that calms the mind and body – is activated. Memories of such moments can automatically calm anxiety when flying. http://love2fly.iberia.com/2014/10/memories-to-control-fear-of-flying-1/
6. Can meds calm an anxious flier, or at least, take the edge off? For answers, let’s look at research. http://love2fly.iberia.com/2014/11/meds-alcohol-anxious-flyers/
From the Psychology Today website
7. Though brain scan research has taught us how the mind regulates anxiety, most books, courses, and therapy on fear of flying offer little effective help. How can an anxious flier recognize and avoid junk psychology? http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201405/how-anxious-flier-can-recognize-and-avoid-junk-psychology-8
8. Anxious fliers can protect themselves from the effects of these stress hormones by linking the things that happen when flying to an experience that profoundly calms. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201312/in-flight-emotional-regulation-the-basics
9. We have feelings for a reason. Children need to learn that feelings - even intense ones - are endurable, and may be informative. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201303/trip-emotion-world
From the SOAR fear of flying course website
10. One of the safest things you could be doing right now is flying. Why doesn’t fly feel safe? http://www.fearofflying.com/library/accepting-that-safety-is-relative.shtml
11. Arousal and fear are different. Arousal is an automatic response. Fear is an interpretation of that response. To be comfortable when flying, it is important to recognize the difference. http://www.fearofflying.com/library/arousal-and-fear-are-different.html
12. Is it safe not to worry? Why do we suddenly find ourselves on shaky ground when we feel less concerned about a flight http://www.fearofflying.com/library/is-it-safe-not-to-worry.shtml
