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If you were treated for a flying phobia in the past, the images from news reports of the crashed plane in the Alps probably brought back your anxiety. The stories of how the crash occurred, the screams of the passengers, and the desperation of the pilot outside the cockpit all could intensify your fears. If so, here are 5 tips on what to do next to handle your flying fears.
Do not avoid the stories on the news. Use of avoidance will only intensify your fears by rewarding both the escaping behaviors and the beliefs that you can’t handle the news. As much as you can, watch the news stories as you would any other report.
Start conquering your fears through practice. If you have a flight coming up, begin now to practice exposing yourself to the sensation of flying through images. If you were treated for a phobia in the past, the most likely treatment you had involved exposure therapy. Using a “booster” concept, find time to work through exposures again.
Think differently about flying. After you work on the boosters, practice thinking realistic thoughts that detail the safety of flying. In your earlier treatment, you probably learned to challenge your anxiety provoking ideas—now is the time to redo the way you reconstructed your fearful thoughts in the past. Relearn safety ideas about flying.
Develop mindfulness strategies. Possibly, you learned to manage physical arousal through staying in the present or using relaxation. Those strategies can be used now, while watching a news story or visiting an airport. If you are on a plane soon, stay present and control your attention to the present situation--listen to the air from the vents, smell the diet coke you ordered, feel the fabric under your hands on the seat.
Do “real-life” exposure. Go to the airport, and watch the planes take off and land. Keep yourself concentrating on the planes, and be sure your not drifting off in your thinking. Stay with the exposure until you feel the anxiety go away.
The tragedy in Europe is horrific and we all have our hearts go out to the vicitms and their families and loved ones. There are no words to express the sorrow we all feel. However, as life goes on and we cope with this terrible event, many folks must cope with having to fly and the possible return of their fear of being in a plane.
Flying anxiety can be re-triggered by things like the crash in Europe. The trick is to build new learning that inhibits the fearfulness from taking hold again. By working on booster strategies, refusing to avoid triggers, and actively working on building safety-beliefs, you can conquer the fear of flying even in this kind of situation.
Of course, you might better be served by returning to therapy. If so, be sure to consult a psychologist with expertise in evidence-based treatments. For example, behavioral psychologists who do exposure therapy know well-documented treatments to give you control back over your flying phobia.
If you have questions about exposure therapy, here is another blog I wrote on the topic. You might also find this YouTube video on exposure therapy of phobias useful. YouTube on Exposure Finally, Division 12 of the APA has a great resource about treating anxiety and phobias and on exposure therapy.
