Tim Maude Hypnotherapy

Tag: #FearOfFlying

  • Petrified When Flying? Hypnotherapy Can Help

    Petrified When Flying? Hypnotherapy Can Help

    In the last few days there has been a horrendous incident where a plane collided with a fire-fighting vehicle at LaGuardia Airport New York. This is an isolated incident, but it can only heighten the anxiety of people planning to fly in the coming weeks.

    Fear of Flying and its Consequences

    There are many people who experience anxiety when flying or when they are about to take a flight. This can range from mild nervousness to full blown panic attacks or anywhere in between.

    For people who are expected to fly for work, this can be a real problem. The anxiety that is generated by the flight can only inhibit their ability to do their job of work properly while they are away.

    For those who simply want a holiday in the sun once a year, this fear can ruin the anticipation of a good holiday, and ruin the holiday because of worry about the flight back.

    How Hypnotherapy Helps With Fear of Flying

    Hypnotherapy helps by tackling the primitive parts of the brain that is generating the fear. The people I have helped get over a fear of flying fit broadly into three categories:

    • People who have had a bad experience of flying in the past.
    • People who are always anxious when they fly, but for no apparent reason.
    • People who have never flown and have anxiety over taking their first flight.

    Each of these people have anxiety thinking about flying as well as being on the flight itself. Hypnotherapy allows them to calm down that part of the brain that generates the anxiety.

    One client, who had a particular fear of the take-off and turbulence called me up after his trip. He said that on the return flight, they took off in the midst of a violent thunderstorm, so that as the plane left the ground they were already in massive turbulence. “I actually quite enjoyed it.” He told me.

    Hypnotherapy works best shortly before the flight itself. I usually start to see people about two or three weeks before their flight.

    Other Options

    Although I would highly recommend hypnotherapy, you should be aware that other options are available.

    • Self medication – Some people take over-the-counter medication to keep them calm or drowsy for the flight.
    • Prescribed medication – Drugs to calm you are available from your doctor if the symptoms are bad enough.
    • Fear of flying courses are available from many airlines.
    • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is available from the NHS provided your symptoms are bad enough.

    I am aware of people who self-medicate with a lot of alcohol. Personally, I would not recommend this option.

    Ask Me About the Hypnotherapy Option

    If you want to enquire further about hypnotherapy as an option to help with your fear of flying, Contact Me on the form below and I will get back to you to arrange for a free 15 minute consultation. Then, if you want to book in, I can arrange that too.

    I work out of my clinic in Fleet, Hampshire, and also work online.

    References

    LaGuardia Air Crash


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c620w12y59

    Photo by Kelly on Pexels

  • Fly Anxiety

    Fly Anxiety

    Those holidays are on their way! As lockdown ends and travel restrictions are eased, many people will be looking forward to taking their first holiday abroad for a few years. As the sun and the sea and the good food beckon you, some of you may find your self developing anxiety about the flight.

    You are not alone. Around one in three people develop some form of anxiety when they fly. Most of them can manage a small bit of anxiety by themselves – either they put up with it or maybe have a drink or two to take the edge off it. But there are a small percentage of people for whom the anxiety is really bad.

    Flying is actually one of the safest forms of transport. You are more likely to crash while driving to the airport than crashing in the airplane. But this does not stop a lot of people getting nervous about the flight.

    33% to 40%People who have some anxiety about flying
    2.5% to 5%People who have a crippling anxiety about flying
    1 in 3.37 billionThe chances of actually getting killed in an aircraft crash
    Fear of Flying in Numbers

    Why do people fear flying, even when it is so safe?

    The fear comes from that subconscious part of the brain that controls your fight-flight-or-freeze response. That part of your brain is not particularly clever, and once it gets an idea – it tends to stick with it – even if it is wrong. So it’s no good telling yourself that flying is safe – the fight-flight-or-freeze part of the brain doesn’t listen – it just goes ahead and makes you afraid anyway.

    Where does a fear of flying come from?

    For every person with Aerophobia, it is different. Some people just overthink it, for some it is the lack of control, and for others it is a bad experience of flying in the past. Where it comes from actually doesn’t matter – it’s what you do about it that counts.

    What can you do about a fear of flying?

    Some people just put up with it. If the anxiety levels are relatively low, they just sit tight and maybe have a drink or two, or take some over-the-counter medication. If you don’t want to do that, some form of therapy can help.

    Many forms of therapy use “graded exposure” to help sort out phobias. This gradually introduces you to the source of your fear in small steps at first, exposing you to small parts of your fear, and then, as the fear reduces, expose you to a bit more. This is more complex with flying – because you cannot “fly a small amount” at the start of the process.

    How does Hypnotherapy deal with a fear of flying?

    Hypnotherapy uses a very different approach. Hypnotherapy recognises that a fear of flying starts with the fight-flight-or-freeze part of the brain. You are not aware of your response until the fear and anxiety hits you. This fear has somehow been programmed into your brain, and you need to “unprogramme” it. So the hypnotherapy starts with a process of scrambling your response to flying – in order to “unprogramme” it. Hypnotherapy then goes on to “reprogramme” the brain so that it can remain calm before and during the flight.

    I like to tackle fear of flying in two sessions. The first is a week or two before the flight (to “unprogramme” the brain). The second is a few days before the flight (to “reprograme” the brain). In between the two sessions (and also for the flight itself if they want), my clients listen to a hypnosis audio that helps embed the changes into the unconscious part of their brain.