Fear of Flying ... Hypno or Course?

[house your seagull]

Anyone got any experience of either flying phobia hypnotherapy or one of those courses at the airport?

 

[Postman Pat]

Virgin Atlantic's course has a 98% success factor.

Virgin Atlantic helps with your Fear of Flying

Not cheap, but it does provide after course support.

I haven't done the course so couldn't tell you if it is any good.

 

[peterward]

Anyone got any experience of either flying phobia hypnotherapy or one of those courses at the airport?

I have actually conducted them a few times!! Spend half my life in the air or teaching in a simulator. If its for you, PM, I'd be happy to help, and/or meet/send you some stuff.

Here's a boring stat for you.... with the amount of people flying everyday around the world and the amount of people who die in commercial aircraft accidents, if you were to constantly get on random aircraft 24/7 365 days a year, it would take 20,000 years for you to become part of the stats. Even less so in Europe where safety standards are far higher than say Africa or Russia.

That said, even a small incident is all over the front pages which creates fear, I have a much greater chance of leaving this world driving to or from work than I do at work. And I do it daily and have done for years.

That probably may not help!, but some other things, like understanding turbulence and other common events that give rise to flying phobias, and even your own natural protective instincts often do.

 

[vegster]

Walk ?

 

[cyanide-sid]

VALIUM and lots of it with about 4 pints.

 

[Arkwright]

Captain Keith Godfrey (an ex BA piolt) runs courses near to Alton, Hampshire. He also has books, CD's and DVD's

Help for Fear of Flying from Flying without Fear

He is also a good bloke.

 

[Durlston]

40mg of Valium and a few vodka's helped me as I'm not that keen on flying.

 

[vegster]

VALIUM and lots of it with about 4 pints.

Only if you want to be frogmarched off a plane at gunpoint by trigger happy ex-communists.....

 

[cyanide-sid]

Only if you want to be frogmarched off a plane at gunpoint by trigger happy ex-communists.....

Thanks for bringing that up. Miscalculation on the Valium front................................
.
.
.
.
Oh and the booze front as well to be honest.

 

[otk]

I usually ask for a seat near the back of the plane, going on the notion that it is unlikely to reverse into a mountain

 

[Gully]

I have always believed that fear of flying increased the longer it took for the person to get airborne for the first time. Most people I know who hate flying waited until their 20's before taking their first trip, by which age their rationale seems to have built up the risk factor to an unreasonable level. Whereas those who first flew when they were really young just regard it in the same way as travelling by car, bus or train. Modern maintenance programmes ensure that aircraft, particularly in Europe/N America, are maintained to a really high level, you are far more likely to be killed by a motor vehicle with dodgy brakes than a mechanical error on an aircraft.

 

[Gully]

I usually ask for a seat near the back of the plane, going on the notion that it is unlikely to reverse into a mountain

I always put on the lifejacket if the flight is going over a large expanse of water. Whenever a plane crashes into the sea the first thing they seem to find is lifejackets, I reckon that my chances of survival will be increased if I am already attached to one!

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I blame my fear of flying on the above series of films from the 70s.

I stupidly and religiously watched then as a child.

Have only flown three times in my life and one of those I dont count as was to Glasgow and was totally pissed.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

I really like flying meself. That said, I do have a fear of the 'plane I'm on crashing...

 

[otk]

I always put on the lifejacket if the flight is going over a large expanse of water. Whenever a plane crashes into the sea the first thing they seem to find is lifejackets, I reckon that my chances of survival will be increased if I am already attached to one!

I'd like to be strapped to a seat made out of the stuff they make the black boxes out of, as they ALWAYS survive

 

[Phat Baz 68]

Face your fear go on a course mate its the only way !!!!!! I DID !!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Just ask for a seat closest to the black box - that ALWAYS survives ....

Was boarding a plane a few years back and a stunning stewardess was greeting passengers and directing them to their seats. A bunch of jack-the-lads just in front of me thought they would try a chat-up line:
"Ere darlin, do this planes crash often?"
[instant reply]
"No sir, once they've crashed they rarely fly again."

Similar situation, with first officer also in ear shot.
Lad: "Is this plane safe?"
FO: "Young man, a plane is a carpenter's tool and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. However, this is an AIRCRAFT and in my hands is very safe."

Concur with an earlier stat, when I was working for the Safety Regulatio Group of the CAA at Gatwick we did an early induction on fatilities due to commerical flying accidents. I forget the exact figure, but it was several MILLION miles I would have to fly before I would statitistcally come a cropper - and if it were to happen, it would unlikley to be a slow and painful death.

 

[sydney]

never used to worry about flying until i saw wilson or whatever that f*** of a film is called .......now i'm a serious tranq flier.

 

[METALMICKY]

My wife and Mother in Law did the Virgin course at GATWICK and it did bigger all and they didn't even go on the little flight. I am sure it works for many if you go with a positive mindset but I suspect they didn't.

The end result is now a real ordeal involving juggling of drugs and even that is not foolproof. We managed New York a few years back and whatever she took worked beautifully and she was just a little hyper. However, jump forward a few years and throw in a new GP and a short flight to Europe was nightmare with her in tears most of the flight.

It seems that many GP's can't agree on the same drug approach and then you need to be wary because the Airlines are naturally wary of letting anyone on a plane who looks obviously zonked out.

Any sensible suggestions, perhaps from experience, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[happypig]

Even if the aircraft you're on crashes, which is very unlikely, chances are you will walk away.

As a suggestion, what about chartering a little aircraft for a private flight from Shoreham ? I went up with a bloke from work a few years ago and it's totally different to the big holiday jobbies, no real turbulence, rather wallowy (but in a nice way). Doing that, you'd have the option at any time to can it and land.