Capt. Tom Bunn, a pilot and licensed therapist, has seen some serious cases of aviophobia, or fear of flying. One client, after disturbing other passengers with her moans and gasps during a flight, was told by the pilot that she “needed to get help.” Another, who hated flying but thought she could handle an amusement park ride, panicked as a Ferris wheel slowly climbed higher and higher, and had to be prevented from leaping out by her family.
Approximately 10 percent of the population suffers from a clinical phobia of flying, according to Libby Tannenbaum, a licensed clinical psychologist. Surprisingly, most psychologists and therapists who treat the phobia don’t report an increase since 9/11. “Some patients will say they’re more nervous about terrorism, but it hasn’t necessarily increased or de creased their fear of flying,” said Tannenbaum. “Patients sometimes say they actually feel safer with all the added security in airports.”
Some aviophobes prefer to self-medicate, popping Xanax or drinking several glasses of wine to get through a flight. But for those who can’t even get on a plane, the effects can be devastating. “If it’s keeping you from taking a new job or a promotion or visiting loved ones, then you should know that there’s treatment that can produce more longer-lasting, positive benefits than medication or alcohol,” said Page Anderson, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgia State University.
The gold standard for treatment of fear of flying is exposure therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that entails facing one’s fear in a therapeutic manner with repeated exposure that’s both controlled and prolonged. At Virtually Better, a Decatur, Ga.-based company that develops virtual reality environments and has an on-site clinic, clients with a fear of flying are first taught anxiety management techniques to handle the effects of a panic attack. In the second phase of treatment, they wear a headset that places them in a computer-generated, three-dimensional world, like the inside of an airplane or the waiting area at an airport gate. The patient sits on a chair similar to an airplane seat, complete with seat belt, which is atop a raised platform that vibrates just like a commercial airliner.
While the therapist speaks to him or her through a headset, the patient receives the same kinesthetic clues as on a real airline flight, including hearing the engine rev up, watching the ground fall away during takeoff, and traveling through turbulence and storms. “The whole premise is the patient has to feel it to heal it,” said Tannenbaum, who is part of the on-site staff at the clinic. “If you avoid anxiety, you never conquer it. But if you confront it and learn you can cope with it, by breaking it down step by step, then you can be back in the real world.”
Most patients take only eight to 12 sessions to significantly reduce their anxiety and fear, an amount of time comparable to those who get counseling and then fly with a therapist on a plane. But the advantages of virtual reality exposure are enormous: You don’t have to pay the cost of a plane ticket (for yourself or your therapist), and the therapy is highly adaptable. For example, if a patient has a particular problem staying calm during landings, the therapist can gently lead them through several landings in a row.
Bunn founded his fear-of-flying company, SOAR, in 1982. A pilot with 30 years’ experience, Bunn went to graduate school to become a licensed therapist and eventually developed an Internet-based course for aviophobes. For Bunn, the key to overcoming the phobia is to link stressful situations that occur while flying with memories that are particularly positive.
“You want to train the amygdala in the brain, which decides whether or not stress hormones are required in a certain situation, to regard the flight situation with the same reaction as nursing your child or saying your wedding vows,” said Bunn. “Whatever you tell it to believe, it will believe. It’s only the size of an almond.”
Bunn’s course includes several exercises designed to eliminate or decrease the stress of flying and offers detailed videos explaining the inner workings of a plane, including emergency systems, warning systems and procedures in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. The course includes a phone session with Bunn as well as a weekly group-counseling phone session.
Experts emphasize that having a fear of flying is no reason to be ashamed or suffer needlessly. “If you find that the fear of flying is having an impact on your life,” said Anderson, “you should know that there is treatment out there that’s both effective and short-term.”
Approximately 10 percent of the population suffers from a clinical phobia of flying, according to Libby Tannenbaum, a licensed clinical psychologist. Surprisingly, most psychologists and therapists who treat the phobia don’t report an increase since 9/11. “Some patients will say they’re more nervous about terrorism, but it hasn’t necessarily increased or de creased their fear of flying,” said Tannenbaum. “Patients sometimes say they actually feel safer with all the added security in airports.”
Some aviophobes prefer to self-medicate, popping Xanax or drinking several glasses of wine to get through a flight. But for those who can’t even get on a plane, the effects can be devastating. “If it’s keeping you from taking a new job or a promotion or visiting loved ones, then you should know that there’s treatment that can produce more longer-lasting, positive benefits than medication or alcohol,” said Page Anderson, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Georgia State University.
The gold standard for treatment of fear of flying is exposure therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that entails facing one’s fear in a therapeutic manner with repeated exposure that’s both controlled and prolonged. At Virtually Better, a Decatur, Ga.-based company that develops virtual reality environments and has an on-site clinic, clients with a fear of flying are first taught anxiety management techniques to handle the effects of a panic attack. In the second phase of treatment, they wear a headset that places them in a computer-generated, three-dimensional world, like the inside of an airplane or the waiting area at an airport gate. The patient sits on a chair similar to an airplane seat, complete with seat belt, which is atop a raised platform that vibrates just like a commercial airliner.
While the therapist speaks to him or her through a headset, the patient receives the same kinesthetic clues as on a real airline flight, including hearing the engine rev up, watching the ground fall away during takeoff, and traveling through turbulence and storms. “The whole premise is the patient has to feel it to heal it,” said Tannenbaum, who is part of the on-site staff at the clinic. “If you avoid anxiety, you never conquer it. But if you confront it and learn you can cope with it, by breaking it down step by step, then you can be back in the real world.”
Most patients take only eight to 12 sessions to significantly reduce their anxiety and fear, an amount of time comparable to those who get counseling and then fly with a therapist on a plane. But the advantages of virtual reality exposure are enormous: You don’t have to pay the cost of a plane ticket (for yourself or your therapist), and the therapy is highly adaptable. For example, if a patient has a particular problem staying calm during landings, the therapist can gently lead them through several landings in a row.
Bunn founded his fear-of-flying company, SOAR, in 1982. A pilot with 30 years’ experience, Bunn went to graduate school to become a licensed therapist and eventually developed an Internet-based course for aviophobes. For Bunn, the key to overcoming the phobia is to link stressful situations that occur while flying with memories that are particularly positive.
“You want to train the amygdala in the brain, which decides whether or not stress hormones are required in a certain situation, to regard the flight situation with the same reaction as nursing your child or saying your wedding vows,” said Bunn. “Whatever you tell it to believe, it will believe. It’s only the size of an almond.”
Bunn’s course includes several exercises designed to eliminate or decrease the stress of flying and offers detailed videos explaining the inner workings of a plane, including emergency systems, warning systems and procedures in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. The course includes a phone session with Bunn as well as a weekly group-counseling phone session.
Experts emphasize that having a fear of flying is no reason to be ashamed or suffer needlessly. “If you find that the fear of flying is having an impact on your life,” said Anderson, “you should know that there is treatment out there that’s both effective and short-term.”
