Aerophobia: description, causes and treatment

People quickly and simply solve their problems of moving in space using modern means. In today's world, flying from one place to another is not something special. It is believed that it is convenient and almost does not cause trouble. Few people think that the aircraft can crash. However, there are individuals who categorically refuse to fly, and thoughts of such movement in space cause them panic fear.

This manifestation of the human psyche is not a disease, but only a symptom because aerophobia may indicate the presence of other phobias. For example, fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).

Why is attention to people's fear of air travel attracting more attention than to other fears? Because air travel is necessary for people who want to be in time everywhere. therefore about 15% of the population suffers from varying degrees of aerophobia, and 30% of people around the world are afraid of flying on an airplane. Moreover, uncontrollable fear arises long before boarding the plane.

Phobia is a very pronounced reaction of fear. It worsens under certain conditions, and explaining it in a rational way will not work.When the formation of fear occurs, it gradually captures the individual and develops into a panic. Because of which professional activity suffers, life acquires such sides in which it is difficult to concentrate on well-being. As a result, the imaginary destruction of the world.

The so-called aerophobes cannot afford to travel because of the fear of breaking up, and by and large they cannot live fully. So, this disorder is divided into two types.

• On an ordinary sense of self-preservation. For some people, this feeling is very acute, and therefore there is a fear of flying. As soon as a person begins to get used to frequent flights, his phobia becomes not so strong.
• On a rather pronounced pathology, which rolls over and exceeds all norms. Then we can talk about a growing phobic disorder. People are afraid of flying and fear of flying.

The development of such conditions is facilitated by media stories about various tragic cases involving flights in the sky. All people watch the news, but not everyone has various mental disorders that were laid in the distant past. Only a few individuals have disorders. It is these that lead to fear arising from nowhere.

Flights by plane are very common, so a large number of people suffer from a condition such as aerophobia. The causes are varied and depend on different situations. We list them in order.

• A traumatic event for the human psyche that led to a phobia. Long-term fatigue, stress, or multi-day experiences brought a person to a state where a phobia began to develop.
• Highly impressionable nature can bring its state to such an intensity that it begins to experience a phobia. For example, if an individual constantly monitors events related to tragedies that occurred in the sky. Gradually, his mind paints pictures - one worse than the other. The result will be an obsessive state and a fear of air travel.
• Frequent viewing of realistic films, which describes the terrible scenes of a plane crash. The viewer sees the dying people and their emotions, he involuntarily begins to take this negative upon himself. A strong person, after watching, will forget about what he saw, and a weak person will begin to scroll through tragic minutes again and again in his head. As a result, a person who cannot control his emotions will sooner or later get a phobia.

And besides these reasons, aerophobia can occur if:

• a person is afraid of heights;
• closed rooms cause inexplicable fear in a person;
• the individual is accustomed to controlling the space around him, but nothing depends on him in the airplane during the flight, life can end at any minute due to a pilot error or a breakdown of the aircraft;
• fear of turbulence;
• fear during night-time flights;
• fear that uncontrolled reactions of the body will begin in flight: dizziness, interruptions in the work of the heart, nausea, etc .;
• people are often afraid that terrorists might hijack or blow up an airplane;
• fear that the plane can be injured or start to panic;
• in children, the causes of fear can be different, the most common is when the parents themselves start to panic and “infect” their child with this condition.

Typical symptoms may speak of irrational fear. They begin even when a person is worried about his safety before the flight.The individual mentally imagines the situation: what will happen when the plane crash occurs. The inability to influence the situation in such cases is the main cause of fear.

People with a weakened psyche are panicky afraid of both flights and death during pressure drops. Many of them never flew in an airplane and did not experience the feelings that a frequently flying person experiences. However, they are still afraid, and this fear can be called unfounded. Individuals with anxiety may develop symptoms that are divided into groups.

• Mental: irritability, decreased attention, nightmares, poor sleep, restless state.
• Vegetative: headache in the temporal part of the head, pain behind the sternum, tachycardia, sweating, tremors of the lower and upper extremities, rapid or confusing breathing, discoloration of the skin (becoming brown or pale), rapid urination, reflex trembling, nausea or vomiting.

It must be remembered that symptoms of aerophobia take on the most pronounced character as the flight date approaches. Thoughts about boarding the plane and the idea of ​​the flight itself cause an alarming state that develops into persistent fear. Those who, as a result of such fears, completely refuse to move in space with the help of an aircraft, are called aerobes, since this is the most striking example of symptoms.

You can overcome a panic attack if you really want to. Each aerophobe feels the approach of an attack. therefore you need to immediately begin to calm yourself. First, provide fresh air, open the window. With these actions you will begin to be distracted from the main problem.

Other tips will help: You can take a glass of water and drink it in one gulp. If you experience fear all the time, then keep soothing decoctions on hand. And drink them instead of water. You should always have water or broth available, even when you are leaving home for business. To do this, just bring a bottle of liquid with you in your bag. As soon as anxiety starts and dry mouth appears, you can easily drink a few sips of life-giving moisture.

Drink water slowly. Take very small sips. So you can focus on drinking and distract from fear. These steps will certainly help you deal with the problem. Wherever you are - at home or at work, try to sit down and relax. On the street you can go to the park and relax on the bench. As soon as you find yourself in a sitting position, close your eyes and start thinking that people are walking around, the sun is shining and you are not in danger at the moment.

Overcoming persistent fear will help reading a book. Try to take one for this lesson that has a fun plot. You need to read it carefully and ponder each word.

Women can be advised to clean the apartment. Thorough washing of floors and windows is a great distraction from phobias. In addition, you will do many useful things while you are struggling with an obsessive state.

Anyone who has ever experienced signs of aerophobia knows well that there is always a problem with breathing. Superficial breaths provoke shortness of breath and even suffocation. What do you need to do first? Gather the will into a fist and begin to restore normal breathing.

Try slow down your breathing. To do this, reduce the number of breaths. We take a small breath, hold the air (count to five) and slowly exhale. Such actions should not exceed ten minutes. To maintain proper diaphragmatic breathing, keep your hand in the solar plexus. This part should rise and fall. This is a sign that you are doing everything right. And exercises can be done when you please. They are almost invisible to others.

A temporary increase in carbon dioxide in a person’s blood gives an intoxicating effect. It helps to get rid of fear. In order to achieve this result, use a paper bag. Press it tightly to your lips and start breathing into it. So oxygen almost ceases to enter the lungs, and carbon dioxide does its job. Just get involved in this way is not worth it. If it does not suit you for any reason, then it is better to abandon these exercises. And it’s not worth putting on display your actions if you are a shy person.

Aerophobia can be defeated using various movements. As soon as the feeling of anxiety begins, try to move a little. Take a step or start running. If you are indoors, then start to squat. Moving to music is also possible.

Musical motives of various kinds will become a lifesaver in a situation of panic attack. It is proved that light and laid-back music helps to calm the state of mind. Listen to her at home or with headphones and a phone on the street.

You can upload funny stories or jokes to the gadget and also listen to them during impending anxiety states. At a time when you feel the approach of fear, switch your brain to another wave. Call your girlfriend or friend, talk on abstract topics. This option also helps when you just need to relieve fatigue and get rid of loneliness.

Before turning to a psychologist, you need to know what he will advise you in the first place: start treatment for aerophobia, at the same time stop listening to negative news, continue to fly airplanes, despite the fear, learn to relax, look at life optimistically.

If you contact a psychologist, then he will conduct research and prescribe therapy, which includes certain steps.

• Your condition is on the verge and you have all the signs of very pronounced aerophobia? Then you will be prescribed drugs. Among them may be medicines of various kinds: antidepressants, nootropics, antidepressants (SSRI group), tranquilizers. However, one must remember: self-medication is unacceptable. Without the supervision of a doctor, such serious therapy can lead to sad consequences.
• Corrective therapy (when, in a conversation with the patient, the doctor identifies the causes of aerophobia and eliminates them).
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (psychotherapy) is used.
• The right approach of a highly skilled specialist can combine drug therapy and individual psychotherapy.
• The specialist can recommend rest, complete peace or playing sports.
• Sessions of professional hypnosis will help you get rid of aerophobia and those problems that led to fears.
• The method of neurophysiological rehabilitation, when a person is offered to use biological feedback devices, will also relieve an obsessive state.

You can resist phobia attacks with tablets. However, the absence of such a magic wand at hand at the right time can provoke even greater phobia and even a panic attack.

Of course, if you use the drugs constantly, then they will give a lasting result and help to cure the anxiety state. And if you swallow them only when fear is just beginning to penetrate the subconscious, then this is considered a dubious occupation. As long as the pill is absorbed in the stomach, anxiety can end suddenly in an independent way.

Without particular harm to health, sedatives of plant origin can be used. The effect of them is not so strong, but constant use will contribute to a lasting result. Tinctures of valerian, motherwort will remove excessive irritability. Alcohol solutions act much faster, but there is a risk of alcohol dependence.

The use of benzodiazepines can give a good sedative effect. True, the time for this will take about half an hour. And of course, such drugs can not be used without consulting a doctor.

The following medications are not recommended to be used without a doctor’s prescription: tricyclic antidepressants (the effect occurs after about 2-3 weeks), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (guarantee a minimum of side effects and are taken once a day).

Of course, aerophobia can and should be overcome on its own. Strong-willed individuals practically do not suffer from such an ailment, but they can be subjected to phobias if pressure was exerted on the psyche from outside. For example, a person has experienced very severe stress or constant mental stress does not allow his brain to relax.

In no case can you cure aerophobia with alcohol. So you will not only not get rid of an obsessive state, but will also become addicted to alcohol. Therefore, it is better to act with more effective and less traumatic methods.

If you experience constant anxiety, then you need to go in for sports. Exercise well distracts from negative thoughts and contribute to improving overall well-being. The most effective here is running for long distances.

Panic attacks can be eliminated in other ways. For example, you are walking along the street and suddenly remembered that in three days you should have a flight on an airplane. These thoughts caused an unpleasant feeling, which gradually began to turn into fear. Try to distract from them for a while. Start counting passing cars. Divide them by color quality and count again, now separately. Such simple mathematical operations will allow you to escape from the problem that you created yourself.

Come up with an item that appeals to you. For example, a car. Describe your dream in detail: color, shape, brand.Think over every detail that should be present in this item. Small details and a thorough description will help you concentrate on pleasant things, and anxiety will inevitably recede.

During the onset of a phobia, you need to remember that it happens here and now. You may not remember her tomorrow. Maybe you will be visiting at this time, or maybe you will already land in that beautiful place where you decided to relax.

While at home during an attack, try expressing your thoughts and emotions on paper. As soon as your fears recede, put the scribbled sheet aside. After a while, read what you depicted on paper in a fit of anxiety. Perhaps you will be amused by the fact that you created the problem out of the blue.

Phobias can be eliminated with pain. A phobia is an immersion in your fantasies that are negative. To get out of this state will help a simple gum. Put it on your wrist, and as soon as you feel a surge of panic, pull the elastic and let it gently pat on your skin. An unpleasant feeling from the outside will switch your consciousness to a specific problem associated with some pain and distract you from obsessive thoughts.

Breathing exercises help to distract from the negative. To do this, take a deep breath, hold your breath a little and then exhale slowly. Do such manipulations until your panic disappears completely. So you can saturate the lungs with oxygen and even help your heart to change to a calmer rhythm and give your mind time to completely restore calm. Overcome yourself and you will overcome your fear.

The fight against phobia should not stop even when you want to relax. Spend this time to good use. Relaxation and auto-training will only help improve your state of mind. At this time, you can reassess your mood and possibly push your fears aside.

On how to overcome the fear of flying on airplanes, see the next video.