fear of flying

[lonely]

ok my sister i think is getting married next year, yet to be confirmed maybe september, she lives in greece, the main problem is the whole family invited over there for wedding but im petrified of flying through previous flights that have made me much worse then when i was just scared of flying especially the last plane ii ever went on a few years ago :scared15: im absolutely scared of flying my passport has run out i hadnt renewed it as i never fancied going abroad again and putting myself through the fear of being on a plane, im scared of it taking off incase it doesn't get up, im scared when its up there i have to keep checking its not tipping up or falling down, listening to engines making sure it sounds ok and landing thinking what if we hit a mountain or land in sea or if it crashes, this may sound silly to some people but i dont know how im going to cope, not only with going but as soon as i get off plane id worry for week or so after about having to get back on and go home and go through it all other again :weep:

[Angelai]

Hi, Lonely

How are you on trains and boats? Have a look here -
http://www.seat61.com/Greece.htm

If you have enough time, this could be a wonderful adventure for you xxx

[Mistral]

Hi Lonely

Totally understand how you feel, I gave up flyng for about 10 years after being a great traveller. Last year I went on a fear of flyng course with Virgin Atlantic, and I would highly recommend it. There were 70 of us on the course and if you could have bottled the fear in the room before the course, you could have sold it to some terrorist for a small fortune. It culminated with us taking a one hour flight around Manchester and only one person refused to get on the plane. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could have quite happily stayed onboard for hours.

Unfortunately it is quite expensive (around £200) but to get you flying again it is priceless. Check out their web site.

http://www.flyingwithoutfear.info

Best wishes
Mistral X

[Anxious_gal]

I'm terrified of flying but on the plane i manage to keep all my panic in my head, as in no one would be able to tell i'm freaking out.
sedatives help me relax but if the plane shakes it scares me so bad.
i'm looking around and everyone else looks calm!
could you try a few short flights?
the worst part is once your on the plane you cannot get off!
but bring some music on your mp3 player, music really helps me alot.
rock music for some reason makes me feel more confident when i'm in a plane, lol
bring a hand held came too! like the DS,

[neelam30]

i totally feel for you!!!when i was younger i was fine with flying then i went on a really long flight when i was sick and that put me off for 10 years. i thought after marriage i would feel safe to go with my husband so we flew to spain for our honeymoon. the flight there was fine but i worked myself up so badly about the flight back that i was hysterical for half of the holiday (not great for a honeymoon!)
when i got back i decided to avoiid flying. my sister got married and half the party was set in india. i could not go despite my entire family going.i really felt bad but could not face the flight.
so for the last 2 years i go everywhere on eurostar!which is fine. however i went on a fear of flying course in march b4 my anxiety issues started. it was great, and i managed to sit through the whol flight at the end, despite being the only one without family or freinds accompanying them. however after the euphoria died i decided it was easier to just avoud flying again.
then last month my family and husband decided to go to italy for a holiday. i didnt want to let them down and somehow forced myself on. i had to take some sedatives but they didnt knock me out despite taking a huge dose, but really calmed me down. i was fine on the flight there and back, though the day b4 flying i was hugely anxious.
howver i do feel less scared of flying now, which is amazing as i was petrified before. i wish i had gone on the india trip as it just took a holiday with all my loved ones to get me over the fear, they will support you loads. hence i would say try to go to greece, its the best time when everyone else is going too. i honestly beleive flying is very very safe, its just my anxiety that scared me like how i would react on the plane. short term use of drugs is safe and fine, speak to your gp if that would help. its actually quite peaceful up there in the air0but maybe thats the drugs talking!!!:)

[hollygirl]

I have not been on it but know of two people who have done the fear of flying course Mistral mentions and thought it was brilliant. I am terrified of flying - before I got ill with panic and agoraphobia it was my only real fear and the only time in my life I would ever feel scared.

I can still remember now how intense my fear used to be when it took off. I used to have a massive glass of wine straight before just to get on board. But then one year my friend worked for BA and he offered to get me and my husband cheap flights to Miami. I was crapping it but when we got to the airport we were upgraded to club class and it was amazing. Little bags with gorgeous treats in and lovely food, Champagne - movies on demand - the works. And lots more room. I cant afford to do it myself cause it costs about 3 grand. But what I did when I flew after that was to upgrade to those sort of 'posh economy' things as there is more room - which helps with anxiety - (and it often costs about 70 pounds so not cheap but for more room...) and I would take some magazines, some nice aromatherapy rolling stuff, face spritzer etc etc. That way it felt more of a 'treat'. I still was so scared at take off but the actual in the air bit I was ok.

Now I am ill with severe panic I am so bad I cant even get on a bus but I am trying to overcome it slowly - and I am determined one day to get back on a plane - it is my final goal.

Good luck with it.
Holly,
x

[bluegirl09]

i can understand i too am scared of being up in a plane i think you like me and others we work ourselves up soo that maybe its more terryfying than it actually is - visit the gp he can give you some temezipam 10mg to calm you down its a mild sedative i took this in june had no side effects had a lovely flight and am going too turkey in 9 weeks and taking it again it just takes the edge off and chills you right out for about 8 hours -good luck :)

[missgalbraith]

hey. im flying to greece tonight from manchester and im really terrified. im only going with my sister which is making it worse for me.

my doctor has prescribed me 2mg diazepam but im wrestling with my head as to wether i should just drink alcohol tonight instead and hope it relexes me??

can anyone offer any advice? to be honest, for me the terrifying part is the take off, i just sit there and cry. i dont get hysterical or anything, just so worried the butterflies in my tummy go into overdrive!

can anyone give me any advice on their experience with 2mg?

thank you

sarah

[Heavens To Betsy]

Could you get your Doctor to prescribe you something for the flight?

[Gregor]

The thing a couple of you mentioned about the Fear Of Flying courses interests me. I didn't know they did that. That's a really good idea.

Anyway, just over a month ago, i came back on a total 18 hours flight from Peru (split on two planes).

I was remarkably calm throughout and was very proud of myself. One thing which was incredible was this... i purposely asked for a window seat (just so i could rest against the side), but for a long time i didnt dare look out the window. I thought it would set off a panic attack. Then, after a while i decided to have a quick peek and, when i did, the view was amazing. I could see all the clouds and it looked like a dream. The thing was, i realised that, for all my fear, i had been missing out on such a wonderful view.

The key to enjoying your flight i think is just to relax and accept. My worst moments were taking off and landing. You can't imagine how much i was tensing up as we were descending - my hands were sweating really bad, i was pretty scared. Then, without even realising it, we landed - it was a nothing thing.

When you're up there flying, just accept the fact you can't get off even if you panic, there's no point fighting it. I guess that's true in everything we do in life - i wish i could implement that in my everyday life though!

Gregor

[clarebear]

I don't do well with flying but I go for family sake.Doctor gives me 10mg diazepam to take,can he give you higher dose too?seems to work for me.

[justbananas]

i was able to get over this with exposure and time. but you must be open to dealing with the exposure to your fear, as painful as it may seem. i had an extreme flying phobia. i have flown all my life, and regularly, but one day on a flight from new york just after 9/11, i was on a plane where they had air marshalls and the cockpit and front bathroom doors were barricaded sort of by these scary looking makeshift metal bars. basically the new reinforced cockpit doors they use on planes now took awhile to roll out and since i flew just days after the attacks, they were still in preliminary stages, everyone was on edge, stewardesses wanted everyone in their seats, and the plane felt like a sort of militant situation with everyone staring each other down and was absolute 3 hours of hell. not to mention extreme turbulence as well.

needless to say i walked off that flight shell shocked but thought nothing of it - however the next time i got on a plane a few weeks later i had extreme panic and thus was born my fear of flying. i could not control it, talk about it, rationalize it.. it just was. at one point my parents dropped me off at the airport in chicago after the holidays and i was so scared of flying alone i actually walked over to the rental car booth and ended up driving by myself from chicago to new york, over 15 hours straight. at this point finally i was like, ok enough.

i made myself get on a flight, and instead of LETTING myself fall into the usual panic routine - because i had a pattern and you'll notice yours if you pay attention (breathe heavily, ask my boyfriend to lean on my face so i couldn't see while we were taking off, pacing nervously, gulping pills) - i forced myself to sit there and act normal, even though i felt far from it. i made myself read a magazine, which i never thought i'd ever do again on a plane.. and i did not digest one word of it nor did i enjoy it, but going through the motions of what felt 'normal' while flying caused me to panic less.

i still felt absolutely sick but i tried to appear outwardly composed. i did this again on another flight, this time alone, and again, and again. each time it got -slightly- less scary and over time faded. nowadays although i might occasionally get a familiar twinge or stomach turn while taking off, i hardly notice it at all. in fact, i'm shocked by my own progress. i get on planes now with my bottle of water and my magazine and ipod and chashmere blankie and lean back in my seat listening to music, reading, talking .. i don't even notice anything really anymore. i even fall asleep like a regular actual person!

i also used to not sleep for days prior to a flight but now i look forward to them. it's a chance to relax for a few hours with no one or no work bugging me (unless creepy dudes sit next to me and try to talk) and i really can say i don't just tolerate it - i enjoy it. it took time but not that much, as long as you keep up with the exposure and have faith in yourself. i know how hard it is to understand the concept of even feeling remotely comfortable but it CAN be done. sometimes you just have to decide to take action, put your fear in one corner, and try to have some consistent, repeat exposure. the drugs and drinking and relaxation and all of that was just ups and downs for me in a bigger picture. the only way for me was to simply keep flying, as much as i wanted to just find trains everywhere! i promise, it can be done.

[justbananas]

and yes as gregor said, i realized that i'd been missing out on some fun and a great view while flying. the whole time i spent covering my head, pacing the aisle, and yelling at my bf not to listen to his ipod because the radio signals might bring the plane down ( :wacko: ) .. i was missing out on a ton!

recently i flew to las vegas and watching the desert formations and terrain change over the various parts of the flight was awesome. i took all of these beautiful pictures with my phone, it was really relaxing and cool to be so high up watching so many miles and time zones pass beneath me. and as we were landing just off of the vegas strip at sundown, seeing the city lights and the backdrop of the mountains.. i was like holy S i have been so lame these past few years missing out on what is actually a pretty cool event, if you think about it.

as a coworker once said to me (and i'll never forget it) when i mentioned my fear of flying .. she was like 'but it's such a neat phenomenon, cities and countries being bridged by that technology and being fortunate enough to travel from place to place and wake up in a different part of the world after a few hours.. you shouldn't be afraid of that!' and ok i wanted to punch her at the time but looking back.. i get what she meant ..

[NoPoet]

You should listen to Justbananas, "she know what she doing". I sometimes think she owns her own plane - she travels a lot.

My cousin's husband was completely cured of his fear of flying in 2 hypnotherapy sessions. That's what prompted me to look into hypnotherapy as a cure for anxiety.

[justbananas]

a PJ? no i don't have my own PJ but i'm hoping to marry someone who does .. if anyone's reading this out there !!!!!!!!!!!!

seriously though, i think hypno would help too.

[Polar Bear]

Just wanted to tell you about my latest experience of flying. My first ever long haul flights. we flew london to Cape Town (11 hours), CT to Johannesburg (2 hours), Jo'burg to Seychelles (5 hours) and Seychelles to London via Frankfurt (10 and 1 1/4 hours with an hours break at Frankfurt.

I used to be unable to fly and didn't do it for 26 years. then he 2004 i had to do it and managed to complete the ordeal but was absolutely terrified.

since then i have made several flights. I find take offs and landings the worse but am ok otherwise until any slight turbulence is encountered. Anyway this last journey was undertaken having been on Citalopram for the last 6 months and feeling a lot better generally. I asked my doctor for some Diazapam just in case i needed them and did take them just before takeoff.

The outcome has been a much easier flight for me. Take off i still hate (and that's an understatement) but the turbulence ddn't worry me anywhere near as much as before. Some of these flights were overnight and i was so tired this helped but I did feel better.

I can start to relate to justbananas and it becoming easier. For all those years I just couldn't face flying and missed out on seeing much of the world. I will no longer do that. South Africa was stunning as was the Seychelles, it was a wonderful experience. I want to see more of the world and its people. I hope you all can too!

[Thumbelina]

hi guys

Just flew back last night from a 3 days trip - but feeel absolutely and totally of place - i had panic attacks 3 days prior to the jorney and didnt not enjoy the outings with the family much as was in a constant state of anxiety for 3 days.

Yesterday cried all night because of it and today my head feels totally loopy, light and loose.

I really hope its all due to the stress, anxiety and apprehension. But it also definately has to do with the flying. This is the big one for me and i wish i could avoid it if i could.

Take care

[fallenidol1]

Every time I get into an airliner I totally freak out, I HATE flying with airlines!
As soon as the wheels lift from the ground I have this awful feeling of dread and I just want to get out. It scares me so much that I avoid taking holidays to places that I have to fly to.
On the flip side of this, and some may think this very strange indeed, I am a qualified aerobatic pilot and fly a sponsored Extra 300 stunt plane at airshows around the UK and western Europe. I have no problem pulling the aircraft up into 5G loop and rolling inverted for a flypast yet still I am terrified of flying in commercial airliners.
I've never understood why but the only reason I can imagine is that in my own aircraft, I have a parachute!
There is no logical reason for any fear of flying as it is statistically the safest mode of transportation, in fact, you have more chance being killed by filling your car up with petrol than you do flying in a plane.
Anxiety..... it's a funny old thing!

[kate1]

http://www.flyingwithoutfear.com/

This site is a MUST for anybody with this fear. Its owned and run by a pilot, who has written books and made CD's. He will answer your questions personally, I have found it a tremendous help. Managed to fly to Penang and back with help of this site.