agoraphobia and flying?

[samina]

Agoraphobic for 14 years and have been fighting it since then.i had major setbacks this past month.i havent flown for the past 15 years due to fear and now my brother has organised a one hour flight trip!!! Initially i was all ready to go aheadvand conquer this fear but as the day comes closer am getting very uneasy and restless . especially after the setback....
How should i stop the fear?

[Phill2]

Fear had stopped me flying for 20 yrs then one day I just said stuff it and got on a plane.
Been flying ever since.
Sure beats driving.

[eternally optimistic]

Hi, are you able to take a dose of diazepam?

I had a spell of not flying for similar issues and, this so far, hasn't failed me.

J

[panicface]

you have to define what your fear is.. is it being trapped in the plane once the door is closed? or away from medical help, or home? maybe how unnatural it is to be 35k feet in the air with certain (scary) death all around you, or movies of crashes, or turbulence.

for me - i repeat the mantra: 'this is uncomfortable but it is not unsafe'

i also take a xanax - it ruins the first day of my trip but i do it. i start with .25 about an hour before i take taxi to airport (if in a hotel), preferably before i start packing as that is a stress builder.. normally by the time i get to airport and into security i'm pretty numb and feeling nothing but sleepy. If i'm leaving from home - i will pack at least 4 or 5 days in advance (i keep duplicates of everything i need).. this is enough time to get it done but it's not real yet.. not upsetting.

if i still have anxiety at airport then i'll take a quarter of a .50 - essentially i knock myself out for the flight. the older i get the more i realize that this type of stress is just not healthy on our bodies. i'll take the benzo hangover any-day over sitting with death as my seat-mate for hours along with palps and fast HR.

[alexbro]

Yeah I kind of need to know the CBT steps to desensitizing myself to flying. In the workbook I have, it teaches a breathing technique that is supposed to allow you to get through anxiety provoking situations without having a panic attack. I've been practicing it, with intermittent success. I just need to get totally desensitized to flying again and I will be doing good.

Unfortunately, my CBT workbook discourages highly: alcohol, any type of distraction, or any type of safety items (having a bottle of benzos handy). It wants me to focus on the symptoms I am having, and to stop the negative thought process. But flying is an all or nothing situation. Once you get on that plane and the door shuts, you're just along for the ride.

So help me add to this list:

1) Diaphramatic breathing.
2) Interrupting negative thought patterns (these physical symptoms are not harmful, its just my bodies natural response to stress).
3) Caffeine avoidance, avoidance of alcohol the night before (neurotransmitter rebound).
4) Taking Magnesium and Zinc before the flight.
5) Taking my normal medications- Klonopin and Vistaril.