As Novye Izvestia notes, overall the results obtained do not differ much from the data of other sociological studies. According to world statistics, every fourth airplane passenger feels extremely insecure during the flight. In psychology, the fear of airspace is called aerophobia. According to experts, getting rid of it is sometimes difficult, but quite possible.
Fear or phobia?
Psychologists claim: there is a difference between aerophobia and natural fear of flying. It lies primarily in the intensity of experiences. After all, fear is a normal physiological reaction of the body, a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation. In a natural situation, a person is able to distract themselves from their experiences, get rid of fear and aerophobia independently, without psychological training. And, most importantly, not to refuse flights.
Real phobias, however, are much rarer, but dealing with them is more difficult – only a qualified specialist can help people who are panic-stricken about flying. 'A phobia manifests itself as a panic attack,' says psychologist Boris Kuznetsov. 'A person stops controlling their behavior and emotions within seconds. Their heart rate increases, anxiety appears, sweating intensifies, often the face turns red. And at the last moment, the future passenger may refuse the flight, even if it creates serious problems for them.' Such a person would rather lose their job than ever fly on a business trip. Or they would refuse a vacation even if they won a tour in a lottery. In this case, we can already talk about a serious mental disorder that needs treatment.
We are afraid of panicking
According to experts, the main cause of fear of flying is instinctive. 'Our nervous system initially has a negative attitude – after all, humans are psychologically not designed for moving through the air,' said psychologist Oleg Kurakin. 'Fear associated with air travel is a reaction to unnatural conditions. People have to adapt, so overcoming fear is not always easy.'
Often, aerophobia worsens against a background of depression and fatigue. It is not surprising that it is most often observed in businessmen who are in a state of constant stress. As a result, they develop unfounded instinctive fears.
The motives of aerophobia also vary. For some, it is primarily the fear of a disaster due to technical failures or natural disasters. Others, on the contrary, fear that something will happen to their health during the flight – for example, a heart attack or stroke triggered by pressure changes. And since there is no way out of the enclosed space and emergency medical care is difficult, travelers start to panic. 'This is already a type of claustrophobia,' explains Oleg Kurakin. 'Often, fear of flying is linked precisely to the fear of enclosed spaces in unusual conditions. There are even cases where a person fears the very fact of panicking and losing control over themselves.'
A pill for fear
In modern psychotherapy, there are many medicinal and non-medicinal methods of treating aerophobia. However, there is no universal remedy; one should not look for a 'magic pill' that will rid a person of panic fear once and for all. Perhaps because of this, many believe that aerophobia is incurable. But in reality, this is not at all the case.
'The main thing is to find and eliminate the cause of the phobia, otherwise we can cure a person of fear of flying, but they will develop new fears,' says psychologist Olga Mezhenina. 'But in any case, there are many recommendations on how to behave on the plane to suppress panic.'
On the eve of the journey, psychologists recommend trying not to think about the flight itself. It is best to distract yourself – for example, read an interesting book or look through a magazine. At the same time, it is useful to eat something tasty. It makes sense to even forget about the diet. It has been scientifically proven that during eating, the body releases positive biologically active substances that calm and prevent the release of the 'fear hormone'. Be sure to get a good night's sleep before the flight – lack of sleep contributes to stress and, consequently, intensifies fears.
When sitting in the airplane seat, it makes sense to direct cool air from the fan towards yourself to minimize possible nausea and dizziness. If panic is approaching, you need to breathe deeply and slowly. If possible, do not wear tight clothing and accessories during the flight. 'Communicating with other people, passengers, helps a lot,' asserts Olga Mezhenina. 'Of course, you need to talk about abstract topics, not related to the flight.'
There is an interesting theory according to which you need to become as familiar as possible with the object of your fear – for example, start collecting images of airplanes on postcards or stamps. This method is especially effective for children suffering from aerophobia. However, this should be done not immediately before departure, but in advance, gradually.
If the above measures seem not very effective, talk to a flight attendant. Representatives of this profession undergo a special course in psychological training and passenger assistance. 'We had one flight attendant who, seeing that a passenger was afraid to fly, would immediately approach him and take his hand,' said Sergei Bykhal, director of public relations at Transaero Airlines. 'That was her trademark way of calming a passenger. However, all our flight attendants undergo a course of psychological training. On airplanes, we try to create a most friendly atmosphere. Because if you constantly tell a person, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," they may become even more frightened. We try to explain the rules of behavior on the plane, safety rules in critical situations. We also explain what turbulence is so that people know and don't fear unnecessarily. In general, we try to make a person feel at home in the air.'
Another well-known way to combat aerophobia on board is the use of alcohol. If there are no medical contraindications, 50 grams of whiskey is unlikely to harm anyone, but even healthy people should not overdo it: during flight the body already experiences increased stress, which is hardly worth intensifying with the effects of large amounts of alcohol.
If the fear of flying is already beginning to interfere with career and personal life, the only way to fix the situation is to consult a professional psychotherapist. 'I have many such patients in my practice,' said Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the Center for Legal and Psychological Assistance. 'The course of treatment usually consists of three to five, maximum ten therapy sessions, provided mandatory medication treatment. The person comes to the psychologist twice a week and simultaneously takes antidepressants, tranquilizers, and nootropics. After that, the fear of flying goes away.' Mikhail Vinogradov has a negative attitude towards such methods of treating aerophobia as hypnosis. In his opinion, intervention in deep unconscious processes is not required here.
Phobia by Gender
It is noteworthy that the causes of fear of flying differ markedly between men and women. Psychologists believe that the fair sex most often fears the plane crashing and losing control over their emotions. Men experience a fear of heights and concern for their health.
The fear manifests differently in members of the opposite sex as well. Ladies are more emotional in this regard: they start crying and trembling, while gentlemen prefer to internalize all fears. Therefore, specialists believe, men are much harder to cure: when a person hides their experiences and tries to suppress them, they progress even more, and the fear of flying becomes truly obsessive.