Overcoming fear of flying: How hypnosis, CBT, talk therapy and breathing techniques work

Air travel is one of the most common phobias, and several methods have been shown to remove or aid its onset

For those suffering from aviophobia, there are various options available that can help alleviate stress around flying. Getty Images

Living in the UAE is synonymous with taking a lot of flights.

Whether travelling to visit friends and family or jetting off to foreign climes for a holiday, figures from a 2021 World Bank study placed the UAE 16th out of 177 countries for the number of passengers transported by airlines registered in the respective country.

While planning trips and travelling abroad has many benefits, for those who suffer from a fear of flying, the idea of jetting off is not joyful, but filled with anxiety and stress and can even trigger panic attacks.

“The fear of flying is known as aviophobia or aerophobia,” says Christi Gadd, psychologist at Thrive Wellbeing Centre. “In clinical terms, aviophobia falls under the diagnosis of a ‘specific phobia’. For some, fear of flying is a discrete, situational phobia without broader psychological complications. This may involve fear of turbulence, crashing, or losing control during a flight, and may be triggered by a past traumatic experience while flying, vicarious learning such as hearing about an aviation disaster, or classical conditioning related to safety and danger.”

For those suffering from aviophobia, there are various options available that can help alleviate stress around flying – from medical intervention to hypnotherapy and breathwork.

Cognitive behavioural therapy and medication

Depending on the severity of the symptoms, doctors may prescribe medication to tackle anxiety. Experts suggest looking at the underlying causes of the fear with a cognitive approach first.

“I’ve encountered numerous patients with a heightened fear of flying,” says Dr Munaz Ahamed, general practitioner at Aster Clinic, Tecom. “From a medical perspective, addressing a fear of flying can be approached through a combination of psychological and behavioural strategies. Cognitive behavioural therapy is often highly effective in helping individuals to understand and change the thought patterns contributing to fear. Exposure therapy, a component of CBT, can gradually desensitise individuals to flying by gently exposing the individuals to flight-related situations.”

Managing short-term stress around flying may necessitate anti-anxiety medicine. Melatonin is another popular option as it is a natural hormone that regulates sleep and may work to lessen stressful feelings.

“Anti-anxiety medications like controlled medicines are highly effective for flight anxiety and advised for situational use before flying,” says Dr Salman Kareem, specialist psychiatrist, Aster Royal Clinic, Downtown & Aster Clinic, JLT. “The medication, however, depends on individual factors including medical history, severity of symptoms and frequency of travel and can be prescribed by a physician after consulting them.”

Hypnotherapy and emotional freedom technique

Hypnotherapy sessions begin with discussions around the fear, including what the patient thinks may be causing it. Getty Images

Hypnotherapy works by identifying the root causes of the fear before subconsciously rewiring the brain to promote calmer thinking around flying.

“The hypnotic space is a deep meditative state that a therapist guides you into using their voice and your breathing,” says Pavan Nihalani, hypnotherapist at Illuminations Wellbeing Centre. “You are conscious and fully in control while gaining access to the subconscious mind.”

Explaining how the technique can be used to tackle phobias, he explains: “Fear is based in something that happened in the past. With hypnotherapy, we can go back to the memory and desensitise the reaction to it by removing the emotional charge, allowing you to view the experience more dispassionately.”

Hypnotherapy sessions begin with discussions around the fear, including what the patient thinks may be causing it.

“Many times, people don’t remember the specific incident or perhaps there isn’t one,” says Nihalani. “This is why we go into the subconscious mind, because it remembers everything.”

Fear of flying can result from a past traumatic event or even having watched a TV show or film, listened to a podcast or read a book or article about an airplane disaster, which the patient internalises, turning it into a memory.

“Combining hypnotherapy with emotional freedom technique and breathwork is one of the most effective ways to tackle fear of flying,” says Nihalani. “EFT is the process of rubbing or tapping meridian points on the body while focusing on the fear to release it from the body. Each time you do it, the intensity is reduced.”

Talk and exposure therapy

Speaking to a therapist about your fears is a beneficial way to discover if aviophobia is masking something deeper, as well as providing emotional tools to practice mindfulness by yourself.

“The first step is to explore whether we are working with a specific phobia or a fear that is linked to more generalised emotional processes,” says Gadd. “Once this is clarified, the therapeutic process typically includes talk therapy to explore the client’s subjective experience and meaning-making around the fear."

This is then combined with exposure therapy, "which involves using gradual exposure to the feared situation, such as imagery, virtual simulations, or eventual flights, tailored to the individual’s readiness and tolerance. This exploration of underlying processes identifies broader fears or relational dynamics, particularly if the fear is symbolic or trauma-linked.”

Fear of flying may be linked to other issues, such as being afraid of losing control, claustrophobia and fear of death or panic. As with hypnotherapy, patients are taught coping mechanisms to use outside of therapy sessions to manage their fears around flying.

“Several practical and evidence-based strategies can help clients manage their fear,” says Gadd. “Mindfulness-based interventions, such as grounding techniques and breath control, focus on building distress tolerance and are particularly effective for managing anticipatory anxiety and panic during the flight. Some airlines also offer flight anxiety programmes, which combine psychological support with educational content and gradual exposure, often including accompanied flights.”

Breathwork

Functional breathing techniques can be practiced before or during travel to help slow the heart rate and reduce stress. Getty Images

Focusing on and controlling breathing has become a popular and effective way to manage fears.

“Breathing is a subconscious action that the nervous system manages without you realising,” says Elisabeth Bohler, a breathwork educator and coach. “When you move to consciously become in charge of the way you breathe, you can alter your state of breath to achieve a specific outcome such as to relax, calm down, self-soothe and meditate.”

As the nervous system cannot differentiate between an actual threat and a self-created threat, stress and anxiety around flying creates negative emotions and trauma in the brain that the nervous systems reacts to by triggering fight or flight mode. This leads to increased heart rate and difficulty breathing and can result in panic attacks.

“Breath is an excellent indicator of our nervous system and is the only tool that can reach between the nervous system and body, acting as a reset button within minutes,” says Bohler.

Patients are taught functional breathing techniques, which can help slow the heart rate and reduce stress. As an effective exercise, Bohler suggests inhaling, then pinching your nose and holding your breath for five seconds before exhaling, repeating this for three to five minutes if you feel panicked on or before a flight.

“It has the same effect as breathing into a paper bag, which is to re-elevate your carbon dioxide levels,” she says. “Focusing on breathing pulls you back from overthinking and forces you into the present.”