Fear of flying. Sometimes people make fun of it, but the consequences vary from mild inconvenience for holidaymakers to major stumbling blocks for internationally working sales managers. It is often thought that fear of flying only affects a few. However, according to figures, as many as one in three people are afraid of getting on a plane. Fortunately, developments do not stand still. From the fear of flying therapist to the fear of flying app, anyone with a fear of flying has numerous helpers. Who and what? Read more. The number of people who board a plane worldwide in a day is roughly a third of the Dutch population, or six million. But at the same time, roughly one in three people, or thirty percent, is afraid of flying. This concerns adults from the Western world. In the Netherlands, the number of people with a fear of flying is estimated at almost three million. While some may experience only relatively minor inconveniences, such as the need to train to Vienna instead of flying, a flourishing career can also be hampered by a fear of flying. Sales managers of international companies, for example, often cannot do without an airplane. Fortunately, never before have so many methods been put in place to alleviate fear of flying, including modern inventions such as the anti-fear of flying app. Moreover, scientific knowledge is greater than ever.

Get rid of your fear of flying in a weekend?

Say fear of flying and you think ‘VALK Foundation’. This Foundation is, at least in the Netherlands, the best-known name in the field of remedying and providing information about fear of flying. Numerous activities are being developed. For example, Aviodrome, in collaboration with the VALK Foundation, regularly organizes a fear of flying weekend that is intended to help people overcome their fear of flying.

What exactly is fear of flying?

Dr. Lucas van Gerwen is a psychologist, aviator and director of the Valk Foundation. He explains that fear of flying can be categorized as a stress complaint. More precisely, fear of flying is in many cases a derived stress complaint. The underlying causes can usually be found in the stress caused by an anxiety disorder or a combination of anxiety disorders. Such disorders mainly fall into the category of claustrophobia, fear of heights, social anxiety, need for control and fear of loss of control. “The fear manifests itself differently for everyone, but fortunately it is easy to treat,” says Dr. Van Gerwen. 

Help from the fear of flying therapist

Therapists now come in all kinds of specializations, so it is not surprising that we now also know a real fear of flying therapist. The basis of a therapeutic treatment for fear of flying is scientific research, which has been processed into a treatment by a whole arsenal of agencies and companies: VALK Foundation, Leiden University, KLM, Transavia.com, Arkefly, Martinair and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. And the method, like many other therapies against stress, is successful. A great success, the partnership says enthusiastically: of the 10,000 people who have followed therapeutic training so far, an astonishing 98% would now board a plane without fear.

What is fear of flying therapy?

During a fear of flying weekend, visitors to Aviodrome can participate in free workshops by fear of flying therapists. A therapeutic treatment treats the causes of fear of flying, lets people know what is happening in the body and of course how to best deal with it. One of the methods to reduce or even eliminate fears is to come into contact with the source of your fear through greater awareness and under guidance: the principle of so-called desentization therapy. In the case of the Aviodome workshop, it involves a relaxation training in an exciting place: a Boeing 747.

Speed dating with former fly-afraid people

Knowledge is power. During the workshop, a pilot explains how an aircraft flies, what exactly that cringe-worthy but normally harmless turbulence is and what extensive requirements air traffic safety meets. Another effective tool used here is the fashionable expert by experience. During workshops, participants can speed date with former clients. An approach that you can also take the initiative for in daily life. Many people with a fear of flying think that they are the only ones with a fear of flying or that their fear is too great to treat. Mutual recognition and support from fellow sufferers is often an important first step in overcoming fear, according to Dr. Lucas van Gerwen.

Fear of flying weekends: when and how?

Want to know more about Aviodome’s fear of flying weekends? Visit www.aviodrome.nl/vliegangstweekend . 

The fear of flying app

We can use the app anywhere and anytime, and this is now also the case when it comes to fear of flying. The VALK Foundation has developed an international fear of flying application with the simple name ‘Flying App’. This is available for Android, iPhone, iPod or iPad. According to VALK, we are dealing with the first mobile aid worldwide for people who are afraid of flying. The app is based on a 23-year scientifically researched treatment method. This app can help with mild to moderate fear of flying, and helps both before and during the flight. At the time of writing this article, the app is already available in Dutch, English, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and French, and the Polish version is in the pipeline.

Virtual fear of flying therapist on standby

The specific strength of the app is that it guides and assists the user during the entire flying process. You can use the menu to choose from information and tips about the period before the flight, the take-off, the flight, turbulence and the landing. But there is also a mini aviation course included in preparation, with facts about flying. Of course, it is explained exactly what anxiety does to you, so that the app actually has therapeutic properties. Targeted relaxation exercises in text and sound help the user get the much-needed rest. There is even a ‘panic button’ that helps the user if the fear suddenly becomes too much for him or her before or during the flight. This too involves a multimedia approach in which text and audio are used to invoke the help of a ‘virtual’ fear of flying therapist, so that the tension level immediately decreases. Naturally, the idea is that we use the app in the air via airplane mode….