One of the common phobias. According to statistics, approximately 1 in 3 people experience some degree of fear or anxiety before flying. The level of aerophobia can range from mild anxiety to panic attacks. A person with aerophobia begins to experience anxiety long before the flight, sometimes hoping that something will change in plans and the trip will be cancelled. Anxiety increases as the flight approaches. At the beginning there is anxiety about forgetting something while packing, then missing the plane, and then the last stage - the flight itself. When you are already on the plane, it seems that you can exhale, part of the anxiety has already gone away. The suitcases were packed and checked in, no one was late. But for some reason the anxiety becomes higher. What is this connected with? The origin of aerophobia is often related to other phobias, for example, fear of heights, closed spaces or loss of control. It can be caused by a negative experience during a flight or fear of the unknown. The sounds of the engine and shaking during turbulence can be frightening. Our negative experiences may not only be our own. This could be someone's experience being retold, watching a movie about a plane crash, or reading the news that there was an emergency landing or disaster somewhere recently. Memories of a car accident can also cause anxiety and a feeling of loss of control. In the work of a psychologist, it is important to unwind this tangle of feelings and understand what exactly the client is afraid of. Is the anxiety related to the flight itself or could it be reminders of trauma from a past experience. Is it fear of heights, closed spaces, loss of control, or some other fear. Each case will be unique, and the treatment strategy will be built taking into account all input data. Working with thoughts and cognitive distortions is one of the main components of successful therapy for aerophobia. It is important to remember that our thoughts can influence our emotions and behavior. Often people with aerophobia experience so-called cognitive distortions, that is, negative, distorted thoughts that increase fear and anxiety. Examples of such distortions include overestimating risks, black and white thinking, hypercontrol when we try to control the actions of the pilot or are afraid that he will forget to do something without our reminder, catastrophizing, excessive assumptions about a possible negative outcome, magical thinking when we are confident that we hold the plane with the power of thought. Cognitive behavioral therapy works with cognitive distortions and helps change our negative beliefs to adaptive ones. With the help of exposure techniques and living through negative experiences, we can build a new line of behavior during the flight and reduce the level of anxiety. After working in the office, I recommend my clients to go to a flight simulator and feel like a pilot. These simulators employ professional pilots who will answer all questions that arise, even those that seem stupid to us, for example, why is it so noisy, can the pilot forget about something, etc. This way you experience the situation differently. I also recommend reading the book by Vasily Vasilyevich Ershov “I'm afraid. Aerophobia." The book is written by a professional pilot and includes not only thoughts on anxiety while flying, but many interesting points related to air travel. Dealing with flying phobia can be a long and difficult process, but with the right support and professional help, most people can overcome their fear and begin to travel plane no problem. It is important to remember that fear is a natural reaction, and it can be overcome with desire and effort. Free mini-session of 30 minutes. I work in the CBT approach. More details on my telegram channel