Here’s how to beat your fear of flying – according to an expert

We're currently running a superb competition in partnership with Red Bull Air Race.

There are two VIP tickets for you and your Dad to the next Air Race at Ascot this August 13th and 14th. All you have to do to stand a chance of winning is send us a short video of you pranking your old man and you could win both of you a VIP experience at the big event. But we're aware that flying isn't everyone's cup of tea. In fact fear or anxiety around flying, other wise known as aviophobia can be a serious condition that is thought to affect 30% of the population. We at JOE are always keen to help people talk about their problems, so they might better understand and overcome them, so when compiling our Red Bull Air Race competition, we enlisted the help of Chris Meaden, a Wellness & Performance Coach who frequently coaches people who are afraid of flying from his base in Harley Street, London. Here's what he had to say about flight anxiety. Hello Chris, what sort of things do you normally discuss when you meet a client with aviophobia?

First and foremost is to find out the cause of their fear.  For some it’s not actually the plane itself.  It’s claustrophobia (fear of being trapped in enclosed space), or not being in control, or fearing they may have a panic attack on board, or the fear of dying and many other reasons.  Some clients know exactly the cause (a bad turbulent flight or an incident on board) which is directly related to flying, and for others it may be the brain generalising from a fear of undergrounds, trains and now planes  For others is a completely different cause totally unrelated but in the brain is associated.   

Unlike many therapies that deal with the ‘symptoms’ of the fear such as racing heart, excessive sweating, irrational thoughts, panic, the need to escape etc, [aviophobia therapists] focus on removing the encoded cause (‘trauma’) in the brain.  We do this by using a unique blend of NLP, Hypnosis & The Havening Techniques. 

What this means for the clients is that they are able to release or let go of the cause at a biological level and by doing this, the landscape of the brain physically changes allowing them to have a new and more comfortable response to flying.  The brain’s new response then generalises and the client feels more comfortable, more relaxed and able to fly without that fear they had in the past.  In addition, we teach clients a few powerful mind techniques so they are now fully prepared and equipped to be able to handle anything that may happen in future without encoding a new fear.

For any readers that may be afraid of flying, what would you advise them?

You’re not alone, it’s not unusual, and you can free yourself from this fear faster than you think.  If you want to try a commercial airline’s fear of flying course (British Airways have a Flying with Confidence package, Virgin Airways have their own Flying without Fear course) you will learn more about the mechanics and safety elements of planes and also be giving a couple of breathing and relaxation techniques. 

But if you want to remove your fear (which is unique to you) then having a 1-1 session with a professional fear of flying expert who uses the latest advancements in psychology and neuroscience with techniques such as Havening, NLP and hypnosis is by far your best bet.

For our readers at home, if they had a loved one who was afraid of flying, what would you recommend them to do?

Reassure them that they can achieve freedom from their fear with expert help.  For the majority of our clients, it just takes a single two hour session to remove the fear and for many, the results are life-changing. 

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If going up in a plane isn't exactly your cup of tea, maybe watching other people spin around in one while you watch from the ground will be more up your alley. Grab tickets to the Red Bull Air Race at Ascot on August 13-14 on the Red Bull website.