A case study showing how hypnotherapy can help control a fear of flying
Does fear of flying stop you from contemplating travel abroad? Perhaps you would like to visit family and friends on the over side of the world, but even the thought of flying creates anxiety.
This was the case for Lucy, a New Zealander living in the UK and who desperately wanted to return home. When Lucy sought help through hypnotherapy she had not seen her family for a long time. Her fear of flying was such that she had full blown panic attacks when on a plane. As well as having heart palpitations, Lucy felt sick and claustrophobic. She would feel as though she was going to pass out. Each time these experiences occurred Lucy’s fear was reinforced, to the extent that just talking about flying triggered a stress response.
Anxiety concerning flying can be a general fear or a specific phobia.
Lucy’s flying anxiety was almost certainly a general fear. She could not think of a specific flight or frightening incident that had triggered the fear and she had been experiencing a level of general anxiety for a number of years. The fear of flying was more likely due to a build up of anxiety and Lucy telling herself that she was going to feel panicky whilst on a plane. Of course, each time Lucy did have a panic attack in flight this experience only served to reinforce that expectation.
How Hypnotherapy Helped
Consequently, we worked to reduce Lucy’s general anxiety first. Following an initial consultation I provided Lucy with a hypnosis relaxation track to listen to between sessions. In our first session I went through some relaxation tools that Lucy could practise before and during flights. The first two hypnosis sessions focused entirely on relaxation, letting go of any stress and anxiety. When general stress or anxiety levels are high any particular fears we may have will be stronger. By helping you to relax and access a calm, focused state of mind, hypnotherapy can help control the fear.
By the time of Lucy’s third session she had noticed that she was feeling quite calm and a little happier. She was also sleeping through the night when previously she’d been waking in the early hours most nights a week. The improvement in Lucy’s sleep was a good indication that anxiety levels were going down. In this session and the next we worked on ‘reframing’ the way Lucy thought and felt about flying. Creating a new template in the mind based on how Lucy wanted to experience flying.
Lucy’s reframe included feeling calm, confident and in control. A feeling of lack of control is one of the symptoms often experienced by a person with flying anxiety. Lucy also wanted to feel excited about flying and to enjoy the whole experience. She wanted to look upon the trip as an adventure, looking forward to the plane ride as it would be taking her back to her homeland. She focused her mind on reconnecting with family and friends and all the fun things that they would do.
Lucy had four sessions of hypnotherapy in total. During our last session, just a few days before her scheduled flight, she stated that she was feeling much calmer, sleeping even better and most notably, she had not been to the GP to request any sedative medication. A few weeks after Lucy’s flight I received an email from her. She was very pleased to say that she had boarded the plane ‘medication free’ and had remained so throughout the 25 hour flight. She had not experienced any panic and actually enjoyed most of the flight for the first time ever!
For reasons of confidentiality, the name of this client has been changed.
To find out more about hypnotherapy or to book a consultation please call 07514 931 096 or email me. carolynspillerhypnotherapy@gmail.com