Fear of Flying

Hypnosis
What is hypnosis and how can it help with fear of flying?
Firstly one has to dispense with the idea of Svengalian characters and indeed those stage hypnotists whose sole ambition is entertainment value. The fact is the clinical hypnotherapist’s goal is to help people with their problems and of achieving positive results. During hypnosis the body relaxes, the conscious mind take a back seat and the unconscious mind takes control of the thought processes. The mind can now concentrate because all external disturbances and distractions are removed.
How does it help?
The unconscious mind holds the key to why we individually hold onto irrational fears that may well have been learned many years ago. We have the ability in our subconscious to change the way we respond to what was previously a fearful situation. We can now be completely in control of our emotions, rational and fearless. We can even visualise ourselves taking a flight and feeling positive emotions about the whole event. The more we see ourselves in this positive environment the more we come to realise that we are able to overcome our fear of flying.

Virtual Flight
The treatment using virtual flight consists of a custom designed virtual environment that has been carefully designed to support exposure therapy of fear of flying. The treatment involves exposing the patient to a virtual environment containing the feared situation (an aircraft cabin in the window seat), rather that taking the patient into the actual environment or even having the person imagine being on board. The realism is near perfect with motion sensors which respond to the patients head movements, there are also real time sensations of engine vibration and turbulence outside and other mechanical bumps often associated with flying. The combination of real time video and computer generated imagery together with normal pre and in flight announcements by the cabin and flight deck crew make this a most effective treatment. The virtual environment is controlled by the therapist through the computer keyboard, ensuring full control of the exposure to the dedicated programme. The virtual reality exposure treatment allows the therapist to manipulate and tailor the situation to best suit the needs of the individual.