3 myths about overcoming Flying Phobia

More than 99% of clients report total success in just 1 to 3 sessions
3 myths about overcoming Flying Phobia
Many people experience extreme fear of flying. In the United States, as many as 12.5% of people will experience some form of phobia in their lifetime. Among these, fear of flying falls into the mix, affecting approximately 2.5% to 6.5% of the population1. That’s a sizable chunk of folks, about 1 in 20-40 who feel a flutter in their stomachs when the cabin doors close! But most people who have become phobic of flying will never do anything about it. Why is that? Here are some myths that we’ve encountered that have become a challenge for people doing something to get help for their phobia:

Conquer your flying phobia - permanently
99% success rate over 30 years of practice
- It will just get better by itself if I just wait it out.
A phobia like aviophobia stems from an ancient part of the brain called the Amygdala. The Amygdala is where our emotions are experienced and is also where the flight/flight/freeze response emanates from. The fight/flight/freeze response is a deeply ingrained survival mechanism that in times past has kept us away from danger and has helped us survive. Once the brain decides that some activity or place is dangerous to our survival, whether it is rational or not, avoiding that perceived danger just serves to reinforce the belief that not engaging in that activity is protecting us. So avoiding travel just serves to tell our unconscious mind that travel must be dangerous, otherwise why would we avoid it?
2. All I need to do is read another book / take an online course
If you’re reading this now, the likelihood is that you have read many things about how to get rid of fear of flying and they haven’t changed anything. You may have even seen online programs and courses specifically offering strategies and techniques to overcome it. Some of them may even have guarantees about getting refunded if you’re not satisfied. Here’s the thing about that: if you have a mild or moderate fear of getting on a plane, some of that stuff might help you reduce it or even resolve it. But not if you’re phobic about flying. A phobia is not the same as a regular fear about something. It is an extreme response that actually changes your brain’s chemistry and function in major ways that are different from normal fears and anxieties. Learning programs might be helpful but are not enough in helping right the brain’s chemistry that has been altered by a phobia. That’s because they engage the cognitive brain versus the primitive brain. Phobias live in the primitive brain (Amygdala), not the cognitive brain (Prefrontal Cortex). To rid someone of phobia, one must engage the primitive brain, where it actually resides. Courses and traditional learning do not do that.
3. It’s not really that serious
This is how we kid ourselves into staying in denial. Let’s look at the real effects and costs of leaving a phobia like aviophobia in place:
- Health costs:
Phobias tend to worsen over time and can expand from one thing to other things that look or feel similar. Someone who just has a flying phobia can find over time that it expands to other enclosed spaces like trains, buses, elevators. And as fears grow they can eventually acquire agoraphobia (fear of going out) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Left untreated, a flying phobia over time can spread and invade other areas of your life, starting with your health. Allowing yourself to remain in a hypervigilant state that runs in the background of your brain means that you likely end up with much higher levels of stress hormones like Cortisol and Adrenaline. Over time, high levels of stress hormones can do damage to various systems and organs of the body. That can lead to increased risk of stress-related diseases like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.
2. Relationship costs:
It is unknown how many people lose relationships due to anxiety disorders, of which phobia is one type. Are you not visiting family in other parts of the country or world due to your flying phobia? How might not traveling with your partner on romantic holidays affect your relationship in the long run? You might never learn the answers to these questions if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to live life without your flying phobia.
3. Financial costs:
The long term cost of treatment for anxiety or phobias can be up to $15K. When you factor in the cost of lost work days, lost business opportunities, etc., the cost is incalculable.
4. Sabotaging mindset:
If you’ve given up on getting over your phobia of flying, what other things in your life have you given up that you might have pursued? When we limit ourselves in these types of unnecessary ways, it’s hard to see how we’re not missing out on a complete and fulfilling life.
5. Career cost:
This is another one of those difficult to measure effects of limiting yourself from opportunities that might be available to you were you able to travel freely to anywhere these opportunities might present themselves. The cost of not resolving your flying phobia becomes incalculably higher when you consider those lost opportunities.
6. Affecting your life span:
Taking all of the costs together of health, relationships, financial, and career, it’s hard to see how not resolving this issue would not affect your lifespan as well as the quality of your life. And this is the main reason why it is a myth that a flying phobia is “not that serious.”
If you are interested in learning more about how the Total Reset Method program can change your life by enabling you to attend family events, go on stress-free vacations with your romantic partner, and supercharge your business by allowing you to go anywhere in the world, then use the link below to schedule your free strategy session.