Fear Of Flying – Is There A Cure?

Fear of flying is a terrifying & debilitating condition. Finally you can be helped to fly. #FearOfFlying #BeAddictionFree #AllenCarr

Fear Of Flying – Is There A Cure?

I didn’t fly until I was about 15 years old. A teacher at school had taken flying lessons and she arranged for a few of us to be taken up in a light airplane as a treat. Shortly after that I enjoyed my first flight on a commercial airliner and enjoyed every minute on both occasions.

I used to genuinely enjoy flying.

My fear of flying seemed to develop as I got older. I don’t know whether it just happened – or whether it was the result of a few bumpy flights because of turbulence but it got to the point when on a short flight from Paris to London my new girlfriend (now my wife of 16 years) pointed out that the knuckles on both hands had turned white as a result of me gripping the arms of my seat so tightly during take-off and landing. Every flight I took – it seemed to get worse and worse.

I was sceptical about a cure for fear of flying

At that time, I was already an Allen Carr’s Easyway therapist – helping to cure smokers of their addiction to nicotine. When Allen Carr told me he was writing a book to help people with a fear of flying I was half delighted (he had cured me of my 80-a-day addiction to nicotine) and half sceptical. Could he really do the same for fear of flying as he had done for smoking? I helped a little with the research for the book, getting smokers attending our stop smoking seminars to complete short questionnaires about their attitudes towards flying and fear of flying.

It soon became apparent that fear of flying was far more common than I had ever anticipated. It ranged from people who were uncomfortable with flying – but still travelled by air – to people who would become terrified merely at the thought of a flight – let alone getting on an airplane.

When you have fear of flying there really isn’t anything to be lost by trying to treat it.

All the way through the project I remained more than a little sceptical and when the book was finally finished I read it with a respectful but low level of confidence in the effect it might have on me. Having read and understood the book – I felt a little less nervous about flying but still remained a little nervous about putting it to the test and going on a flight. By that time, I’d got to the point whereby I’d do pretty much anything to avoid going on a plane.
I was actually amazed by the result. A long, and sometimes extremely bumpy, flight to visit my best friend in Boston, USA, was not only bearable – but I actually enjoyed it!

I’ve enjoyed flying ever since – my enthusiasm only dampened slightly by the grouchy airport security staff one has to endure at ever-more-security conscious airports. Even that doesn’t spoil my flying experiences these days and the lovely emails we receive from people who have been cured of their serious fear of flying by Allen Carr’s Easyway are a wonderful reminder of how lucky I am to be free from it.

Read more about ‘How to Overcome Your Fear of Flying’

#FearOfFlying #BeAddictionFree #AllenCarr

From the desk of John Dicey, Worldwide CEO & Senior Therapist, Allen Carr’s Easyway