Given the ready availability of cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages, people who have a phobia about flying tend to miss out on great vacations and have to spend much longer time traveling to and from desired destinations.
Flying adverse travelers should not give up hope. Psychologists have found that that they can effectively treat over 80 percent of people who are afraid to fly.
To help people overcome this fear psychologists identify patients fear provoking thoughts and then challenge them. The objective is to encourage patients to gradually confront their fear by first imagining flying and then actually flying.
Some doctors use flight simulators or virtual reality programs while others place patients on planes on the ground and in the air accompanied by counselors. Often repeated sessions are required to help people develop coping skills.
Patients preconceptions about flying can sometimes be altered by providing statistics and safety information. It is much safer to fly that to travel by bus or car.
Regardless of the treatment approach the main treatment is to expose patients to the sensations of flying. For most people who fear flying the anxiety will never completely vanish but they can be taught how to cope with it.
Many experts believe that medicating phobic fliers with Xanax, used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, is not a recommended therapy because such medicine interferes with the process of coping with anxiety.
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