Fear of Flying/Travel Anxiety

True Aviophobia, or Fear of Flying is characterized by intense fear of, or strong avoidance of flying or airplanes in general.  If you have aviophobia and  do have to fly, you probably have an intense sense of fear, anxiety, and/or dread.  You will experience this fear every, or nearly every time you are required to fly.  If you experience this fear in a narrow body plane, like a single aisle 737, but not in a larger two aisle plane such as a 787; you probably do not have true aviophobia (see claustrophobia). The intensity of your fear or panic may vary situationally:

• More intense taking a transatlantic flight than a brief one hour one  Y
• You have to fly without friends or family

Or environmentally:

• Your usually high level of anxiety increases to panic in turbulence
• Flying in bad weather causes far greater panic

Everyone experiences fear or panic differently, and fear/panic also manifest differently for both the elderly and children.

Claustrophobia is defined as a fear of enclosed, or small, tight spaces.  You might  have an unreasonable fear of

• Elevators
• MRI machines
• Caves
• Small rooms
• Tight fitting clothing, such as neckties
• Airplanes, particularly smaller, tighter planes like regional jets and propeller planes; or even smaller aircraft like a Learjet or Cessna Caravan.

In these situations, you may experience:

• Extreme sweating
• Tightness in the chest
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Numbness
• Rapid heart rate

Your fear is irrationally out of proportion to the situation itself.  You probably recognize the fear is irrational. Claustrophobia can develop if you have an adverse event in a small space, such as:

• Being trapped in an elevator in the dark
• Getting lost in a cave
• Through experiencing some other type of trauma in a setting from which they feel trapped

Sometimes, you can experience a panic attack for no discernible reason. Brain wiring can “misfire” for no particular reason, and should this happen in the brains “panic center” and you happened to be in an enclosed space; like a small, hot stuffy room, you will likely feel an urgent need to leave that space.  Since panic attacks generally subside within 15 minutes or so, you would be likely to associate your panic attack with the enclosed space, even though they may be coincidental.

Fear of Heights is characterized by irrational anxiety in high places, such as tall buildings, being on a ladder, driving over bridges, being up in the air, being near cliffs, walking on hills or mountains.  You would be unlikely to enjoy amusement parks, and possibly get dizzy driving or riding over high bridges.  Fear of heights can cause all types of impairment, such as becoming terrified looking out an airplane window, or feeling dizzy being near the balcony of a hotel room on a high floor; or the balcony of a cruise ship.

Agoraphobia is one of the most misunderstood phobias.  By definition, it overlaps with all specific phobias.  The agoraphobic has marked fear of anxiety in the following general domains:

• Transportation; such as planes, trains, automobiles, buses, ships
• Open spaces; parking lots, stadiums, bridges, large open or enclosed markets
• Enclosed Spaces; airplanes, elevators, stores, movie theaters
• Being in crowds or lines
• Being out of the home; or, “safe space” alone

Having agoraphobia, you will frequently experience the panic in two or more of these general categories.  What distinguishes a diagnosis of agoraphobia from the phobic situations themselves is that you fear that you will be trapped or unable to obtain help if you experience panic, embarrassment, or incapacitation. For example, if you fear “freaking out” on a plane in front of friends, family, co-workers, or just the other passengers as opposed to a fear of the plane crashing (aviophobia) you would likely be a candidate for the diagnosis of agoraphobia.  As with other phobias, the fear must be irrationally out of proportion to the situation. Agoraphobia leads the individual to avoid situations.  When it is complex, involving fears in multiple situations, it can lead you to increasing isolation, sometimes even rendering you home-bound. Agoraphobia is extremely difficult to self-diagnose, it’s treatment differs greatly from the treatment for Fear of Flying, and should be considered if you have failed at traditional “Fear of Flying” therapy, books, DVD’s, classes, etc.

There are numerous other phobias that can cause an individual to avoid travel.  A partial list includes:

• Social Anxiety
• Emetophobia Fear of Vomiting in Public)
• Astraphobia: Fear of Lightning/Thunder
• Avi-ophidiophobia: Fear of Snakes on a Plane

While every individual is different, phobias generally develop if you:

• Experience a traumatic event, such as being in an airplane that experiences a mechanical failure or crash
• Witness others who are experiencing a traumatic event, such as seeing a plane crash, seeing someone drown or being killed in a fire, be attacked by a dog, etc.
• Are exposed by informational means, such as repetitive watching of videos on TV or YouTube of plane crashes; or hearing or reading about tragic events
• Experience a panic attack in the now feared situation or object, such as having a panic attack while flying.  This can occur after having successfully taken many flights.