You want to travel, but the mere thought of flying overwhelms you? Your pulse shoots up, your stomach clenches, you would rather cancel the whole trip? This can change. In over 10,000 coaching hours, I have seen time and again how fears dissolve. And fear of flying is one that clients come to me with very often. In my practice in Duesseldorf and online, I guide you through that process.
What is Fear of Flying?
Fear of flying – also known as aviophobia – is a specific anxiety disorder in which flying or even the thought of it triggers intense fear. It is one of the most common phobias and affects people of all ages and walks of life.
Fear of flying has many different causes. Some people who suffer from it are afraid of crashing. Others fear turbulence, unfamiliar noises, or the feeling of being at the mercy of the pilot. Still others find the airplane too cramped, or they are afraid that something could happen to them in the air and no help would be available. Often, several of these aspects combine into a complex pattern of anxiety.
How does fear of flying show up?
- Severe tension or panic days before the flight
- Racing heart, sweating, trembling, nausea, or other physical symptoms when boarding or during the flight
- Gripping the armrest, tensing your entire body
- Catastrophic thoughts (crash, loss of control, helplessness)
- Avoiding air travel – even when it causes professional or personal disadvantages
- Sleep disturbances before planned flights
- Using alcohol or sedatives as a coping mechanism
- Feeling trapped in the airplane with no way to escape
How does coaching for fear of flying work?
My approach: The SAF Method™
SAF Method™ stands for the three steps we work through in coaching:
- S – Soothe the Symptoms: Racing heart, sweating, trembling, nausea, shortness of breath. Your body reacts as if you were in danger. In the first step we learn to calm these reactions.
- A – Address the Activators: What exactly triggers your fear of flying? A specific experience? Turbulence? The confined space? The feeling of being at someone else's mercy? In the second step we target these triggers directly.
- F – Free the Fueling Thoughts: Fueling thoughts are the thoughts that keep the fear going: "The plane will crash." "I won't survive this." "I'll lose control." In the third step we dissolve these beliefs.
With over 25 years of experience I can say: fear of flying with a clear trigger can often change noticeably within just a few sessions. How quickly depends on the trigger and its depth, and that is what we discuss in the initial conversation.
Which method targets what?
To begin, we look at what your fear of flying actually involves for you: whether a specific flight is coming up, what is hardest in the plane, whether a particular event was the trigger. From that we decide where to start and which methods to use. You don't need to prepare anything.
| Method | What it does for fear of flying |
|---|---|
| WingWave | Directly addresses the physical stress reaction at the thought of flying |
| Hypnosis | Anchors a new inner picture of flying on a deeper level |
| IFS | Understands the inner part that tries to protect you by preventing you from flying |
| NLP | Processes specific experiences such as turbulence or in-flight emergencies |
| The Work | Questions catastrophic thoughts and fueling thoughts like "The plane will crash" |
| TRT | Resolves deep-seated experiences that trigger the fear of flying |
Where does fear of flying come from?
Fear of flying rarely has just one single trigger. Several factors often work together:
- Loss of control: On an airplane, you hand over control completely, for many people an extremely difficult feeling to bear
- Negative experiences: A turbulent flight, an emergency landing, or even just a very anxiety-filled flight experience can leave a deep impression
- Media reports: Images of airplane disasters can embed themselves in the subconscious and intensify the fear
- Claustrophobic tendencies: The confined space of an airplane and the feeling of not being able to get out can trigger spatial anxiety in some people
- Other fears as triggers: Behind fear of flying, there is sometimes a deeper fear, such as fear of death, fear of loss of control, or fear of helplessness
- Formative childhood experiences: Early experiences of insecurity or feeling at the mercy of others can later manifest as fear of flying
Is fear of flying always about fear of death?
No. Fear of flying and fear of death are often treated as the same thing. In my practice, however, a different picture emerges regularly: for many people, the fear is not about the plane crashing but about what might happen inside their own body. A panic attack at 10,000 metres. A loss of control that no one up there can catch. Or the confinement from which there is no way out. Fear of death can play a role, but it does not have to. In coaching, this distinction matters: where the fear actually sits determines how we approach it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fear of Flying
What is fear of flying?
Fear of flying (aviophobia) is the intense fear of being on an airplane, often combined with panic about turbulence, crashes, or losing control. It can make travel seriously difficult or even impossible.
What are the symptoms of fear of flying?
Symptoms include racing heart, sweating, trembling, nausea, shortness of breath, and panic attacks before or during the flight. Many people already experience stress when booking the trip or arriving at the airport.
What causes fear of flying?
Fear of flying often combines several factors: fear of confined spaces, fear of losing control, fear of heights, or traumatic experiences. Media coverage of plane crashes can also significantly reinforce the fear.
What helps acutely on the plane?
Slow belly breathing, focusing on a fixed point, quiet music, or a familiar ritual are common coping tools and in some moments they can help. But most of the time they are not enough because the actual causes of the fear of flying remain unaddressed. What truly helps is a solution that is linked to your individual triggers, and that is exactly what we work on in coaching.
Can fear of flying be overcome?
Yes. Fear of flying is almost always linked to specific triggers: experiences, images, thoughts, physical sensations. Your nervous system learned at some point to associate flying with danger and has held on to that reaction ever since. That is the "fueling thought" that keeps the fear alive. In coaching, we work directly on that association. When something shifts there, the reaction changes, often after just a few sessions, and everything can start to feel lighter and more manageable again.
How long does coaching for fear of flying take?
Usually 3 to 5 sessions are enough, sometimes fewer, sometimes more. It depends on what your fear of flying involves and how deep it sits. You will get a first sense of it as soon as we have talked.
Does hypnosis help with fear of flying?
Yes, hypnosis can effectively reduce the automatic stress reaction and replace old fear patterns with a sense of calm and safety. In combination with WingWave or NLP, the effect is often noticeable quite quickly.
My concern may not be serious enough.
There is no fear of flying too small. Whether you have not flown for years or sit in the plane every time with a racing heart and nausea: both can keep you from flying. And if you do not want that any more, you can change it.
I have already tried so much.
I know that from many of my clients. Rational explanations and relaxation techniques often do not help because they do not reach where the fear actually sits. In coaching we work on everything your nervous system still classifies as dangerous.
Ready for the next step?
If you like, we plan the first concrete steps together so that flying can feel safer and easier again.
What topics are connected to fear of flying?
- Claustrophobia, fear of enclosed spaces, which often goes hand in hand with fear of flying
- Panic & Panic Attacks, when fear of flying escalates into panic
- Fear of Death, often a deeper trigger behind fear of flying
- Fear of Fainting, the fear of losing control on an airplane
- Driving Anxiety, when being behind the wheel triggers fear too
- Agoraphobia, when your safe radius keeps getting smaller