Life Kit How to cope with a fear of flying
Jun 13, 2022
Luana Marques, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of 'Almost Anxious,' shares her expertise on conquering the fear of flying. She dives into the emotional challenges of aviophobia and offers practical coping strategies, including exposure therapy and distraction techniques. Luana emphasizes the importance of aligning personal values with the desire to overcome anxiety. Listeners are encouraged to embrace discomfort as a pathway to personal growth and to transform their fears into opportunities.
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Anticipatory Anxiety and Airport Stimuli
- Anticipatory anxiety triggers the body's fight-or-flight response even before the actual flight.
- This heightened state makes individuals more susceptible to perceiving danger in normal airport stimuli.
Managing Anticipatory Anxiety
- Shift your perspective by reminding yourself of past successful flights and the safety of air travel.
- Engage in exposure therapy, such as watching airplane videos, to gradually desensitize yourself to fear-inducing stimuli.
Self-Administered Exposure Therapy
- Utilize exposure therapy through videos, noise, movies, or even virtual reality experiences.
- Gradually increase the intensity of the exposure as your anxiety levels decrease with each step.
