Aerophobia is the fear of?

We all have our fair share of phobias, whether it’s arachnophobia (fear of spiders), coulrophobia (fear of clowns), or that feeling when you suddenly realize your phone isn’t in your pocket. Heck, some folks out there even suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia – which is a fancy way to say they are afraid of long words. But there’s one phobia that often goes unspoken due to its taboo nature and brings with it a level of anxiety beyond compare- Aerophobia!

What Is Aerophobia?

Aerophobia has nothing to do with body odor or other bad smells on an airplane; rather, it is the fear and dread associated with flying on planes (yes, you heard me right). Now before we dive further into this topic let us get one thing straight: aerophobics aren’t just the silly ones who never miss a chance at a plane crash joke! They’re people who genuinely struggle with boarding an aircraft due to elevated feelings of discomfort or outright panic attacks during flight operations.

Fear Takes On Different Forms

The symptoms associated with aerophobia take on various forms depending on how severe the impacted person’s condition is. In moderate cases sufferers become symptomatic when they sense turbulence while in air; others experience intense anxiety even weeks leading up to their scheduled trips. The most severe manifestations often result in complete paralysis upon realization that they must board an airplane, inciting physical sickness such as vomiting sweating thus prohibiting them from boarding any plans altogether.

A Closer Look At How You Feel When Afraid Of Flying

Those gripped by aerophobic terror usually experience many telltale signs regarding their ailment including:

  • Paralyzing cold sweats
  • Rapid heart palpitations.
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Trembling, even full spasms
  • And a sense of impending doom that’s hard to shake.

These symptoms sound like a lamentable mix of downright torturous and unexplainably spooky–no one wants to go through these emotions just for the basic act of flying.

So What Causes This Condition?

Have you ever considered why people ended up with aerophobia in the first place? It is believed that various factors can lead to an unreasonable fear such as this phobia. A traumatic flight experience might be the root cause leading someone to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after their initial air travel encounter! The idea here is if something rattles or frightens someone on their inaugural voyage, it will only exacerbate during future flights; hence promoting escalating levels of anxiety and panic. Some experts have also cited other triggers resulting from claustrophobia caused by narrow space coupled with fears associated with heights.

More Common Causes Of Aerophobia

Other possible things contributing/cause aerophobia include:

  • Trusting your life on pilots who may not seem competent
  • Fear-driven boarding restrictions put in place most notably following 9/11
  • Avoidance tactics triggered by past logical reasoning conclusions surrounding fatal experiences happening in airplanes.

Whatever leads to developing intense aversion towards airplane travel, there’s no denying it exerts some severe mental distress affecting daily functioning of those affected!

Overcoming Aerophobia

It would be unfair not providing information on what one can do when they find themselves confronted with an uncomfortable feeling while onboard planes. Here are practical steps you can take if you suspect you suffer from aviation-induced phobias:

1) Knowledge beats unknown- Educate yourself about how commercial airlines work, reach out to friends/acquaintances working around aircraft operations & learn as much as possible regarding safety measures adopted within modern-day airlines.

2) Therapy! – Psychotherapeutic Treatment has proven effective in bringing relief to most aviarophobic cases. Working with a mental health professional can promote exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral techniques intending to reframe negative preflight thoughts.

3) Everything belongs- Conquer your phobia by incrementally exposing yourself to air travel related events before takeoff. For instance, boarding planes while still on the ground gradually going up till you master being mid-flight. Flying with mild tranquilizers may also be helpful.

4) Sustain Your Mindset – Focus on positive aspects of flying such as arriving at a new destination or bonding time amongst family members traveling together. Worrying will only make things worse!

Final Thoughts

Aerophobia is just one of those unique conditions we must learn to live within today’s fast-paced world requiring us hustling around different geographical locations constantly! It might feel challenging conquering an irrational fear initially, but with time given conscious effort, one can become comfortable boarding flights thereby achieving full control over their phobia!

Happy travels everyone!

Author’s note
This article was written from my office space looking for distractions mostly due to COVID19 lockdown restrictions

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