3. You developed other problems which increased your discomfort of flying
Discomfort with flying can stem from a number of other fears: heights, crowds, closed-in spaces (claustrophobia), panic attacks, and feeling trapped or out of control.

Perhaps you are someone who has had panic attacks. Your first panic attack might have been in a sales meeting or just before giving a speech. Then, slowly but surely, the panic attacks started to occur elsewhere, such as in a car or on the subway, in a restaurant or a grocery store, in a church or in wide-open spaces.

Most people who have panic attacks need to believe that they can escape a fearful place easily, that they won't feel trapped or out of control. Well now, planes don't sound too much like they fit that criteria!

For example, you board a plane, find your seat and then sit back to watch other people board. A few minutes later you hear the announcements beginning, and you realize that the door is about to close. What if you don't like feeling trapped, and the idea of the door closing makes you feel trapped? At this point you may experience a rush of sensations: racing heart; light-headedness or dizziness; cold, clammy hands; tingling in your fingers, toes and mouth; difficulty breathing; becoming very hot or claustrophobic. Coupled with all these physical symptoms, you may have the urge to rush off the plane, thinking, "I'm about to lose control, and I'm going to be trapped," "I'm going to go crazy," "I'll have a heart attack," "I can't tolerate these feelings," or, "I'll make a fool of myself." Thoughts such as these will obviously increase your panic.

Any time you face your fears -- such as claustrophobia -- you may experience some symptoms of panic. If you have had uncomfortable symptoms on a recent flight, it wouldn't be surprising, then, for you to start questioning how well you will handle yourself on your next flight. Ironically, the more you worry about such problems, the greater the likelihood that they will occur. If you become worried enough, you may stop flying altogether as the only means you know to insure your comfort.

4. You had several months of stress prior to becoming uncomfortable
Your first difficulties with flying might have come after a period of stress in your life. This frequently relates to people who have developed panic attacks. We know from research that people tend to have their first panic attack following six to eight months of stress. This stress often relates to the theme of loss, such as death in the family, long-standing illness of someone close to you, moving, changing jobs, divorce. Even some events that seem like gains, such as marriage or having a child, can precede the first panic attack. Each of these positive events includes not only something that you gain, such as a partner or a son or daughter, but some sense of loss, such as your freedom, your ability to control your time, and your independence.

If you go through a very stressful period, it is as though your mind becomes more vulnerable and more fragile. Then, out of the clear blue, you have your first panic attack. If these panic attacks continue, then you will begin to fear places or situations in which you feel trapped or out of control. Airplanes can fit into that category, since you don't get to fly the plane and you don't get to get off whenever you want!

What did you learn about how your discomfort started?
Did you notice several possible causes? Even more important than how your difficulty started is why it still exists.

For instance, did any part of your discomfort come from concerns about the airline industry? If so, then you will want to pay attention to that issue in the section called "Learning how to fly comfortably." us, then there are no techniques to make your flights comfortable. If your goal You cannot get the complete benefits of this self-help program until you decide to trust the airline industry. As long as you believe that commercial aviation is inherently dangerous to fly comfortably, then you must add the goal of making peace with the airlines.

Then make sure you continue studying with this material. Reassurance about airline safety alone may not be enough. If you have been worrying for a while, your worries may continue even with new data. You may need many or all of the skills I'm offering in this program. They will help you translate your new trust in the industry into comfort on your future flights.

next: Why Does Fear of Flying Take More Effort to Overcome?