Aerophobia is an intense fear of flying that can trigger anxiety before or during flight.
Learn what causes it and how to stop this fear.
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Such is the experience of people with aerophobia, or the clinical diagnosis of a fear of flying.
Luckily, psychologists say there are proven treatment methods to help people with aerophobia overcome their fears.
What is aerophobia?
clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital
Aerophobia, also referred to as aviophobia, is a fear of flying.
However, some common psychological and physical symptoms often associated with aerophobia are outlined below.
Aerophobia may stem from past trauma regarding air travel, but it could also be due to other factors.
The second pathway, trauma, is the one you may be most familiar with, says Dr. Chapman.
This final pathway for phobias to develop is through information transmission.
This happens when someonelearns about the threat of danger2of flying.
Dr. Saltz echoes this, adding that genetics do play a role, as well.
Additionally, Dr. Saltz says that those with certain mental health conditions are more likely to develop a phobia.
Feeling nervous or uneasy before flying istotallynormal.
clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital
Are acrophobia and aerophobia the same thing?
Aerophobiaspecificallydeals with a fear of flying, but acrophobia is afear of heights.
Aerophobic people arent necessarily afraid of standing inside a skyscraper or riding on a tall rollercoaster.
Their fear is specifically tied to air travel.
People with acrophobia, on the other hand, have a fear of heights, regardless of the context.
And people with aerophobia arentalwaysafraid of how high the plane gets.
Is aerophobia curable?
Doctors may also prescribe certain medications to help patients push past their phobias.
Medication can really be helpful, says Dr. Saltz.
How do I overcome flying anxiety?
Exposure starts with literally thinking about the thing, says Dr. Saltz.
Thats because people with severe phobias often miss out on certain opportunities because of their fears.
If your fear of flying keeps you from living your dream life, consider enlisting medical help.
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