MUNICH (dpa) – No one can be blamed for having developed a healthy fear of flying in recent months. Not only was there September 11 but also a series of freak crashes lacking any terrorist connection.
Almost 500 people died in accidents in Milan, Queens, Zurich and the tragic downing of a passenger plane over the Black Sea. Against this backdrop, people ought to flocking to seminars on “aerophobia”. The opposite, strangely, is true.“There was absolute quiet after September 11,” says Silvia Texter-Millott from Muenchen. In conjunction with Lufthansa, her agency offers seminars at 14 German airports.Widespread fear of flying has rooted itself quicker than sufferers can be persuaded to overcome the phobia, she says. Nevertheless, Texter-Millott claims interest in her seminars is growing again and expects rapid growth again in the future.Although group leader Andrea Kropf, who works for the Texter-Millott agency in Berlin, has taken a group since September 11, she has been confronted with a transformed sense of danger among participants in her fear-of-flying seminar.“One woman stormed out of the test flight at the end of the seminar after discovering two Arab-looking passengers in the plane.”The psychologist has seen no need to change the format of her seminars, however. Participants will continue to be taught that they must expose themselves to their fears if they want to overcome them.“You don’t have to begin with the most traumatic experience, of course; first, it has to be set in motion. It’s also advisable to take someone along.”So the first step involves forming a clear picture of each individual kind of aerophobia. Does the fear relate to a possible crash, previous experiences or lack of trust in the technology?Or perhaps the sufferer has panic attacks such as agoraphobia in places where flight is not possible or embarrassing, for example, in an underground station or at the dentist’s?But although fear of flying is experienced as a genuine phobia, its motive is largely irrational. For example, many more people die in traffic accidents than in the air and yet the risks put few if anybody off using a car.As the recent terrorist attacks have changed nothing in this respect, an important component of seminars seeking to counter fear of flying is devoted to information and clarification. For this a pilot is always used. “I explain that a plane can still take off with just one working engine and that turbulence alone has never brought down an airplane,” says Lufthansa pilot Torsten Pinkert from Berlin.The events of September 11 have meant that more explanations are necessary. Pinkert places increased importance on the new security measures; for example, the “sky marshals” who are already flying on many of Lufthansa’s overseas routes.“Naturally, I can’t give details – for security reasons.”But it’s not always necessary to spend 700 euros on a seminar. Queasy feelings in the air can be countered with a few simple techniques.Progressive muscle-relaxation exercises are a good tip here: the fists are clenched and other muscles tensed and relaxed over time. The effect is a feeling of warmth of relaxation which can take away much, if not all of the fear.“What’s really important is a clear mind,” says Andrea Kropf. It’s vital to avoid churning fearful thoughts around in the mind, she says, imagining all the terrible things that can happen.“We can decide what we think and interrupt the chain of thoughts.” It’s always helpful to take along an interesting book or get talking to the person next to you. Talking to the stewardess can also help dispel the feeling that a mask has to be maintained throughout.Taking medication, however, is only avoiding the problem. The simple trick of not drinking coffee before a flight also has a calming effect.
