Fear of Flying
Fear of flying (aerophobia) is an intense fear of air travel, including airports, takeoff, turbulence, and being on an airplane. The fear response in aerophobia is disproportionate to the actual level of danger posed by commercial air travel. Unlike ordinary nervousness about flights, aerophobia leads to significant avoidance that disrupts daily life, preventing people from attending important events, visiting family, or advancing professionally. It affects an estimated 25% of the general population to some degree, and about 6.5% experience it severely enough to avoid flying entirely. With evidence-based treatment, recovery is highly achievable.
Individuals with phobia often recognize that their fear is excessive. This awareness alone does not make phobia something that can be 'toughed' out. Phobia is a disorder that requires thoughtful, intentional treatment in order to reduce safety and avoidance behaviors and replace them with new behaviors.
Fear of flying is a specific phobia of air travel: turbulence, take-off, the cabin, not being able to get off once the doors close. It often comes with a fear of having a panic attack mid-flight, and with weeks of anticipatory anxiety before a trip. Bia works through it in small, graduated steps, starting with words and images, building through the physical sensations that feel like flying, and moving on to the real stages of a journey: booking, the airport, boarding. You set the pace throughout.
Common signs of fear of flying
- Fear of turbulence, take-off, or landing
- Claustrophobia in the cabin
- Fear of having a panic attack mid-flight
- Avoidance of necessary travel: missing weddings, work trips, family visits
- Anticipatory anxiety days or weeks before a planned flight
- Physical symptoms at the gate or on board
Our clinical approach: interoceptive exposure plus graduated in-vivo exposure
Recovery
Research shows, you can take your life back from phobia. The same mental process that causes phobia can be used to unlearn it. You deserve a life free of phobia.
Research shows phobia can be overcome in small, incremental steps.
Recovery with Bia
Bia's mission is to make phobia recovery accessible to all by lowering the barrier to getting started and encouraging follow through. You are in full control of the pace and order of your journey, from the comfort of you own home. With Bia, you will learn essential concepts - why phobias form and how they can be unlearned, and practice new skills in a safe environment.
If you are currently in therapy, Bia can be a great tool to help you apply your skills and track your progress. If you are not in therapy, Bia is an easy way to start on your journey and explore what is possible.
Common questions about fear of flying
I know flying is safe, so why am I still afraid?
Fear of flying is rarely about not knowing the facts. Most people who are afraid of flying have read them already, and the fear does not shift. Bia works on the fear response itself, in small steps, rather than trying to reason you out of it.
Will I have to fly during the program?
Eventually, yes, that's the goal. Bia gets you to the gate via airport visits and short-haul flights, then your full target trip.
Resources
Here are some other resources that might be helpful: