When the fear of flying is increased by other anxieties
It is estimated that 20 to 30% of the population is afraid of flying. This sometimes unreasonable fear can be due to several factors.
Philippe Goeury, psychologist at the Air France anti-stress training center and main purser with 11,000 flight hours to his credit, explains to us what lies behind this mysterious and uncontrollable fear of flying.
“We realize that the fear is not only due to the purely technical aspect. Fear of flying is often an indicator of other aspects related to stress management,anxiety and emotions,” explains the psychologist. “Almost one in two people has difficulty with confinement, and around 40% also tick the box ”afraid of being afraid”” he adds. Thus, “most of the time, the fears are both technical and psychological. Lack of knowledge of this mode of transport fuels our fear, especially since by plane we are subject to sensory excess.
Now people know that it is the safest means of transport in the world, but there are other issues such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia that maintain apprehension. »
For the psychologist, it is therefore increasingly necessary to take into account the psychological aspect in addition to the simple technical aspect. “The plane often pays for the broken pots of our stressed and overloaded lives”, worries the specialist. “If you have lost the habit of asking yourself, let go, to do nothing, to relax and to trust, your fears will come to light” on the plane, warns Philippe Goeury. Some people are marked by the images of crashes that flood the news, others remember a bad memory of a particularly turbulent flight. Sometimes the plane is associated for no apparent reason with a past traumatic event, such as an accident or a difficult period (dismissal, divorce).
Statistics and technical aspects are therefore not always enough to resolve this irrational fear. If one struggles to find oneself and to resolve the other factors that feed this fear, psychological care can be of great help.
An internship to “tame the plane”
The airline Air France offers an anti-stress course to tame the plane and overcome its anxieties. Carried out in groups of 3 people for greater conviviality and personalized follow-up, it takes place over one day (7h30) and costs 650€. Other organizations (peurdelavion.fr or flightadventures) offer more or less similar courses at slightly lower prices. Some mutuals cover part of the price.
Within the structure of Air France, the course first includes a questionnaire, which aims to detail what lies behind the fear of flying. “We review a whole host of questions in terms of the relationship we have with other means of transport, but also with closed spaces (motorways, tunnels, etc.)”, specifies the psychologist of the center. The questionnaire will also establish the particularities, the profile of the person, namely his need for control, his state of stress and anxiety in his daily life, etc. It will also allow you to know what is feared at a purely technical level (engine failure, turbulence, loss of control, etc.).
Then comes the psychological interview with the psychologist, who will discuss physical and mental relaxation techniques. “We train them to let their guard down in the bodily sense of the term”, specifies Philippe Goeury. At the mental level, “since the person makes films, we work on feeding his brain other more soothing films”. But often, “care also calls into question the way we behave at work, with our children, when we want to plan and control everything,” adds the specialist.
The internship generally continues with a meeting with the cabin crew, who “will explain their job behind the scenes”, explains Philippe Goeury. A sophrologist also intervenes for an hour and a half to discuss several relaxation tips to use in a situation of anxiety on board or to prepare for a flight.
Finally, the session ends with a meeting with a pilot for an introduction to aeronautics in a flight simulator. Enough to realize more concretely what turbulence is, how the pilots deal with it and the means they have in their possession to control the aircraft. The Air France course also includes the downloading of relaxation aids as well as very specific monitoring of flight personnel, “in-flight support transmitted to crews” for more specific attention. The trainees will also have the possibility of contacting the psychologist again in the event of a “relapse” or to take stock of the aspects to be reworked.
Note that the site fearplane.com (free) brings together advice, videos and information to overcome your fear of flying and best prepare for your flight.
What about safety and health once on board?
If you can overcome your fear by getting on the plane, you have already done a great job. But if this fear does not stop once in the aircraft, know that the flight attendants can reassure you and answer your questions.
“In our first aid kit, we have a small herbal relaxant available, specially designed to soothe the most anxious passengers,” reassures François, steward for 21 years in a large private French company. To calm those worried during turbulence, for example, François explains that the plane “goes so fast that the air becomes as hard as a road, a bit like when you’re water skiing. And like any road, it can have bumps, which requires you to slow down a bit or simply change your route. »
“When an incident occurs (engine failure, landing gear problems, etc.), we have procedures to follow, a bit like in the army. There is never any improvisation”, assures the steward. “If we have to make an emergency landing, for example, we have checklists with procedures to follow to the letter”, nothing is left to chance.
In terms of health, the planes are all equipped with a defibrillator automatic and first aid kits. “To be a Cabin Crew Member (PNC), you must have a diploma equivalent to a resuscitation diploma. We also have refreshers every year including training on semi-automatic defibrillators, cardiac massages, etc. adds the steward. François even points out that according to statistics, the chances of surviving a heart attack on a plane are 8%, compared to about 5% in the hospital, because the flight attendants are more responsive.
In addition, François assures us that the Cabin Crew Members are obliged to hold “physical and mental aptitude”, “a major medical examination issued by the Air Force”, which must be obtained every two years. For the pilotsa certificate of physical and mental fitness must be obtained every year or even every six months.
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