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 Air France’s anti-stress training center and chief flight attendant with 11,000 flight hours to his credit, explains to us what is 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 a revealer of other aspects related to stress management,anxiety and emotions, ”explains the psychologist. “Almost one in two people have difficulties in confinement, and around 40% also tick the box ‘fear of being afraid’,” he adds. Thus, “most of the time, fears are both technical and psychological. Lack of knowledge of this mode of transport feeds our fear, especially since in an airplane 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 keep them apprehensive. “
For the psychologist, it is therefore more and more necessary to take into account the psychological aspect in addition to the simple technical aspect. “The plane often pays the price for 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 have bad memories 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 sufficient to resolve this irrational fear. If you struggle to find yourself and resolve the other factors that fuel this fear, psychological support can be of great help.
A course to “tame the plane”
The airline Air France offers an anti-stress course to tame the plane and overcome your anxieties. Carried out in groups of 3 people for greater conviviality and personalized follow-up, it takes place over one day (7:30 am) and costs € 650. Other organizations (feardelavion.fr or flightadventures) offer more or less similar courses at slightly lower prices. Some mutuals cover part of the price.
Within the Air France structure, the internship first includes a questionnaire, which aims to detail what is behind the fear of flying. “We review a whole bunch of questions at the level of the relationship we have with other means of transport, but also with closed spaces (highways, tunnels etc.)”, specifies the psychologist of the center. The questionnaire will also establish the peculiarities, the profile of the person, namely their need for control, their state of stress and anxiety in their daily life, etc. It will also make it possible to know what is feared at the purely technical level (engine failure, turbulence, loss of control, …).
Then comes the psychological interview with the psychologist, who will discuss bodily and mental relaxation techniques. “We train them to lower their guard in the bodily sense of the term”, specifies Philippe Goeury. At the mental level, “since the person makes films, we work so that his brain feeds on other more calming films”. But often, “taking charge also calls into question the way we behave at work, with our children, when we want to plan everything 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. This gives you a more concrete idea of what turbulence is, how 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 materials as well as special monitoring of on-board staff, “in-flight support provided to the crews” for more specific attention. The trainees will also have the possibility of recontacting the psychologist in the event of “relapse” or to take stock of the aspects to be reworked.
Note that the site scareavion.com (free) brings together advice, videos and information to overcome your fear of flying and prepare for your flight.
What about health and safety once on board?
If you can get over 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 available a small herbal relaxant, specially designed to soothe the most anxious passengers”, reassures François, steward for 21 years in a large private French company. To calm worries 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 water ski. And like any road, it can have bumps, which means you have to slow down a bit or simply change lanes. “
“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 be followed to the letter”, nothing is left to chance.
On the health side, the planes are all equipped with a defibrillator automatic and first aid kits. “To be a Cabin Crew Member (Cabin Crew), you must have a diploma equivalent to a resuscitation diploma. We also have annual upgrades including training on semi-automatic defibrillators, cardiac massages etc. »Adds the flight attendant. François even points out that according to statistics, the chances of surviving a heart attack in a plane are 8%, against about 5% in the hospital, because the flight crew is more responsive.
In addition, François assures us that the Cabin Crew Members are obliged to be holders of “physical and mental aptitude”, “a major medical examination issued by the Air Force”, which must be obtained every two years. For the pilots, a certificate of physical and mental aptitude must be obtained every year or even every six months.
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