Scared of flying? Minnesota expert says "we can unlearn" aerophobia
The recent commercial airline crashes in Toronto and Washington D.C. have likely created or amplified fears people have of flying.
It's called aerophobia. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 25 million people in the U.S. have it. It often affects younger people, from their late teens to mid-30s.
That age range coincides with when anxiety can start or intensify for people, which in turn can influence aerophobia, according to Jenny Matthews, a licensed marriage and family therapist.
So, what causes it? It could be because someone had a bad experience on a plane, like a rough landing or extreme turbulence. News stories about crashes make people think it could happen to them.
Lastly, some get nervous about not having any control over the plane, while others worry about not being able to control themselves while on the flight, leading to panic attacks.
Matthews said that even though most people haven't experienced a crash or in-flight emergency themselves, seeing these recent crashes on the news makes them visualize it happening to them, especially if they have anxiety.
The good news is people can work through aerophobia.
"Nobody was born with the fear of flying. It was learned at some point, and we can unlearn it," Matthews said. "I think that first mindset is so important because a lot of people surrender themselves to saying, 'I'm always going to be a fearful flyer, I'll just never be able to fly. I hate flying, it's just not for me.' And that is the first mistake right there. You can become someone who's comfortable with flying."
She says overcoming a fear of flying doesn't happen overnight. It's something to chip away at over time. Avoiding flying, however, will only make the fear worse.
Matthews is based in the Twin Cities. She's hosting a workshop in March at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport called Navigating Flight Anxiety. She also has an online course.
