scoobydoo13

Wow some really interesting points!
From a psychological perspective what precipitated the fear isn't as important, what is maintaining the fear is more pertinent. Checking behaviour does not allow you to dis-confirm your fear e.g., I was safe in the end because I checked that my seatbelt was on 20 times, instead of being safe because everything was actually fine. Also catastrophic thinking e.g., misinterpreting turbulence to mean that something is wrong with the plane. Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation are efficacious in reducing the intensity of the bodies response e.g., sweaty palms. Cognitive therapy helps challenge those catastrophic thoughts e.g., what is the evidence for and against the thought. Behavioural activation also helps you test your thoughts in a safe environment and reduce the intensity of the thought through exposure.
Flying phobia is a phobia, described in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), signifying that it is indeed a psychological phenomenon, therefore seeking a mental health service could be of benefit.

nickukhc

I was supposed to fly out to Poland today to meet girlfriends family and then come back with girlfriend in a few days, I missed the flight due to lack of sleep(I worked as a Doorman on new years eve and finished very late) Anxiety, and my OCD kicked in also making me miss the flight, I still feel awful and very bad for her, I sort of ruined New Year, I feel a bit pathetic, I pretty much broke down earlier. Frustrating because I can do a dangerous job like Security and Door work in a relaxed manner but some things like travelling drive me nuts.

tmmontgomery

It is so weird you say this. I also had a sudden onset of fear of flying. Back when I loved flying, I used to think mild turbulence felt fun too.

Now, I am deathly scared to fly. I used to think it was my fear of heights but I don't think that's it as I wasn't really scared of heights when it came to a plane before. I was more scared of very tall bridges.

I think stress had a lot to do with my sudden onset. Freshly divorced, was sad about leaving my dog for a week, late to the airport. A lot of things hit me over a few flights and I haven't been on a plane since. I even take Clonazepam but I've become so dependent, it doesn't really work anymore.

sucks.

BearX220

Ah, you're responding to a seven-year-old post in a stale twelve-year-old thread. It's considered unproductive around here to dredge up very old discussions.