To minimize risk of exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus and COVID-19 variants, I am continuing to suspend in-person hypnotherapy sessions with me in my office. Meanwhile, phone, and Zoom consultations ARE and WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE!
(This blog was originally posted on May 15, 2014)
If you are afraid of flying, hypnosis
and guided imagery can alleviate this anxiety and help to make your journey
more comfortable. In this blog, I will describe how I use hypnosis and
therapeutic guided-imagery concepts to help desensitize my clients to any
negative associations they may have with and fear of flying.
The first thing I do is confirm that
the client has a fear and not a phobia of the stimulus (flying). According to Hypnosis Motivation Institute founder John
Kappas, Ph.D., a fear is distinguished from a phobia if it has a
specific cause or origin. For example, if the plane you were last on went
through a thunderstorm and you experienced a lot of turbulence and sudden drop
in altitude or a loved one dying in a crash, you might develop a fear of
flying. Conversely, a phobia is a generalized anxiety response that is
associated with low blood-sugar levels and no specific event triggered the
reaction.
Once I make this determination, I
will teach the person some basic relaxation techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing and special-place
imagery. When the client is in hypnosis and is in a deep state of
relaxation, I will help him or her to create a finger-press anchor to “lock in”
that sensation of calm and comfort, which the person can employ if and when he
or she feels anxious or afraid. I also guide the person through a series of
imagery exercises to desensitize him or her to anticipatory anxiety about
flying and to the specific stimulus or stimuli that trigger the fear or anxiety
response (e.g., words such as terminal, last call and final destination). I
also have the person “rehearse” preparing for and taking the scheduled flight:
making travel arrangements, packing for the flight, waking up the day of the
trip, eating a nutritious meal, leaving for the airport and boarding the plane.
During this exercise, the client gets to visualize, imagine picture or pretend
that he or she hears and sees the doors close on the aircraft and feel the
plane take off, fly for the estimated duration of the journey and land at the
destination. I will then guide the client through a similar exercise to prepare
for the trip home.
I incorporate the client’s words/expressions in the hypnotic script to emphasize and reinforce his or her reasons/motivations to overcome the fear (or phobia) about flying. I use guided imagery to help the client replace negative associations between the sensation of flying, with that of the deep relaxation and sense of calm and comfort experienced during hypnosis. In this and future hypnotherapy sessions, I will continue to desensitize the person to triggers of this fear of flying and reinforce the new association between feeling confident, relaxed and in control while traveling in an airplane. Once the client has returned to an alert and aware state I will provide some practical tips to further reduce anxiety while traveling and provide a recording of the hypnosis/visualization portion of the session to further reinforce this relaxed state.
Practical
tips to make your flight more comfortable:
- Drink water and eat a nutritious meal that contains protein to keep your mood even and anxiety low.
- Do not drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages before or during the flight, which can affect suggestibility and may increase your anxiety.
- Get plenty of sleep the night before you travel.
- Listen to the reinforcement track before bed the night before your flight and on a personal stereo during the flight.
- Practice diaphragmatic breathing and activate the finger-press anchor whenever you need to reduce stress or anxiety before or during the flight.
Special Offer: Discount on the First Hypnotherapy Session
for Active/Retired
Military Personnel & First Responders
Special Offer: 25 percent discount (that is
$50!) off the first hypnotherapy session for all active/retired military
personnel and first responders (police, fire-fighters, EMT/paramedics,
ambulance personnel, emergency dispatchers, ER physicians and nurses, COVID-19
Ward staff).
This offer may not be combined
with any other discount or discount package. It is not redeemable for cash.
Sara R. Fogan,
C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated
with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. Sara has been
voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California, three years in a
row (July 2019, September 2020, July 2021). For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2021
