AAA estimates that there are 4.5 Million Americans flying to Thanksgiving this year, up 8 percent from last. Some of them may feel nervous before they board.
Aerophobia (fear of flying) is one of most prevalent phobias. An estimated 25 million Americans are afraid to fly. The symptoms can include extreme anxiety, nausea, and dizziness. Tiffany Schmermund is 36 and knows the importance of fearing flying. She’s so scared to fly, she’s only done it twice in her life.
According to experts, the best approach to conquering fear of flying is to confront it directly. It’s called exposure therapy and so Inside Edition accompanied Tiffany on a flight from Florida to Texas with the goal of meeting an expert who could help her overcome her fear.
“I want to get off, already,” She tells Inside Edition nearly immediately.
Tiffany finds it terrifying to fly from Jacksonville, Florida to Dallas in the two hour and 45 minutes.
“I really didn’t want to have a window seat,” she says.
She grabs hold of the seat and covers her eyes for most of the trip.
“I wish they would just land the damn thing,” she says. “The plane is shaking. It was feeling either like it was going to break apart or that we would crash.”
Once on the ground, we introduced Tiffany to Captain Ron Nielsen, a former airline pilot who now helps fearful fliers overcome their anxiety.
“So, the first exercise is about breathing,” he says. “And what this is designed to do is to help control your breathing and lower your anxiety.”
He instructs her to breath into a bag, saying, “It makes you focus on your breathing.”
“Something else I do is the numbers game,” he continues, giving Tiffany a number and then telling her to add three to whatever he says. They played the game for a few rounds, Tiffany focused on doing the math Nielsen asks for.
Next up, Nielsen instructs Tiffany to write with the opposite hand.
“It takes you out of your comfort zone and away from the fear,” he says.
Tiffany put her new tips to test on her return flight from Florida. And though the flight’s landing was a little rough, she ultimately says Nielsen’s tips were a huge help and that she can’t wait to travel with her kids.