Very afraid of flying - that's what many clients with aerophobia might say.

In this article we will talk about the cognitive component of this condition "very afraid of flying".

Very afraid of flying: the cognitive basis of anxiety

In aerophobia (fear of flying), clients often report anxiety about a range of physiological and psychological factors.

Studies of aerophobia show that a fairly large proportion of the components of anxiety are related to cognitive reappraisal of threats, or in other words, a particular interpretation of signals.

Often, when analyzing thoughts related to fear of flying, one can identify quite a large number of cognitive distortions.

Let's take a look at some of them.

The first is personalization.

If a person has a fear of flying, they may mentally place themselves in this "I am a person with aerophobia" context and thus unconsciously seek confirmation of this.

The unconscious search for confirmation will influence which processes and events he will pay attention to.

The second is catastrophizing.

In catastrophizing, a person may, for example, contemplate in advance that the flight will turn out to be horrible for him.

The third is mental filtering

With this cognitive distortion, a person will ruminate on exactly those aspects of flying that cause him unpleasant emotions. In doing so, he or she may completely ignore the fact that the flight is going well.

A fourth common dysfunctional belief is "predicting the future"

In this case, the person with a fear of flying may think that he or she knows for certain that he or she will have a difficult physical and psychological condition on the flight and that the flight will be uncomfortable for him or her.

The next mental nonobjective representation is called "overgeneralization".

It includes, for example, the thought

"I feel a little anxious at the thought of flying, so I'm definitely going to have an aerophobic episode."

There are a large number of possible variations of cognitive overgeneralization.

Is it possible to change the situation with cognitive reassessment?

One of the most effective options is to undergo a course of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Consistent and systematic work with a specialist can gradually allow the transition from cognitive overestimation to a more balanced way of thinking, and the transition itself will be quite smooth and controlled.

CONCLUSION: A particular format of interpretation called cognitive reappraisal leads to cognitive distortions, which in turn have a strong influence on the maintenance of flight anxiety.
Which type of cognitive reappraisal is more common to you because of your fear of flying?

Recommendation: a course of cognitive-behavioral therapy for fear of flying would help to solve this problem.