Emotional Freedom Technique Releases Fear of Flying
For some of us, the idea of going on holiday, or travelling, is spoiled by the thought of dealing with overwhelming fear and panic at the thought of getting on an airplane.
Although it can be bunched into an unspecific fear, often, more specific thoughts bring up the fear and are best treated one by one.
For example, going to the airport; saying goodbye; climbing the stairs; anxiety about who is sitting next to you; certain smells and sounds; that moment when the plane stops for take-off and the engines rev; turbulence; landing; a previous and difficult flight; comments you have read or heard relating to danger on a plane; worry about terrorism; persistent thoughts of the plane crashing; a sense of feeling trapped in the plane.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or ‘tapping’ as it is often known has a proven track record of removing the unnecessary emotion around anything, including the fear of flying.
I recently worked with a young woman who was flying to New York a couple of days later. When she visited me, she was terrified at the thought of this flight. Her heart would start beating fast, she sweated, her breathing became shallow and she gave the impression of someone who just wanted to up and run away! Before she took flights, she medicated herself with Valium and Beta Blockers! A heavy combination I think you would agree! After an hour of EFT, she felt relaxed and confident that she could handle the flight. On arriving in New York two days later, she texted me that she had the best flight she ever had. A couple of months later, she attended one of my workshops and since then has been flying happily and easily – without drugs! As she has accepted a job which requires her to travel intercontinental on a regular basis, this letting go of fear of flying has made an enormous impact on her life across the board!
Don’t just take my word for it, get going now and notice how even this generalized EFT Tapping Script for Fear of Flying can begin to help.
To start;
- Click this link to my video demonstrating the points to tap on, and how to tap, for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Before going any further, acquaint yourself with the points so that when you begin to work with the script, you are focused on your thoughts and feelings rather then whether you are tapping in the right place.
- Imagine the scenario, maybe a flight you are planning to take, or may want to take, or imagine a flight you have already taken during which you experienced some fear. Whenever you reach a thought, or visualize something which gives you a crescendo of emotion, just stop, measure on a scale of 1 to 10 how scary that event or thought is and tap it out. After tapping, go back and measure how scary it feels now.
- Focus on your thought for a minute or two, then let that thought go and focus on tapping through the following script.
Side of Hand
Even though this thought about flying is terrifying me, I love and accept myself anyway.
Even though I am far to frightened of flying to get on a plane, I love and accept myself and I open up to the possibility that it is safe.
Even though I can’t do this, get on that plane or any other one for that matter, I accept myself and all of this fear. I am open to the possibility that as I move through this fear, aspects of my life closed down by this fear, will open up and be fantastic.
Even though this thought is bringing up so much fear for me, I love and accept myself and I am open to the possibility of flying without fear.
EB: This fear
SE; All this flying fear
UE; I am scared of getting on a plane
Nose; but I want to go where its going
Ch; All this fear
CB; This fear of flying
UA; this thought of flying
Crown; This thought of flying
EB; This thought of flying
SE; all this fear
UE; what if I could fly easily and confidently
Nose; how brilliant would that be?
Ch; Maybe I can
CB; no I can’t, don’t be ridiculous
UA; I’ve been frightened of this for …………..years
Cr; I’m going to hold onto it!
EB; what if I could let it go
SE; what if it would be no big deal
UE; All this fear
Nose; and I love and accept myself anyway
Ch; this fear of flying
CB; this fearful thought
UA; this fear
Cr; I choose to relax and open to the possibility of easy flying.
EB; this fearful thought
SE; this flying thought
UE; this upsetting thought
Nose; I’m fine
Ch; this upsetting thought around flying
CB; this thought, this fear
UA; this fearful thought
Cr; I choose to relax
EB; I choose calm
SE; I choose to let these limiting thought fly away
UE; I choose to trust myself
Ns; I choose to trust the technology of modern flight
Ch; I choose to enjoy myself
CB; I choose calm
UA; I choose to relax;
Cr; I choose freedom.
- Revisit your original scary thought. On a scale of 1 – 10, how scary is it now? What has changed? Check that you are still measuring the thought you had before you starting tapping. If it is reduced to a 2 or less, move on to the next scary thought. Remember to re-check your 1 – 10 level after a nights sleep as EFT works rather like a computer in that, when you re-programme a computer, it asks you to restart – re-starting is akin to sleep in a human being.
So, have a go and enjoy your flight!
