A Flying Anxiety Script

This is an original script for clients who fear flying — whether they avoid it entirely or endure it with intense distress. Fear of flying is rarely a single fear; it may involve elements of claustrophobia, fear of heights, fear of turbulence, fear of loss of control or fear of panic itself [1]. The script uses graded imaginal exposure through the phases of a flight, brief psychoeducation and an anchoring technique the client can use in the aircraft.

About this script

• Purpose: reduce flying anxiety through imaginal exposure and coping-skill development
• Length: about fifteen minutes at a steady, reassuring pace
• Audience: practitioners working with aviophobic clients; individuals preparing for a flight
• Structure: settling, brief psychoeducation, safety anchor, graded flight exposure (airport, boarding, takeoff, cruise, turbulence, landing), re-alerting
• Best used: in a series of sessions before a planned flight

Before you read

• Identify the specific fear. Ask what exactly the client is afraid of. Fear of crashing is different from fear of being trapped, and both require different emphasis. This script covers the general flight sequence; weight the sections according to the client’s fear profile.
• Exposure is the mechanism. A meta-analysis found large effect sizes for exposure-based treatments of specific phobias [2]. Hypnosis provides the relaxation context and makes the imagery more vivid, but it is the imaginal exposure that does the therapeutic work.
• Work toward a real flight. Imaginal exposure is preparation for the real thing. The goal is for the client to fly. Plan sessions so that the last one is close to a booked flight.

The script

Settling

Sit back and let your body settle… feet on the floor, hands on your lap… and let your eyes close… [pause]

Take a slow, full breath… and release it… and again… letting each exhale carry a little tension out of your body… [pause]

You are safe here… and everything we do today is under your control… if at any point you want to stop or return to this room, raise your hand and we will come back immediately… [pause]

Brief psychoeducation

Before we begin the imagery, I want to share two facts that your anxious mind may not have access to when it is working hardest…

First: turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous to the aircraft… the wings of a commercial plane are designed to flex, and the aircraft is tested to withstand forces far beyond anything encountered in normal flight… [pause]

Second: your body’s fear response in a plane — racing heart, shallow breathing, sweaty palms — is your alarm system activating in a situation it reads as threatening… the alarm is real, but what it is telling you about the danger is not accurate… your job is to let the alarm ring without obeying it… [pause]

Safety anchor

Now press your thumb and forefinger together… gently but firmly… and as you do, let the calm of this room, this chair, your steady breathing, flow into that touch… this is your anchor… [pause]

You will use this anchor on the plane… in the waiting area, during boarding, during turbulence… each time you press it, it reminds your body of this calm… [pause]

Airport and boarding

Now imagine yourself at the airport… you have your boarding pass, your bag is checked… you are walking through the terminal… [pause]

Notice the sounds… the announcements, the footsteps, the distant hum of the building… these are just sounds… they are part of the experience, not threats… [pause]

You reach the gate… and you press your anchor… breathe… you are managing this… [pause]

Now you are boarding… walking down the jet bridge, the narrow corridor, the doorway of the plane… you find your seat, sit down, fasten your belt… [pause]

The cabin is enclosed, the air is recycled, the seats are close together… and you are still breathing, still grounded, still in control of your response if not the situation… [pause]

Takeoff

The engines start… a deep, steady sound… the plane moves, turns, accelerates down the runway… [pause]

This is often the hardest part… the speed, the tilt, the ground falling away… your body may react… let it… press your anchor, breathe out slowly, and let the reaction happen without adding to it… [pause]

The plane lifts… the wheels leave the ground… and you are climbing… the pressure in your ears, the angle of the seat… all normal, all expected… [pause]

Cruise

The seatbelt sign goes off… the plane levels out… and the sound settles to a constant hum… [pause]

Notice that the anxiety, which was high a minute ago, has already come down… not gone, but lower… because the body cannot sustain peak alarm forever… it tires… it adapts… and you are still here, still fine… [pause]

Turbulence

Now the plane shudders… a bump, a drop, a rattle… turbulence… [pause]

Your stomach tightens… your hands grip the armrest… and the voice in your head says “something is wrong”… [pause]

But nothing is wrong… the plane was built for this… the pilots are trained for this… the bumps are air, not danger… [pause]

Press your anchor… breathe out for a count of eight… one… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… [pause]

The turbulence fades… the plane is steady again… and you managed it… [pause]

Landing

The pilot announces the descent… the plane tilts, the engines change pitch, the ground comes closer… [pause]

The wheels touch… a bump, a roar of brakes… and then you are on the ground, rolling, slowing, stopping… [pause]

You did it… you flew… and you are here, on the ground, safe, and capable of doing it again… [pause]

Re-alerting

I will count from one to five.

One… returning to the room. Two… feeling your chair, your feet on the floor. Three… energy in your arms and legs. Four… a deep breath. Five… eyes open, alert, grounded and proud of what you just practiced. [pause]

Usage notes

Evidence context

A meta-analysis of exposure-based treatments for specific phobias found large effect sizes [2]. Virtual reality exposure for fear of flying has also shown significant benefit compared with waitlist controls [3]. There are no large trials of hypnosis specifically for fear of flying, but the use of hypnosis to deepen imaginal exposure is consistent with the exposure-based evidence.

Tailoring to the specific fear

If the primary fear is claustrophobia, spend more time on the boarding and cabin section. If it is turbulence, extend that section and repeat it. If it is loss of control, emphasize the psychoeducation and the anchor. The script is a template; the practitioner’s job is to weight it correctly for each client.

Graduated real-world exposure

After several imaginal sessions, move toward real-world practice:

1. Visit an airport without flying
2. Watch planes take off from an observation area
3. Sit in a parked plane (some airports offer this for phobia treatment)
4. Take a short flight

Each step should be practiced with the anchor and breathing techniques in place.

Scope

This script is for specific fear of flying. It does not address:

• Generalized anxiety that includes flying as one of many feared situations
• PTSD from a previous flight incident or crash
• Panic disorder where flying is one of several trigger situations

When to refer. If the client has experienced a traumatic flight event (severe turbulence, emergency landing, witnessing an incident), has PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks and nightmares, or has panic disorder with agoraphobic avoidance, refer for psychological assessment. Trauma-focused CBT or EMDR may be more appropriate than a phobia script.

Related entries

For enclosed-space anxiety, see Claustrophobia Desensitization Script. For general anxiety, see Letting Go of Worry Script. For the anchor technique, see Safe Place Establishment Script.