Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Fear of Flying | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My family experienced some bad turbulence when flying over the ocean recently, and it really unnerved my very mature 11-year-old daughter. She is adamant about never flying again, especially after the horrors of the four hijackings Tuesday. How can I help her deal with her fear and, I hope, overcome it?— Worrywart in Maine | | | ANSWER |
September 17, 2001 | | | Dear Worrywart,
If you're not planning to fly anywhere soon, it may be best to just let the matter rest for a while. With time, your daughter's resolve never to fly again could weaken, particularly if the next trip is to somewhere she really wants to go and changes in airplane travel have been fully implemented to ensure safety. After we are able to distance ourselves from the immediate aftermath of what has happened, she may also hear positive things from friends or family who fly off to interesting places, without incident, and decide that she'd like to do that, too.
When the time does come for you and your daughter to consider taking another plane trip (say, three months in advance of your anticipated travel time), ask your daughter again how she feels about flying--whether she thinks she will be able to handle any nervous feelings she has. If she still shies away from the idea of getting on a plane, you might consider a brief course of relaxation-mental imagery therapy (also sometimes called hypnotherapy) to help her overcome her learned aversion to flying. Usually three or four visits are enough. This approach works well with both children and adults, especially if there is just one isolated fear. When children are generally anxious or have multiple persistent fears, they may need more involved (that is, longer-term) therapy.
If you need to fly with your daughter soon and don't have time for relaxation training, or access to a psychologist or behavioral physician, then you might talk with your daughter's healthcare provider about safe medications that she can take to lessen her fear response temporarily. However, medications only will work if your daughter resolves to try to fly. If she persistently refuses to get on a plane, medicating her is not likely to be the answer.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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