Have you ever refused a job because it requires you use airplane regularly? Did your friends start a journey, but you could not follow them because of your anxiety ?
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Stéphane Bouchard, explains how he has recovered from aerodromophobia (the phobia of airplanes). If some people just read on the subject to overcome their fear, most will have to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy. “We start by getting to know patients to understand what makes them anxious. Some are claustrophobic, others are acrophobic (fear of heights). The fear of an accident is also a source of anxiety.
Next step: talk about the operation of the plane and the probabilities of an accident. This step is fast, because even in the presence of facts, patients are not convinced. The fear of the plane is irrational, like all phobias. Then you have to tame this fear. There are two choices for patients: either they resort to virtual reality if they are at their disposal, or they go to a small airport to watch the planes take off.
Virtual reality creates the impression of being in an airplane. “When the patient is ready, we get on the plane. With his consent, we close the doors, then we take off. You can choose a good flight or a flight with turbulence. As it me who decides, I gradually induce what the patient fears.
This technology allows 25 landings in one hour, which is not possible in reality.” For the therapy to work, the professor suggests ten one-off meetings once a week. The success rate hovers around 85%, virtual reality or not.
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