Fly Away Fear

Elaine Iljon Foreman is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who specialises in the treatment of fear of flying and other anxiety related problems. She holds an Honours Degree from Durham University, a Master's Degree from Aberdeen University, and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Her highly specialised Freedom to FlyTM treatment programme for fear of flying, is based on over twenty years of clinical experience, and on her ongoing research and development of cognitive behaviour therapy. As well as being an invited expert on radio and TV programmes, and having published extensively in the field, her research results have been presented at international conferences in Europe, North America, the Far East and Australia. Dr Lucas van Gerwen is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and a professional pilot. As a European registered aviation psychologist, he is Director of the VALK Foundation, a collaborative venture between the University of Leiden, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Transavia airline and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, to help people overcome their fear of flying. He has worked in this field for more than twenty years. The main goals of the VALK Foundation are: to help prevent a fear of flying, to provide a facility for helping those affected overcome their fears and to work with other organisations to develop their own programmes. He is the one of the organisers and founding father of the International World Conference on Fear of Flying. Dr van Gerwen is the author of several books on the topic of fear of flying and has published numerous papers in scientific journals on the assessment and treatment of this common problem.

'Therapy has progressed significantly over the past hundred years or so since Freud described a theory of how the mind operates, how human behaviour can be understood, and how psychopathology can be treated. The notion that an outside expert, such as a psychologist, psychotherapist, counsellor, or psychoanalyst, is best placed to help people to identify and resolve their personal problems, has, however, dominated therapy throughout the past century. The results of modern psychological research and patterns observed in contemporary clinical practice have yielded a clearer and deeper understanding of how psychological problems are generated and maintained for a wide range of life's difficulties. With this understanding comes new insights into how people change and how best to treat psychological problems. This book will prove to be a valuable tool for those who experience a fear of flying, as well as their families and friends who accompany them on their real and therapeutic journeys. It will also appeal to therapists who work with patients who seek help from them for this problem.' - Robert Bor, from the Series Foreword

• ContentsSection I: What's it All About?If only I could Fly Away Fear! How Limiting Is Your Fear? What Causes Fear of Flying? Who Develops the Fear? The Problem in a NutshellSection II: Back to BasicsSafety: The Facts; So Why Am I Still Not Convinced? Understanding Anxiety and Fear; The Low Down on the High Up; The Journey Through Your JourneySection III: The Exercises, or How to Exorcise your Fear!Learning new skills; When You're Cool, Calm and Collected; Behaviour: It Ain't What you do, it's the Way That You Do It; Thought Re-Training; Relaxation and Breathing Exercises; Putting it all together; Handy HintsSection IV: Last, But Not LeastTravel Companions: Dos and Don'ts; Frequently Asked Questions; Professional Assistance Options; Joint International Reunions; Self Evaluation: Questionnaire 2; Flights of Fancy - Poet's Corner