

Clinical Psychologist
ring or SMS me on 0413-040-747 to discuss how I can help.
All Sessions during COVID-19 conditions are currently conducted
via Telehealth such as Zoom, and BULKBILLED (no gap)
under Medicare for Australian card holders.
International patient sessions also available via Zoom.
Email: Les@lesposen.com for free initial consultation


Clinical Psychologist
ring or SMS me on 0413-040-747 to discuss how I can help.
All Sessions during COVID-19 conditions are currently conducted
via Telehealth such as Zoom, and BULKBILLED (no gap)
under Medicare for Australian card holders.
International patient sessions also available via Zoom.
Email: Les@lesposen.com for free initial consultation
Common Causes of Fear of Flying
Here are four of the main causes I often see and work with
In session, we discuss how airline flight and cabin crew give consideration to turbulence, how they rate and deal with it, and how aircraft manufacturers are developing technologies to minimise the effects of turbulence on the smooth flow of air over wing surfaces.
Over the course of treatment, each patient’s new mantra becomes: “Turbulence might be uncomfortable, but it’s not unsafe.”
Feelings of entrapment, whether physical or psychological, is an ancient fear. We hear about them regularly with news of floods, earthquakes, and drownings and it goes to a very basic, evolutionary protective brain “hardwiring”. Not being able to breathe which feelings of being trapped can trigger, is a primitive yet powerful and scary experience we work on in treatment.
Working to overcome fear of flying can occur alongside another professional working with these presentations.
In this category we can add special cases, such as children as well as adults with sensory challenges such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Approach I take to Fear of Flying and other anxieties
This approach helps patients identify their safety or avoidance behaviours which can often take on the appearance of superstitious thoughts and behaviour, which can be quite frustrating for those people who rely on their rational intellect.
In our sessions, we identify two errors in probability estimation:
- Overestimation of the presence of danger in the feared situation
- Underestimation of one’s ability to cope with one’s own unpleasant sensations, behaviours and thoughts
Exposure works by habituating patients to scary but fundamentally safe scenarios. It also means learning to inhibit old but no longer useful automatic behaviours and thoughts and putting in their place more adaptive and accurate ways of behaving and thinking.
I also take advantage of any wearable devices many patients now use such as the Applewatch, and how to best practise new ways to manage anxiety between sessions. Being able to see and measure typically frightening sensations helps put them in their place and offers greater self-control and self-regulation.
This is all performed in a way that attends carefully and respectfully to patients’ ability to confront their fears. Too fast and patients don’t return; too slow and patients don’t feel any change occurring. 30 years of clinical experience, ongoing training and leading workshops for other psychologists really helps!
Latest News
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April 10, 2021This week, I had the opportunity to meet (over Zoom) with a patient interstate, someone who has to fly on a regular basis for their work, rather than for leisure. It mean...
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October 27, 2020At the landing page of my Flightwise.com.au website (where you are now!), you’ll see a series of blue panels describing “Common causes of fear of flying”...
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October 21, 2020Melbourne, where I reside, has been the city in Australia which has been most affected by lockdowns imposed upon its population and businesses. With new daily cases of CO...
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October 16, 2020As COVID-19 continues to affect populations around the world, one of the industries which has taken a huge hit is commercial aviation. Personally, I haven’t flown f...
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January 31, 2020In late 2019, I was interviewed for a feature piece in Lonely Planet about how to best manage your fear of flying. The article interviewed two others for perspective. ...
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January 3, 2020In the last month of 2019, I uploaded to my YouTube channel two video comparing two forms of food preparation: one, the Iron Chef, and two, a short order cook in a diner....
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October 16, 2019Many years ago, when I was running the Melbourne-based Fear of Flying program for a now defunct Aussie airline (it was the local partner of the international Star Allianc...
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April 18, 2019In a previous blog entry from 2018, I shared with you a video I had produced about new ways to think about turbulence. It’s proven very popular on YouTube which has...
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November 7, 2018Here’s a video I created at the beginning of 2018 to help fearful flyers understand better what happens to aircraft in turbulence and why their mantra ought to be &...
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November 7, 2018I’m in the process of creating some short YouTube videos on my Channel for those of you who’d prefer to to listen and watch rather than read, or perhaps do bo...
What other anxieties do I work with?
Heights

Sooner or later, it becomes difficult to avoid heights
Whether it be flying, visiting friends who have downsized to a high-rise apartment, going to meetings above the 5th floor, or your company has transferred to a modern tower, it’s getting harder to avoid being high off the ground.
Dogs, Birds and other common animals

Fear of Dogs can be quite intrusive in a dog-loving Australia
I have a large German Shepherd Dog (pictured) who becomes part of the therapy helping children, adolescents and adults whose day to day lives are interfered with by their fear of dogs. Children refuse sleepovers, and adults won’t visit parks and gardens.
Driving (as a driver or passenger)

Afraid of driving or being driven is extremely intrusive
Sometimes we have been involved in an incident or near miss where we thought our lives (and that of our passengers) was truly threatened. Whether it be entering a freeway or driving at high speed with a lot of fast moving traffic, avoiding driving can become a very intrusive experience.
"Trapped!" - tunnels, bridges, elevators, social situations

Feeling “trapped” can occur in a variety of places
They can occur in “real places” or in virtual places such as relationships, dead end jobs or careers, but feelings of being trapped can trigger sensations of panic and disorientation, leading to avoidance behaviours and a painful cycle of feelings/thoughts/behaviours.
Performance Anxiety, e.g. presenting and public speaking, interviews, formal assessments, Fellowship examinations

Sooner or later, we all need to present and prepare to be evaluated
Being examined – either formally or informally – is now an ordinary to-be-expected part of our lives and careers. But for many it can become an overwhelming experience, setting the pattern for even more challenging experiences to come. For some, it can mean the end of a promising career. It need not to be so, with professional assistance.
Illness anxieties - fear of injections, blood, operations, vomiting, and contracting diseases

Caring about one’s health is fine, but being anxious about every little sensation is quite something else
Being and looking healthy is a new form of status, given all the “invitations” to engage in all manner of unhealthy activities. But for some, many hours and efforts can be spent worrying about health, and checking Google for symptoms. Often, it’s family or friends who are also affected and ask the person to seek professional help.
Technology-based anxieties - overuse, avoidance, internet-based sexuality issues

Technologies, especially mobile, are ubiquitous, but occasionally they can be interfering in life quality
Not everyone is comfortable around new technologies. They can be quite frightening for some, especially when one has no choice (i.e., your company makes new technologies a part of your workflow). For others, internet-based depictions of sexuality can be very enticing, where one can spend hours away from one’s responsibilities in search of particular images of videos. It can interfere in work and personal relationships and either lead to, or be a signal for depression and anxiety. Talking confidentiality to someone with specific expertise in this area can be a great start, and offer path to more appropriate, less fraught internet use.
Social Anxiety - being in groups, social situations, dating, social activities,

Social Anxiety is probably the most common and truly interfering of presentations
Social Anxiety is way, way more than shyness. It’s a truly devastating and interfering disorder which often starts in adolescence and continues into adulthood. People who suffer this often talk about the fear of being criticised, rejected, humiliated, embarrassed, shunned and being left out of social and intimate relationships. They don’t take up new hobbies or activities for fear of failing or being seen to fail, and thus humiliated or ostracised. They thus often talk about missing out on some of life’s great and simple pleasures. For this reason, it’s often linked to depression, especially in young people. Talking confidentiality to someone with specific expertise in this area can be a great start. The addition of specific Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies can assist greatly when practised in line with current evidence based research.
Murrumbeena, Victoria, 3163
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