Phobia Case Study: How Avira Faced Her Fear of Flying and Found Her Wings
Patient Information
Name: Avira (Changed for Privacy)
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Background: Working professional in marketing, residing in Bangalore, India
Avira is a confident and driven 28-year-old working woman. Residing in Bangalore, she has the kind of personality that defines cool and personal. Great for her job profile in the marketing department, she is outgoing, a typical people person, and excellent with Public Relations. Avira is the chirpy, jovial girl with the perfect job, a close-knit group of friends and an ambition to go beyond with endless curiosity. While she had what it takes for people to look at her with dreamy eyes, Avira was quietly battling with her fear of flying. While she covered it under the cape of charisma for years, her fear came in the way of her dreams and growth. She was unable to take offers to go abroad and work with her dream clients because of her fear of flying.
History or Cause
Avira was fine in her early years. She could travel easily, like most people. However, at the age of 16, while travelling with her family on a flight from Delhi to Mumbai, the plane suffered severe turbulence. People on the flight panicked, and there was chaos. While everyone was safe, the incident left a deep impact on Avira’s mind. Over the years, the experience took a bitter shape in the form of aviophobia.
She couldn’t get over the terrifying experience, which only reminded her of the screams, the faces, the sound of rattling luggage and bins in the cabin, and the jerky movements. She associated all these with flying, and it became a nightmare for her.
In the beginning, she only avoided flying because of her fear, but with age, it has only grown. She started feeling anxious around airports and planes, even in movies, and when someone talked about air travel near her.
At 28, after achieving so much at work, her company gave her the opportunity to work with her dream clients abroad. Avira did not know how to handle this. She reached out to her company’s therapist and shared her problem. The therapist explained to her that she has a phobia and it can be treated, and once she recovers, she will have no problem flying. She told her that facing fears is a part of growing up and that it shows courage. Hearing this, Avira became hopeful and chose to fight.
Diagnosis
Avira’s therapist at her corporate office referred her to Jagruti Rehab Centre for specialised treatment. When she arrived at our Rehabilitation Centre in Bangalore, we first conducted a thorough assessment process to make a diagnosis. The diagnosis process involved:
- Personal interviews
- Anxiety assessments
- Phobia-specific questionnaires
- Trigger mapping
Diagnosis: The results confirmed she was suffering from aviophobia. It is a type of specific phobia and falls under the umbrella of anxiety disorders.
Her symptoms included:
- Shortness of breath
- Increased heart rate
- Shaking hands
- Nausea or dizziness
- Nightmares about flying
- Avoidance of conversations or plans involving travel
- Panic attacks even at the thought of boarding a plane
Avira’s fear was not irrational. Her symptoms and condition were just unhealed trauma and unchallenged thoughts that intensified over time. Her complete diagnosis, which included the root cause of her problem, made Avira confident and in control already.
Treatment
Approach
We at Jagruti Rehab focused on gradual exposure combined with cognitive restructuring. The most important thing was not to rush the process. Rushing could make everything ineffective and increase her phobia. So, instead, we set up goals to build her confidence step-by-step.
Program
We designed a 12-week outpatient program for Avira at Jagruti Rehab. She visited us for therapy sessions and followed the lifestyle changes we recommended to her while she continued with her office and family life. Here is how her Phobia treatment program worked:
Weeks 1-2: Understanding the Fear
Avira was made to understand her fear in the first two weeks. Education played a key role in this phase. She had to attend one-on-one Cognitive Behavioural Therapy sessions to better understand her fear of flying. She was made to realise it was not the planes that caused her fear, but her thoughts that caused her fears. And since the fear was learned, it could be unlearned. The first phase was about making Avira realise that the fear is in her mind and not a reality, and conscious efforts to change her mindset could remove her fear.
Weeks 3-5: Breaking the Thought Cycle
In weeks 3 and 4, we taught her how to challenge her fearful thoughts. We focused on replacing her thoughts from “The plane will crash” and “Everyone will die” to “Flying is fast and safe” and “The clouds look beautiful from the plane.” We used breathing techniques, journaling, visualisation, and affirmation exercises in her routine.
Weeks 6-8: Gradual Exposure
Phase 3 was her turning point. Avira started watching videos of planes taking off and landing while managing her anxiety. When she could successfully keep her anxiety and fears at bay, she took the next big step. Avira was accompanied by her therapist to the airport runway, where she could observe planes landing and taking off safely. The increasing number of planes made her relax and get used to planes, confirming her consciousness that flights are indeed safe to travel.
Weeks 9-10: Simulated Flight Experience
We started using Virtual Reality to create an in-flight experience for Avira. While in the first few sessions, she resisted, ran away, and even cried, slowly, she started feeling comfortable. She did not give up and came back the next day every time to challenge herself. Avira listened to flight sounds while at home and when sleeping to train her mind. She finally could successfully sit through the VR experience. She used the techniques she had learned to calm her nerves when needed.
Weeks 11-12: Real Flight
Finally, after weeks of VR experience, she took the plunge and booked a flight ticket to and from Hyderabad. The flight duration from BLR to HYD is one hour only. However, she had to come back too, which meant two hours with an interval in between. It was a challenge, but she had her therapist by her side for the trip, and she was positive about taking the challenge. Even though she was nervous on the flight, she followed the breathing exercises her therapist guided her through, sitting next to her through the flight and successfully completed her journey. On her way back, she did not need her therapist’s guidance at all and could stay calm on her own.
We planned each week of her program carefully to help Avira slowly reconnect with the idea of flying without overwhelming her.
She made it. She didn’t panic. In her words, “I felt scared, but I didn’t feel powerless anymore.”
Medical Treatments (Optional)
We did not take the medication route initially. However, occasionally, when she had panic attacks due to regular stimulation, we had to prescribe a low-dose anti-anxiety medication. However, the medication was only administered during extreme panic attacks that couldn’t be handled with other techniques. We did not want her to feel so scared that she would discontinue her healing journey.
We also encouraged lifestyle changes to manage her anxiety, such as:
- Reducing caffeine
- Regular physical activity
- Practising daily mindfulness and meditation
These changes complemented her therapy, made her mind calmer and reduced general anxiety levels considerably.
Therapy
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): We identified her problematic thoughts and replaced them with new ones.
2. Exposure Therapy: We gradually exposed her to her triggers using various methods to get her mind and body used to them without feeling threatened.
3. Breathing and Grounding Techniques: Avira was taught 4-7-8 breathing, muscle relaxation, and grounding exercises like the “5-4-3-2-1 technique” to help her stay calm during moments of panic and fear.
4. Simulated Flight Training: We used VR and mobile apps to help her practice the full flight experience and overcome her fear of using tech before she faced it for real.
Improvements / Recovery Timeline
Here’s how Avira progressed over 12 weeks:
| Week | Progress |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Avira was assessed, introduced to CBT and educated about her phobia. She shared her full fear history. |
| Week 2 | She learned how phobias work and anxiety responses. She also started relaxation training. |
| Week 3 | She started getting exposed to her triggers. She watched short clips of flights. Slowly, she could watch the videos without panicking for the first time in years. |
| Week 4 | She visited the airport viewing deck and watched flights while practising deep breathing and other relaxation methods. |
| Week 5 | She continued with airport visits to get used to the sound and environment. |
| Week 6 | Her exposure therapy intensified, and she could finally visit the airport without any anxiety. |
| Week 7 | She experienced flying using a VR flight simulator with full environment sounds. |
| Week 8 | She continued VR training. She also listened to flight sounds while sleeping, using headphones to get used to them. |
| Week 9 | She booked a one-hour test flight with the therapist’s guidance. |
| Week 10 | She flew from Bangalore to Hyderabad and back with some anxiety but no panic. |
| Week 11 | She reflected on the flight experience and rated her fear as “2/10.” |
| Week 12 | She flew again to and from Hyderabad, this time with no medication, no assistance, alone and in full control. |
Our Success
Impact on Patient’s Life
Today, Avira travels freely. She has accepted her promotion and now attends business conferences in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai by air. She has even taken long flights abroad. She even surprised her parents with a flight to Kerala for a family vacation.
Her words say it all:
“I didn’t just overcome a fear. I overcame a belief that I couldn’t change. Now, I know I can do anything I set my mind to.”
She no longer dreads airports or gets nightmares about flights and airports. She walks confidently into terminals, carrying not just her luggage but her courage.
Family and Community
Avira’s transformation had a ripple effect. Her parents, who once worried about her so much they avoided traveling themselves, felt inspired to start flying again. Her friends, too, became more open about their own fears and started seeking therapy.
At work, Avira now mentors young professionals, often speaks about mental health in corporate settings and encourages others to seek help.
Future Steps
- Avira continues with once-a-month therapy sessions for emotional maintenance.
- She journals after every flight to track her comfort levels.
- She practices calming routines before travel - music, meditation, and visualisation.
- Most importantly, she maintains her lifestyle changes to manage her anxiety.
Final Words
Phobias can feel overwhelming. But Avira’s journey (a Phobia Case Study) shows that with professional support, even the deepest fears can be defeated. No one is alone in this. Whether it’s fear of flying, heights, crowds, or something else, help is available, and healing is possible.
If you’re struggling with a phobia, get in touch with Jagruti Rehab and seek help today.
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Jagruti Rehabilitation Centre is a leading facility specializing in mental health, dementia, and addiction recovery. The team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and caregivers is committed to empowering individuals on their journey to recovery.
