If you have ever felt afraid of getting on an airplane, you are not the only one. The fear of flying, known as Aerophobia, is amongst the most common fears that people have. This fear is a devastating, overwhelming feeling. It may even keep you from conducting business; traveling the world, or seeing far-off friends and family. Beating such a phobia used to take years of therapy, but today there are hypnosis and NLP techniques to work on phobias for faster, life-improving results.

Are you wondering exactly what a phobia is? Phobias are considered a form of anxiety disorder, and many people who have them will experience panic attacks and other unpleasant feelings such as shakiness, physical illness, or a rapid heart beat. Several people complain of feeling nauseous or losing their self-control, and organize their lives around their phobia in an effort to get around their fears.

For sufferers with Aerophobia, even the simple thought of boarding an airplane might cause a hysterical reaction. Other people might feel only a little uneasy while on the ground, but grow hysterical once the aircraft takes off.

Picture a case in which a lady with Aerophobia is sitting on a plane before departure. She begins to feel nervous and her heart starts to race. She knows it is safe to fly, but she is afraid nonetheless. Once the airplane is in the air, she cannot help but sob uncontrollably, and continues to sob during the flight until she can finally get off the airplane. As extreme as this sounds, this sort of behavior is held in common by a surprisingly high number of people.

Phobias are characterized by intense, irrational fear. People with Aerophobia are afraid of flying even when they know that flying is really a secure form of transportation. They often feel humiliated when they respond with crying, shivering, or having a panic attack, but feel unable to control themselves. For sufferers, this fear of losing control is as discouraging as the phobia itself.

In reality, people with phobias cannot control their reactions because their anxieties are based at an unconscious level, which no amount of willpower or conscious effort can help. This is where hypnosis comes into play. Ericksonian hypnosis therapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques function at the unconscious level of the mind to effectively treat phobias.

A well-designed hypnosis therapy program for treating a phobia has several comprehensive steps. The initial step uses hypnosis therapy for stress-relief, relieving tension and anxiety. Once an individual is relaxed and stress-free, hypnosis therapy forms new thoughts in the unconscious to eliminate the phobia. NLP itself extinguishes fears by specifically pinpointing the phobia causing thought process.

Instead of conventional hypnotherapy, which utilizes direct post-hypnotic suggestions, Ericksonian hypnosis therapy uses indirect suggestions in conversation to persuade the unconscious to follow a new, more logical way of thinking. It is more effective than conventional hypnosis therapy because people have a tendency to ignore simple post-hypnotic hints, but find it harder to reject indirect suggestions that are present in fascinating stories and metaphors.

The exact wording of post-hypnotic inductions in conventional hypnosis means that most conventional hypnotherapy programs will only be effective to treat one phobia. A characteristic feature of the Ericksonian hypnosis and NLP program is that it is not phobia specific and will treat any phobia, in anyone. It works for most people because the program is composed of multiple unique hypnotherapy techniques assembled for maximum effectiveness.

The most effective fear eliminating NLP technique that I have practiced is known as the Visual - Kinesthetic Disassociation. The nickname for the V/K is the "one session phobia cure," because of its remarkable effectiveness!

The combined Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP program is ideal for a logical person who wants to beat an irrational phobia once and for all. People can go through the step-by-step process at their own individual pace, but are often delighted at the ease with which they finish the process and beat their phobia. The results people achieve with hypnotherapy often seem simply phenomenal.

Hypnotherapy and NLP are phenomenal tools for many people struggling with fear. Ericksonian hypnosis therapy and NLP have helped countless people fight their fears. The techniques are remarkable for helping those who are afraid of flying to take pleasure in flying and all of its perks. For a long time, hypnosis has been able to change lives all over the world, and eliminating fears is just one of many ways in which it helps people.

Alan B. Densky, CH has been treating irrational fears using Hypnotherapy since 1978. He offers phobia treatment NLP & hypnosis CDs plus a broad range of Self-Hypnosis CDs for stress & depression related symptoms. Visit his website for free NLP downloads.