English Version | The heirs of Icarus

Flying is considered a dream for many, attainable only in the deepest sleep, but for others, it is a nightmare that only real life makes possible.

Flying appeals to a specific fantasy. Besides the illusion it gives us of a jet-set lifestyle that alludes to the privilege of being able to travel, it also satisfies an ancestral dream. Mount Olympus, the sky, the crown of the Tree of Life. Many are the names given to what mankind imagined to find among the clouds. Whatever we call it, reaching the stratosphere has always been an ambition. Even the birds that hover above our heads are coveted, able to escape the sly hands of gravity. Today, this whim is satisfied with the popularity of air travel. However, there are times when we reconsider the urge to fly. Who can confidently say that they don’t skip a heartbeat at the first signs of turbulence? It is in those moments our entire life into perspective, dramatically considering how we will end up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. These thoughts don’t last long, usually, only we get our "free" snack, after which we only think about the inverse proportion between our standards for food and altitude. But some cannot rid themselves of this anxiety, not even with the imminence of a soggy sandwich. The fear of flying, also known as aerophobia, affects about 5% of the population. No plane, however safe it may be, escapes the effect of the disorder that turns metal wings into wax constructions.

However poetic the metaphors may be, the phobia has a deeper root than any esoteric arguments. Dr. Catarina Cunha, a psychologist the specializes in the anxiety of flying, informs us of the complexities associated with this disorder. "Aerophobia is marked by a persistent and excessive fear that arises when the person is confronted with the prospect of traveling by plane," she clarifies. She emphasizes that it is unnecessary to be physically in the air for the disorder to manifest itself: "Sometimes the thought of traveling or seeing an airplane is enough for the person to feel anxious." The act of flying, or as the psychologist calls it, "the phobic stimulus," is not as easy to avoid as in the past. Air travel has become almost mandatory for any international trip. Low-cost airlines have even made us reconsider traveling through our own small country. The popularity of air travel is understandable: in addition to its price and speed, air travel is one of the safest means of transportation in the world. According to the Air Transport Association, of the 32.2 million flights that took place in 2022, only five had fatal accidents. In other words, the possibility of having an accident in an airplane is about 0.00001562%, an incomprehensibly small number. These arguments, however rational they may be, "do not reassure the person with aerophobia," as Dr. Catarina Cunha tells us. The specialist theorizes that the safety that statistics provide us can be difficult to understand because of pop culture. "There is misinformation and myths concerning aviation: the movies in the cinema that show plane crashes or horrible turbulence, the news that digs the slightest airplane incident to exhaustion perpetuating a wrong message that it is not safe to travel." These subliminal messages appeal to the discomfort we all have when we find ourselves in the air. Regardless of our ancestral dreams, the act of flying is not programmed into our genetic code. The modern invention is, as Cunha tells us, "an 'anti-nature' situation: the airplane puts us before the possibility of accomplishing something that our body was not designed to do."

It is normal to feel the contrarian tension when we find ourselves flying. So how can we differentiate a healthy fear from a disorder? Dr. Catarina Cunha points out that no one is born with aerophobia: "It is an irrational fear learned throughout life." The specialist indicates a plurality of factors that contribute to the development of the phobia. "For some, the development can be felt gradually. Typically, the person describes it as 'every time I travel, I feel that my fear grows.' While for others, aerophobia may arise suddenly after a striking event on a trip, around it, or even with something unrelated to the airplane." Cunha alludes to the phobia's relationship with traumatic situations that, in one way or another, manifest themselves in the absence of control that characterizes air transport. This is the case of Andrea Brilli, an Italian engineer studying in a Ph.D. program in Portugal. The student was diagnosed with aerophobia following a car accident about five years ago. "Through professional help, I understood that my phobia stems from the lack of control I felt at that moment." The engineer elaborates on the circumstances of the occurrence that triggered the disorder. "I was in my car, stopped at a red light, when, out of nowhere, a car collided from behind at 70 km/h, causing my vehicle to slam into the one in front violently," Brilli recalls. This traumatic event severely conditioned the student's mind: "After the accident, whenever my brain senses that something similar is going to happen, it activates a defense mechanism that makes me aware of everything going on around me so I can anticipate a similar impact." This instinct prevails whenever he is inside an airplane - which is problematic because, as he points out, "there is no way to understand everything that is going on around me.[...] When I'm in the air, my perception of how the plane is in the air is distorted. The inability to control it causes me to have panic attacks," elaborates the engineer.

Brilli confesses, "Since the accident happened, I always try to travel by bus, train, or boat." His phobia has had a significant impact on his life, conditioning professional opportunities. "I had to give up joining a conference in Seattle because it would be too violent to have to think about the long-distance flight in the weeks leading up to the event." Still, Brilli stresses her privilege: "I'm lucky to have a flexible schedule and to be able to afford travel on alternative forms of transportation." When he has no other possibility, he does fly, having to "resort to medication and accept that it's going to be a stressful, tiring and intense experience, because everything in my body is telling me to get off the plane." The Italian engineer's testimony is mirrored by Dr. Catarina Cunha's statements to Vogue Portugal. The clinical psychologist demystifies: "When the person has to fly, they do so with enormous discomfort, anxiety, and may even have panic attacks." These reactions are described by the specialist as "disproportionate to the danger you incur by flying." Something Brilli corroborates is, "Of course, I know that rationally nothing is going to happen, but I can't control how I feel in those situations." 

The expert reminds us that not all people with aerophobia have experienced a traumatic event: "There can be several factors that contribute to triggering the disorder. People who start with mild or moderate anxiety can reach a point of total inability to travel by air if they do nothing to curb the development of the phobia." Both Brilli and Cunha emphasize the importance of professional help. "Aerophobia is a diagnosis of anxiety disorder. It requires specialized clinical help," informs the psychologist. However, not all cases require therapy. "For milder cases, of fear or slight anxiety about flying, sometimes all that is needed is to learn more about the world of aviation, to dispel certain misconceptions about air safety", declares the specialist. Dr. Catarina Cunha leaves us with words of hope in the face of this disorder, reminding us of the importance of keeping track of our mental health. "Regardless of the severity of the flight phobia, there are effective treatment techniques - such as psychoeducation on technical aspects of aviation, anxiety self-regulation strategies, among others, which will provide people with tools that, after proper training, will allow them to control and master the anxiety they feel." 

Translated from the original on our The Voyage Issue, from June 2023.Full credits and stories on the print version.