Is fear of flying your deep dark secret? You’re not alone. Thousands of people are afraid to fly and they keep it to themselves in case they are ridiculed because of it?

Do you avoid visiting friends and family who live at a great distance? Do you pass on exotic vacations because the only way there is to fly?

Does your fear of flying cause you to miss important events and friendly gatherings that you know would be fun, exciting or educational?

An American Airlines pilot of 22 years has a solution for you.

Stacey Chance explains that part of the fear people experience comes from their lack of understanding about airplanes and flight. A sudden updraft or other air turbulence can drive terror into the minds of those who don’t know what’s happening, yet air turbulence has never caused a plane to crash.

While some people are terrified the plane will fall out of the sky, others suffer claustrophobia or fear of heights. In yet other cases, their fear is brought on by recent life crises, such as the death of a loved one or their own or a loved one’s recent recovery from serious illness.

In yet others it’s simply fear of the unknown, especially if they have never flown before. Sometimes, just seeing a news report of a plane crash can cause a person to fear flying. Some people simply don’t like feeling they are not in control. And for others, anxiety is a state of constant fear that absorbs their lives in other areas as well.

There are many other stressful experiences like these that trigger their fear. For one woman, a sudden drop in altitude left her thinking the plane was going down. A large number of people developed a fear of flying after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.

In many cases, people just don’t know what’s causing their fears, which makes it more difficult to comprehend them.

According to Chance, part of the solution is to teach people enough about flight so that they have a better understanding of what’s happening when the plane is in a smooth flight and when it’s being tossed around like a ship at sea.

To help people to overcome their fear of flying, he has set up a free online course that alleviates the anxiety people face by educating them on the concepts of flight. This will also help to stop their thoughts from running wild.

The other part of the solution is to get more positive messages beyond the “border patrol” of the mind and into the subconscious. It is done through hypnosis by a therapist or by the individual using self-hypnosis.

Hypnosis enables a suggestion to go directly to and be accepted by the subconscious mind. This requires a relaxed state and focused attention. The conscious mind needs to be turned off to stop the suggestion from being judged and blocked.

In general, people under hypnosis are more receptive to suggestion, which can cause changes in the way they feel, think and behave. This enables a suggestion to be sent to the mind and received, stating that the person has no reason to fear flying. While in this relaxed, alpha state, the person will accept the message as truth.

Hypnosis is frequently used in therapy to help people overcome their fears and any unwanted behavior like smoking and overeating, or to boost a person’s self-esteem.