Air India Crash: Kargil War Veteran From Bengaluru Helps People Overcome Fear Of Flying
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A retired Indian Air Force officer in Bengaluru is seeing aerophobes queue outside his counselling office to combat their fear of flying post Ahmedabad Air India crash.
A retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer from Bengaluru is now helping people combat their fear of flying. People are paying up to Rs 44,000 to tackle their aerophobia, which according to Cleveland Clinic happens when a person suffers from a crippling fear of flying.
The number of such people who are afraid of air travel has also surged and retired IAF officer Dinesh K's 'exposure therapy" is in vogue, according to a report by news agency Reuters.
'Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane – the sounds, motion, vibrations … exposure therapy is the only solution," the 55-year-old was quoted as saying by the news agency.
He told Reuters that his counselling center, named Cockpit Vista, uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling and is the first of its kind in India.
Dinesh's aerophobia eliminator course is spread over 14 hours. Dinesh, a Kargil War veteran, oversaw ground operations during the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. He also offers to accompany worried clients on the first flights they take after completing the course.
London-based consultant Nidhi Bhatia said she won't board a Boeing again because 'the fear is just too much".
'I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash said.
Before this month's Air India flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad hardly a dozen people in a month queued up outside his clinic but now Dinesh K has gotten over 100 enquiries since the crash.
Dinesh showed messages he received on his WhatsApp where many complained of 'losing confidence" after the crash while there were others who said it was 'too hard on the brain".
Some travellers are becoming choosier in selecting their airline and aircraft – Boeing or Airbus – while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether.
Countries in the West have more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying. Fatal crashes have often led to heightened anxiety and worry in flyers and those suffering from aerophobia are certainly more alert as the chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, continues to make rounds on social media.
Mental health practitioners have also told Reuters that many flyers have sought counselling following the crash and that the anxiety-inducing clips have increased the numbers of patient queries.
The haunting CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet (198.12 m) after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building that housed a medical college and its mess premises and all of these events happened within 60 seconds.
Psychologist Pankti Gohel told the news agency that many people were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of suffering from, 'debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit 'to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores". Five other mental health expert said that the disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said.
Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 US consumers by research firm Prodege found 55% of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38% had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans.
Google Trends data shows searches for the term 'flying fear" in India hit 'peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched.
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Air India Crash: Kargil War Veteran From Bengaluru Helps People Overcome Fear Of Flying
Last Updated: A retired Indian Air Force officer in Bengaluru is seeing aerophobes queue outside his counselling office to combat their fear of flying post Ahmedabad Air India crash. A retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer from Bengaluru is now helping people combat their fear of flying. People are paying up to Rs 44,000 to tackle their aerophobia, which according to Cleveland Clinic happens when a person suffers from a crippling fear of flying. The number of such people who are afraid of air travel has also surged and retired IAF officer Dinesh K's 'exposure therapy" is in vogue, according to a report by news agency Reuters. 'Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane – the sounds, motion, vibrations … exposure therapy is the only solution," the 55-year-old was quoted as saying by the news agency. He told Reuters that his counselling center, named Cockpit Vista, uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling and is the first of its kind in India. Dinesh's aerophobia eliminator course is spread over 14 hours. Dinesh, a Kargil War veteran, oversaw ground operations during the 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. He also offers to accompany worried clients on the first flights they take after completing the course. London-based consultant Nidhi Bhatia said she won't board a Boeing again because 'the fear is just too much". 'I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash said. Before this month's Air India flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad hardly a dozen people in a month queued up outside his clinic but now Dinesh K has gotten over 100 enquiries since the crash. Dinesh showed messages he received on his WhatsApp where many complained of 'losing confidence" after the crash while there were others who said it was 'too hard on the brain". Some travellers are becoming choosier in selecting their airline and aircraft – Boeing or Airbus – while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. Countries in the West have more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying. Fatal crashes have often led to heightened anxiety and worry in flyers and those suffering from aerophobia are certainly more alert as the chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, continues to make rounds on social media. Mental health practitioners have also told Reuters that many flyers have sought counselling following the crash and that the anxiety-inducing clips have increased the numbers of patient queries. The haunting CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet (198.12 m) after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building that housed a medical college and its mess premises and all of these events happened within 60 seconds. Psychologist Pankti Gohel told the news agency that many people were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of suffering from, 'debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit 'to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores". Five other mental health expert said that the disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 US consumers by research firm Prodege found 55% of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38% had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term 'flying fear" in India hit 'peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched.
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