Question

I am a 30-year-old female and over the past couple of years have developed a fear of flying. It started to become a problem after 9/11, combined with extensive flying for work (where I encountered some problems, such as an air-rage incident). I am at the point now where I am trying to avoid flying at all costs and in fact changed my job so I wouldn't have to fly for work. Before this I was fine and had flown to Australia and Vietnam on my own, so I am really frustrated with how I have become. However, my sister has booked a trip for us to go to Antigua in April and although I want to go I am dreading the idea of being in a plane for eight hours. Can you suggest any effective natural remedies that would help me?
Anna

The psychologist
Mary Burgess

Flying phobias are common - one in four people fear flying and about 10 per cent are so nervous they avoid it. While not flying may help your anxiety in the short-term, it actually incubates and increases your fear. However, flying phobia can be treated and given you used to fly without a problem, you have a good basis for recovery. A cognitive behavioural therapist or clinical psychologist can help you clarify and face your fear by helping you understand the reasons for it. How did 9/11 affect you? How did you feel in the air-rage incident - panic, anger, confusion? What did you do? The therapist will help you understand your individual fear response and help you find ways of managing it. I'd also recommend a flying course (both BA and Virgin run them: www.britishairways.com; www.flyingwithoutfear.info). These provide group support and teach you ways of coping. Finally, you can always self-medicate during the flight, though this won't solve the problem.

· Mary Burgess is a consultant clinical psychologist with a special interest in flying phobia

The recovered sufferer
Nick Seccombe

Don't put too much pressure on yourself: an eight-hour flight is a big step for anyone with a flying phobia. I beat my fear by tackling it gradually. My phobia came about as the result of anxiety - I'd just finished a job in Canada and was worried about what to do with my life. On the morning of my flight back to England, I suddenly had the thought that I'd never be able to fly again. I got on that flight, but the thoughts intensified. Next time I tried to fly, I couldn't. It felt like I was being forced to walk into a fire. I saw a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist who helped me come to terms with my fears in a controlled way. After months of therapy, I went on a domestic flight - I knew that if I couldn't fly home, I could get the train. I'd recommend this. Then I booked a flight back to Canada and though I had anxious moments, I made it. Self-help groups made a difference. Now I do volunteer work for the National Phobics Society (www.phobics-society.org.uk) which I also suggest as a starting point for your recovery.

· Nick Seccombe has recovered from flying phobia

The relaxation expert
Gloria Thomas

If you are looking for self-help, an effective technique to bring your body back into balance is by tapping the meridians, the energy highways of the body. Think about your fear and at the same time tap gently under the eye, under the arm (4in down, in line with armpit), then high on the chest, just down to the left or right of where the two bony bits of the collarbone meet in the middle. Then do some deep-breathing exercises and positive visualisations - I look forward to flying, I enjoy flying, etc. The more you practise breathing and affirmation, the better you'll feel. Hypnotherapy (try the British National Register of Advanced Hypnotherapists: www.nrah.co.uk) can get to the root of a problem quickly. The therapist will suggest to the unconscious mind for change to take place. Finally, natural remedies to try include the Bach flower remedies Star of Bethlehem, that helps calm people after shocks, and aspen, which is good for soothing anxiety.

· Gloria Thomas is a mind-body therapist at Third Space Medicine (www.thethirdspace.com

· If you have a health question for our experts, email health@observer.co.uk