Art Inspired Me to Beat My Flying Fear
Although I had been an artist for many years, painting abstract images using oils on canvas, I had always thought of myself as an amateur. That is, until I got my big break.
Abstract Art
I created a collection of 24 pieces, on the theme of ‘evolution of life’. It was a subject that fascinated me, so I decided to build a collection of work around that topic. All my friends and art associates thought the paintings were the best I had done and they all encouraged me to pitch them to art galleries. So with nothing to lose, I photographed each piece and sent emails to about 30 art galleries at home and abroad.About four weeks later, and after numerous rejections, I received a message from a gallery in New York. I danced and jumped around the room for about ten minutes after reading the mail. I had been invited to contact them for a discussion about my work.
Joy and Despair
A twenty minute phone call with the art director of the gallery secured my place – they accepted all 24 pieces for an exhibition. I could not believe my luck. For ten years I had been selling the odd painting to friends and family and occasionally to some of my art contacts, but nothing like this had happened before. Now, I had just secured an exhibition in New York! And then it hit me – the gallery wanted me to attend the opening of the exhibition. I had to fly across the Atlantic.The last time I had been in an aircraft was 21 years ago. It was a short flight from London to Paris, but we hit some unexpected turbulence after take-off and, from that point on, I had experienced a terrible journey. I had felt nauseous, my head ached and, on arrival in Paris, I vowed never to fly again. In fact, I took the ferry back to England! That initial bad experience grew into an insurmountable fear. At the mere thought of sitting on a plane, my heart would race and I would feel clammy and quite uncomfortable.
So, 21 years after that awful journey, how was I to overcome my fear? I had to do it. I had to attend the opening of my exhibition. But London to New York is not exactly a short journey.
A Possible Solution
I talked to the airline and, to be quite honest, they weren’t too helpful. My GP was equally uninterested, suggesting that I try some over-the-counter herbal relaxants. At a push, he said that he might be prepared to prescribe a mild sedative, but I could tell that he wasn’t really keen. Truth be told, neither was I. Ok, my dream had come true, but I didn’t really want to rely on drugs to get me across the water.A friend suggested hypnotherapy, claiming that self-hypnosis can help to relieve tension. Numerous search engines later, I decided that there may be something to the self-hypnosis thing. I contacted a local practitioner, who was registered with a national hypnotherapy organisation.
My First Real Test
I enrolled on a six-session programme, each one lasting 45 minutes. At the end of the final session my therapist told me that I was ready for my first test – book myself a short flight from London to Manchester. I have some relations in Manchester, so I decided to take up the challenge and book the travel. I had a great weekend. Nervous beforehand - yes. Apprehensive – certainly. But really, the flight went very well. I didn’t eat or drink during the flight. I didn’t read, nor did I listen to music. In fact, I just sat staring at the back of the seat in front – for the entire journey. But as I stepped into Terminal One, for the first time in a very long time, I realised that it might be possible for me to beat the fear.Two more sessions with my hypnotherapist followed my epic journey to Manchester. Elaine, my therapist, explained that hypnotherapy wasn’t a cure for a fear of flying, nor was it a trance-induced state of mind. It was simply a method of self-relaxation, to be used several hours before leaving for the journey, and during the journey itself.
