‘Fear is like a Wild Tiger’
Mr Cooper, who has appeared on the BBC and also featured as an expert on Channel 4’s documentary ‘Fear of Flying: Caught On Camera’, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (awarded the GQHP General Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice), a Thought Field Therapist, and is registered with the CNHC (Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council). He treats a wide range of phobias, not just of flying.
Clients report symptoms such as hot flushes, sweat attacks, increased heart-rates, adrenaline surges, difficulties with breathing, trembling, shaking, light-headed spells or dizziness, he said.
“Some aerophobics physically react in a blind panic when their fear takes hold. They feel as if a wild tiger is entering the room and is walking towards them. Every part of them believes they are in mortal danger, so they run to the exit and have to be restrained by cabin crew from opening the door. Others put on a brave face while the turmoil rages inside them.”
Flying by Numbers
- 1.27 million: Number of passengers worldwide estimated to be airborne at any given time.
- 100,000: Approximate number of daily flights globally, say international Air Transport Action Group.
- 9,728: Average number of planes in the sky at any given time around the world during the past year.
- 1,300: Number of planes welcomed every day by Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport.
- 45: During congested rush hours, air traffic controllers are able to land one plane every 45 seconds.
- 1: The lightest day of the year for air traffic has in the past been New Year’s Day, January 1.
Ten celebrities with a fear of flying
- Kit Harrington
- Kate Winslet
- Gary Barlow
- Megan Fox
- Colin Farrell
- Sylvester Stallone
- Bruce Willis
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Jennifer Aniston
- Sean Bean
To contact Howard Cooper, please visit: www.rapidchange.works