Overcome your fear of flying — or cruising or any of the hassles of travel. Relax into these situations before the stress of getting there affects your holiday — and your health.

Melbourne based Pauline McKinnon has been a leader in the field of therapeutic meditation for over 30 years. Pauline helps people of any age group overcome anxieties such as fear of flying and even fear of cruising among other things. As an author on the topic and psychotherapist, Pauline specialises in the Ainslie Meares’ natural style of meditation. According to Pauline, also the founder of the Stillness Meditation centre in Melbourne, Victoria, fear and anxiety surrounding travel are a common type of anxiety affecting a large portion of the population.

“Thousands of people are already making plans for their end of year holidays, and of course, for the upcoming end of term holidays, and many of these plans involve airplanes and perhaps cruiseliners,” Pauline said.

“It is completely normal to feel some level of anxiety heading into a holiday; new places, new expectations and more. However some people are so anxious about flying and cruising that it affects their enjoyment of the upcoming holiday and increases personal health risks too.

“Anxiety can cause spikes in your blood pressure. This can cause serious harm to your health. Anxiety can cause hyperventilation and lead to panic attacks. Anxiety creates too much nervous tension and when this becomes habitual, anxiety becomes a constant companion.

“Some people are so fearful of the prospect of facing these demons that they avoid traveling anywhere that involves getting on an aircraft or taking a holiday on a cruise ship. This can potentially reduce their holiday options significantly and fills many lives with disappointment.

“I have helped many people over the years to overcome these fears by assisting them to learn mental rest through an intensive style of meditation. At my Centre we aim to help people master anxiety before anxiety masters them!

“Just last week one of my 50-something clients told me how much she is looking forward to her upcoming trip to the UK and Europe, simply because she now knows that getting there no longer fills her with dread.”

According to statistics, over 10 percent of people struggle with a phobia. The American National Institute of Mental Health describes a phobia as an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Of these phobias, aviophobia (fear of flying) is the most common with some 2.5–6.5 percent of people scared of flying.

“The underlying issue associated with fear of flying is control, or the feeling of not being in control. For some there is also a feeling of claustrophobia, because obviously, once on board, there is no immediate escape from that confined space,” Pauline added.

“The bizarre thing here is that while people realise they can’t seek comfort by going up to the cockpit to find out what is going on, some will resort to taking refuge in the toilet which is an even more confined space.

“This is the problem with high levels of anxiety. People may feel out of control, fearing the embarrassment of a panic attack, or they develop certain phobias that may result in strange behaviour, or perhaps seek relief through the overuse of alcohol — all in an irrational bid to feel safer.

“People with a fear of cruising are worried about not being able to see land, or not being able to get off the ship if the ocean becomes a little rough. They conjure up visions in their own mind of Titanic and The Poseidon Adventure. As we know, you have more chance of getting into a car accident on the way to the airport or port than you have of disaster happening during your trip.

“In stillness meditation therapy, people learn to deeply relax their mind. In this way, reactivity is reduced naturally and travellers can look forward to an easier journey. A calm mind creates a calm body, which is relaxed, comfortable, and in calm control.”

Stillness Meditation assists people to minimise their fear of flying or cruising by:

· Lowering overall tension levels

· Lowering overall anxiety reactions

· Empowering natural relaxation

· Empowering personal confidence

· Empowering a sense of calm control

· Providing natural ongoing stress management

Through mental rest, Stillness Meditation assists both the function and structure of the brain to support self-control. When people are more in control of their feelings, they are better able to manage and maintain calm. Thereby minimising fear and all the negative influences of high anxiety levels, that overcome your fear. This is mind-control at its very best — after all, the fear is in the mind.

Pauline McKinnon and her team love helping people feel happier, at ease and in control — not only of their upcoming flight or cruise, but in greater control of their entire life!

If you want to take the next steps to overcome your fear the Stillness Meditation Therapy Centre offers regular meditation sessions for all age groups with options of daytime or evening attendance. Stillness Meditation Therapy sessions are available one on one or within a personalised group.

“I recommend booking in now so you are well and truly ready to really enjoy your upcoming holidays,” Pauline McKinnon said. Get in touch

By Shirl Orono

Published On Brandgelist

I wasn’t always scared of flying, I used to travel a lot in my uni days and never had a problem. I even lived in Europe for two years and loved going from country to country.

And then one day, all of a sudden, I was terrified.

It’s difficult to estimate, but it’s believed that between six and 18 percent of the population have a fear of flying. For some, it’s crippling, and means sacrificing all overseas travel.

For others, like me, it makes getting on a plane a really uncomfortable experience.

Captain Ron Nielsen, who runs Fearless Flight in the US, says it can manifest in a number of ways, from the ‘white-knucklers’ “whose death grip on the armrests, literally causes their knuckles to go white”, to the ‘avoiders’, “who will do anything to avoid flying including lying and making up excuses to get out of any family or business travel involving flying.”

However, he says it all comes back to the fear of flying being a form of anxiety disorder.

A pilot’s take on fear

“It’s the brain’s fight-or-flight response run amok,” Captain Ron tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “The underlying issue is control; either lack of or feeling out of control.”

“The myriad of unfamiliar sights, sounds, and sensations during a routine flight serve as constant reminders that the average person really doesn’t understand much of what is normal about a routine flight.

“Add to those triggers the fact that we are wired to anticipate the ‘worst possible scenario’, and you’ve got all the makings for a miserable experience.”

Bad fliers will recognise this as heart palpitations, rapid breathing or sweaty palms, for others it may manifest as a nervous stomach, throbbing head, tingly hands or light-headedness.

However, if we look at the facts, modern day commercial air travel is the safest mode of transport you can engage in.

At any given time thousands of planes are completing safe and uneventful flights, and as an Australian, you’re infinitely more likely to run into misadventure while driving or walking, than you are on an airbus.

I’m acutely aware of all this, and yet, the anxiety is still there.

So I tried hypnosis

While there are certain techniques you can use to cure fear of flying while on a flight, I went down the professional route.

Trained therapists and counsellors can help break down your anxiety, I saw hypnosis specialist and elite business coach, Daniel Tolson, who uses a technique called ‘timeline therapy’ to confront and dissolve fear.

Far from the showmanship of stage hypnotists, there is no quacking involved in this kind of treatment – rather, it’s a session where you’re completely in control of the process and are guided through a timeline of your present, future, past and any past lives (quirky, I know).

To describe one of the processes simply, it involves taking your mind to a place where you feel happy, safe and comfortable, and then bringing those feelings into a present situation where you feel scared.

For example, as you start to feel anxious while on a plane, close your eyes and picture your future self after you’ve arrived safely and successfully at your destination. Once you’re there, notice how you feel in that moment, perhaps you’ve just been reunited with family or friends, or perhaps you’ve settled into a hotel room and are getting a good night’s rest before your holiday begins.

When you’ve locked onto that feeling, bring it back to your current point in time, and hold onto the feeling of your safe and happy future self until the anxiety eases.

It takes a bit of practice (and a lot of belief) to do this yourself, and in a session, hypnosis is used to guide you through this process as an immediate way to feel more in control of your fear.

It’s all about control

A perceived lack of control is what makes many people fear flying, but as Daniel reminded me; sure, you may not know the pilot, or the service history of the plane, or who built it – but the same can also be said for the bus, train or ferry you take for your daily commute.

Or what about the building you work in (assuming you do) – do you know the people who built it? Do you know how regularly checks are carried out to ensure its safety? And yet, you don’t spend your daily commute or your working day feeling like you’re not in control.

What we are in control of (most of the time) is the way we choose to react to certain scenarios. So I’ve been trying to couple my visions of a happy and safe arrival with attempts to feel more in control of my anxiety.

Unnecessary baggage

Stress and anxiety negatively impact our health both in the long and short term – and not just mentally.

A host of common physical ailments including headaches, digestive disorders, chest pain, and low libido can be caused by anxiety, as well as the risk of more serious conditions developing over time.

“Many people grow used to the uncomfortable feelings they are experiencing and take these as part of ‘normal’ life,” Australian author and former anxiety sufferer, Pauline McKinnon, tells us.

“Many people don’t in fact realise that their life could be better if they addressed issues that are concerning them. It’s long been known that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ – an old adage that carries much truth. Today of course, there are countless therapists from various disciplines to assist.”

She suggests meditation and exercise as great ways to combat stress and anxiety, as well as a healthy diet, breathing techniques and perseverance.

“One must have the desire to change, make the commitment to the decision/therapy/technique of choice, and persist with the therapy until results are apparent and then maintain that indefinitely for long term benefits.”

So, did Hypnosis cure fear of flying work?

Well, the jury’s still out. My first flight after trying hypnosis was the smoothest I’ve had in a very long time – both physically and emotionally – but I’m worried the lack of turbulence may be skewing the results.

Either way I felt much better, until I broke one of Daniel’s cardinal rules. Throughout our session, he kept reminding me not to talk about my fear of flying.

Whenever someone brings it up, change the subject, he said. And then I decided to sit down and write this article, and now I don’t feel so comfortable about taking to the skies again.

by Bianca Soldani

Published On Yahoo Lifestyle

With many Australians turning to meditation as a form of stress relief, the practice has reached a mainstream audience in recent years. 

However, few may know that Aussies have developed their own form of meditation, free from spiritual or religious attachments.  

Pioneered by Melbourne psychiatrist Dr Ainsley Meares, “stillness meditation” is a medical-based therapy that has reached millions due to its simple approach and widespread accessibility. 

World renowned for his innovative ideas, Meares taught thousands of people how to find their own peaceful sense of quiet stillness during his lifetime. 

“The essence of his teaching is that we all have within ourselves the ability to find your natural calm, and know how to access that,” says practitioner Pauline McKinnon, who has been teaching stillness meditation for over 35 years, and has authored multiple books on the subject. 

“Stillness meditation is really a form of therapy, it’s medically based,” she tells Coach.

“It’s really the opposite to any other forms of meditation because it’s not strictly a technique, it’s about helping people to access their own inner strength.”

The difference between stillness meditation and other forms of the practice is the use of minimal sound, and complete detachment from cognitive function. 

“We don’t use words or instructions, just ‘murmured sounds’ for a few minutes to impart a sense of calm and letting go,” explained McKinnon. 

“So it’s not an imposed technique, it’s helping people to experience their own calm, their own silence, their own stillness, deeply within without putting in any other stuff like mantras or chanting or being mindful or any of those additions.” 

The practitioner-led practice also involves “calming touch”, which is used as a tool to create safety and security. 

“Touch is more powerful than words, it’s reassuring, and makes people feel safe,” explained McKinnon, who treats “all sorts of people”, from children through to the very elderly. 

“Mostly it’s because of general stress, too much anxiety and tension and the pressure of life,” she said. “I think we all recognise there’s a lot of pressure in the modern world.” 

While the practice of meditation has been around for centuries, McKinnon acknowledged that it’s often connected to traditional styles of philosophical and spiritual practice, or relegated to new age hippies. 

“A lot of people do still think it’s a bit left of centre, but this is a very practical, medical based, functional and natural practice,” she assured. 

“We’re very everyday people here, teaching a very profound, but everyday life skill.”

by Claire Knight

Published On Nine Life Coach

If you want to know more about how to find your natural calm, please get in touch