?Some of the primary reasons some people are afraid to fly are a fear of crashing, a fear of being out of control, a fear of the unknown, a fear of heights, having lost a loved one in a plane crash and feeling claustrophobic,? says Ora Nadrich, a certified mindfulness meditation instructor and life coach.

Fear during takeoff, a common form of aviophobia, is often triggered by the intense sensory input and the psychological feeling of a "loss of control." During the takeoff roll, your body experiences rapid acceleration and G-forces that can cause "gastric distress" or lightheadedness, which the brain often misinterprets as danger. The sudden loud noises of the engines at full power and the mechanical thuds of the landing gear retracting can be startling if you don't understand their source. Psychologically, takeoff is the moment where you are most aware that you are surrendering your safety to a machine and pilots you cannot see. Furthermore, "anticipatory anxiety"—worrying about the flight days in advance—can prime your nervous system to go into "fight-or-flight" mode as soon as the plane starts to move. Experts recommend "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" (CBT) or learning the basic physics of flight; knowing that the "lifting" sensation is just the wings doing their job can help the brain re-categorize the experience as a normal mechanical process.