Escrito por Alex Gervash, piloto comercial (31 años) y especialista en fobia a volar (18 años, más de 16 000 casos tratados)
Rezar solo antes de los vuelos puede parecer algo espiritual, pero en realidad es un comportamiento relacionado con la seguridad que refuerza el miedo.
Do you pray or make the sign of the cross before takeoff, even though you don't do this before getting in a car or train?
You might think this is just being cautious. Or spiritual. But here's what's actually happening:
You're telling your brain: "This situation is uniquely dangerous. I need divine intervention to survive."
Your amygdala receives the message: "Even I think this is life-threatening. The fear is justified."
The ritual reinforces the belief that flying requires supernatural protection.
If you pray regularly in all aspects of life, that's different. That's your spiritual practice.
But if you ONLY pray before flying, you're creating a "safety behavior" that strengthens your fear.
What to do instead? If you feel the urge to pray, acknowledge it. Then ask yourself: "Would I do this before driving to the grocery store?"
If the answer is no, then you're not praying from faith. You're praying from fear.
And every time you do it, you're teaching your brain that flying is the exception. The danger. The thing that needs special protection.
Treat flying like any other form of transport. That's how you break the pattern.
En resumen
Rezar solo antes de los vuelos puede parecer algo espiritual, pero en realidad es un comportamiento relacionado con la seguridad que refuerza el miedo.
Piloto comercial (31 años de experiencia en aviación)
Formado en psicología y terapia del trauma (EMDR, Somatic Experiencing)
Fundador de phobia.aero y de la aplicación SkyGuru
Alex Gervash leverages 31 years of aviation experience and 18 years specialized in flight fear treatment to bridge the gap between technical aviation safety and nervous system regulation. Having successfully guided over 16,000 individuals through their flying phobia, Alex provides a unique pilot perspective that demystifies every stage of travel, from takeoff to landing fear. His methodology integrates his extensive psychology expertise and training in Somatic Experiencing to help passengers move beyond temporary avoidance and truly overcome fear of flying. To ensure constant in-flight support, he developed the SkyGuru app, while providing comprehensive resources and clinical insights through his platform, phobia.aero.
Especialista en: miedo a volar, tratamiento de la aerofobia, especialista en ansiedad ante los vuelos, terapia para el miedo a las turbulencias, ataques de pánico en aviones, aviofobia, fobia a volar, apoyo a pasajeros nerviosos, ansiedad ante el despegue, miedo al aterrizaje, tratamiento de la fobia a los aviones. Tratamiento basado en la evidencia mediante la experiencia somática, la terapia EMDR, la regulación polivagal, la regulación del sistema nervioso autónomo y la atención informada sobre el trauma.