may-2010

Free to fl y
The fl ight experience
can be exciting and
exhilarating. From the
busy airport bustle at
check-in, to peering
down at the world at
30,000 feet cruiselevel,
we encounter an
unfamiliar environment
outside our normal
routine.
While some people fi nd this thrilling, some
of us are unsettled with the experience,
and become nervous and anxious before
and during our journey.
“About one-third of all passengers
undergo some degree of psychological
discomfort during a fl ight,” estimates
psychologist and pilot Lucas van Gerwen,
the founder of VALK, the only recognised
institute in The Netherlands for people
with a fear of fl ying. “It is the second
largest phobia in the Western world, after
speaking in public.”
Custom-made
VALK has been helping people overcome
fear of fl ying for 20 years. Originally
founded by Leiden University and KLM, the
organisation now provides courses and
treatment for approximately 750 people
a year and benefi ts from additional
cooperation and support from rom
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, ol, and
airlines Martinair and transavia. avia.
com. It is housed in its own n
purpose-built centre in Leiden, den,
The Netherlands.
“We provide customised d
help,” says Lucas. “This
KLM BEHIND THE SCENES
LUCAS VAN GERWEN EXPLAINS ASPECTS OF FLYING IN A MOCK-UP CABIN AT VALK
begins with a personal diagnostic
evaluation – an intake – followed by two
or three additional individual sessions, if
necessary. After this, participants spend
two and half days involved with various
aspects of the fl ight experience, helped
by trained KLM pilots and our own
psychologists.
“We inform them on how to cope with
occurrences such as turbulence and
“Without fear we
wouldn’t be able to
function”
cross-wind landings,” continues Lucas.
“A therapist provides stress management
training and we provide mock-up cabin
situations in one of the many rooms here.
We also have a a Virtual Reality Rea (VR) HUD
headset heads (left) which
provides prov simulated
surro surroundings, like
a bu busy airport or
a co confi ned space,
to help h people get
use
used to different
environments which they would normally
fi nd unsettling.
“Afterwards, participants are taken to
Schiphol where they can sit in a cabin
simulator and stationary aircraft in the
airport hangars. Then we accompany them
on a short fl ight.”
Soaring success
VALK’s accomplishment rate is truly
impressive: “If participants are still fl ying
anxiety-free one year after attending our
courses, then we count that as a success,”
says Lucas. “Currently, that fi gure is running
at 98%.” In addition, the methods that
VALK has developed over the years are
recognised as authoritative and have been
adopted by similar institutions worldwide.
“Fear of fl ying, like all fears, has nothing
to do with a real threat,” says Lucas. “It is
how we imagine a situation could be. In the
end, fear is a normal emotion. Without it we
wouldn’t be able to function in our daily
lives. We teach people how to interpret
and handle that emotion.”
VALK Foundation, Sandifortdreef 1a,
Leiden, The Netherlands. +31 (0)71 5273733;
info@valk.org; www.valk.org
Holland Herald TRAVELLERS CHECK 87