Fear of Flying & Travel Anxiety Therapy in Minneapolis
Stop Letting Fear Decide Where Life Can Take You
Fear of flying therapy for adults in Minneapolis and across Minnesota, with online therapy in South Dakota and Iowa.
✓ Evidence-Based Treatment (ERP, ACT & CBT)
✓ Private Pay | $190 per 60 minute session)
Do you have travel anxiety?
Maybe you've spent weeks worrying about an upcoming flight.
Maybe you've canceled vacations, avoided work travel, or missed important family events because flying felt impossible.
Maybe you've driven for hours instead of taking a short flight.
Or maybe you still fly—but every trip is filled with dread. You feel sick to your stomach, count down the days until it's over, constantly check turbulence and weather forecasts, grip the armrests during takeoff, or feel trapped or claustrophobic once the plane doors close.
Sometimes the anxiety starts long before you're on the plane. Airports, being far from home, or simply knowing you can't easily leave can make the entire trip feel overwhelming.
You might even find yourself thinking:
"This is just who I am."
"I'll never be someone who enjoys flying."
We hear stories like this from clients every week. The good news is that it doesn't have to stay this way.
Imagine feeling excited about planning trips instead of wondering whether you'll be able to handle the flight.
Imagine visiting your children or grandchildren without weeks of anxiety leading up to the trip.
Imagine saying yes to work opportunities, destination weddings, or international adventures instead of automatically saying no.
For many of our clients, overcoming fear of flying isn't just about airplanes.
It's about getting your freedom back and saying yes to the people, places, and experiences that matter most.
Travel and Flying Without the Anxiety
Why Knowing the Facts Isn't Enough
By the time you reach out to us, you've probably already done your homework.
You already know:
✓Flying is safe
✓Turbulence is normal
✓The statistics are reassuring
And yet...you still feel anxious every time it's time to fly.
If information alone solved fear of flying, you probably wouldn't still be struggling.
That's because fear of flying isn't rooted in a lack of information.
It's often maintained by patterns like avoiding flights, endlessly researching, seeking reassurance, depending on medication or alcohol, or waiting until you finally feel "ready."
Fear of Flying Isn’t Always Just About Flying
For some people, the anxiety starts days or even weeks before the plane leaves the ground.
You may dread navigating the airport, worry about being far from home, or feel anxious about being somewhere you can't easily leave.
For others, claustrophobia on a plane is a major part of the fear.
Sitting in a confined cabin, having the doors close, or knowing you can't simply step outside can trigger an intense feeling of being trapped.
These fears can overlap with fear of flying and travel anxiety, but the specific situations that trigger anxiety are different for everyone.
Therapy can help you understand what keeps your particular fear going and gradually practice responding differently—whether the hardest part is turbulence, feeling trapped, being away from home, the airport, or the flight itself.
A More Targeted Approach to Fear of Flying
Avoidance
Reassurance
Endless researching
Waiting until you feel ready
What Keeps People Stuck
Understand anxiety
Face fear gradually
Build confidence
Return to travel
How Therapy Helps
Meet Your Fear of Flying Therapists
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Justin Matthews, LICSW
Justin's passion for aviation began when he earned his private pilot's license at 17. He went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force as a flight mechanic, crew chief, and flight engineer before later working as an aviation maintenance planner for a commercial airline.
He also knows firsthand what it's like to feel trapped by anxiety. After recovering from panic disorder himself, Justin understands the fear of panic symptoms, the urge to avoid situations that feel unsafe, and the desire to stop letting anxiety dictate your life.
Today, he combines his aviation background, personal experience overcoming panic disorder, and specialized anxiety training to help fearful flyers regain confidence and freedom.
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Jenny Matthews, LMFT
Jenny has lived experience with flight anxiety and now specializes in treating anxiety disorders, OCD, panic, and phobias using evidence-based approaches. She understands what it's like when fear starts limiting your world—and how life can expand again when it no longer gets to make the decisions.
Our goal isn't to help you get rid of anxiety.
It's to help you stop being afraid of anxiety.
What Therapy Looks Like
Understand
Learn how anxiety and fear of flying work.
Learn
Respond differently to anxious thoughts and physical sensations.
Practice
Gradually face feared situations in a supportive, structured way
Fly
Build confidence through experience.
Common Question From Nervous Flyers
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We offer in-person fear of flying therapy for adults in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area from our Bloomington office. We also provide secure online therapy for clients located anywhere in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
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Not at all. Many people begin therapy because they're tired of missing out on travel and want to be ready when opportunities arise.
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Not necessarily. While more time is always helpful, many clients make meaningful progress even when they have an upcoming flight. We'll work with you to determine the best approach based on your timeline.
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Absolutely. Many of our clients have worked with therapists before and found therapy helpful. Fear of flying often benefits from a more specialized treatment approach focused specifically on the patterns that keep flight anxiety going.
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Exposure is an important part of effective treatment for many people with fear of flying, but it isn't about throwing you into overwhelming situations.
We'll work collaboratively to create a plan that feels manageable while helping you make meaningful progress toward your goals.
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We can in cases where that would be most helpful. We'll discuss your individual needs during therapy and determine what options may be appropriate.
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Individual therapy sessions are $190.
State of Mind Therapy is a private-pay practice, but some insurance plans offer out-of-network benefits that may reimburse you for a portion of the cost.Not sure what your plan covers? Check your out-of-network benefits in about 60 seconds
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If turbulence makes you anxious, you may find yourself watching the flight map, checking weather apps, studying the flight attendants, or trying to convince yourself that everything is safe. While these strategies can provide temporary relief, relying on reassurance can sometimes keep the fear going. Therapy can help you practice experiencing the uncertainty and physical sensations of turbulence without needing to make the anxiety disappear.
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Claustrophobia on a plane can make you feel trapped, especially once the doors close and leaving is no longer an option. Treatment may involve gradually practicing situations and sensations associated with feeling confined while learning to respond differently to the urge to escape. We can’t guarantee you'll never feel claustrophobic—but we can help you build confidence and skills that allow you to still fly comfortably.
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Many nervous flyers try to feel completely calm before they're willing to fly. We take a different approach. Rather than waiting for anxiety to disappear, practice allowing uncomfortable thoughts and sensations to be there while continuing with what matters to you. Reducing reassurance-seeking, excessive flight research, and other anxiety-driven behaviors can also be an important part of building confidence.
You don't have to wait until fear gets worse. You don't have to wait until another opportunity passes you by. And you don't have to figure this out on your own.
If you're ready to stop letting fear determine where life can take you, we'd love to help.
Complete the form below, and we'll be in touch to discuss the next steps.