Tools for fear of flying — backed by published research.
Airene helps you cope with anxiety before, during, and after a flight. Each tool maps to a study on what actually works. Built to work offline, in airplane mode.
What it does
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Track how it feels.
A simple slider you tap when the anxiety changes — Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS), 0–100. Your flight becomes a curve you can read afterward.
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Slow the breath.
Cyclic sighing, paced breathing, and grounding — one tap from anywhere, including the panic moment.
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Give your mind a job.
A focus game (mental rotation) for when the fear is loud enough that breathing alone isn't landing.
Why it works
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Cyclic sighing.
Five-minute protocol of double-inhale then slow exhale.
Balban, Spiegel & Huberman (2023), Cell Reports Medicine.
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Visuospatial working-memory load.
Tetris-style rotation interrupts intrusive imagery.
Holmes, James et al. (2010, 2017), PLOS ONE.
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SUDS-tiered toolkit.
Routing the right tool to the right level of distress.
Wolpe (1969); refined in modern CBT.
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Inhibitory learning.
Anxiety naturally rises and falls — seeing the post-flight curve is part of how that lesson sticks.
Craske et al. (2008, 2014), Behaviour Research and Therapy.
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Heart Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback (planned for v1.x).
Slow paced breath matched to heart rhythm.
Goessl, Curtiss & Hofmann (2017), Psychological Medicine, g ≈ 0.81.
What it doesn't do
Airene is a set of tools, not a treatment. If your fear of flying significantly affects your life — beyond the moments around boarding — please speak to a clinician.
Established programs we recommend:
- VALK Foundation — a Dutch institute specialising in flight anxiety.
- SOAR — a US-based program for fear of flying.
- British Airways "Flying with Confidence" — a one-day course run by pilots and a psychologist.
Or speak to your GP about a referral.
Privacy
What Airene collects: your SUDS values, predictions, reflections, and flight history — only when you're signed in, and only synced between your own devices.
What Airene does not collect: advertising IDs, location data, audio, video, or anything anyone else sees.
