Debbie Adamson Overcomes 17‑Year Aerophobia with BTS Music

Debbie Adamson, a 67‑year‑old from Southampton, UK, avoided air travel for 17 years after a distressing flight as a student. In 2006 she hid her passport to evade a family trip to Orlando, and by 2008 she stopped flying altogether.

A friend who is a pilot explained how aircraft and safety procedures work, and Adamson joined a Facebook group for people with aerophobia. She found that listening to the K‑pop band BTS during take‑off helped calm her anxiety. Using a personal playlist, she successfully flew again, first testing a short trip to Orlando and later celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary with a flight to Santorini, Greece.

The combination of better knowledge of aviation, peer support, and music therapy enabled her to reclaim confidence in air travel after decades of fear.