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Amélie Boukhobza (Clinical psychologist)
This Tuesday, May 21, a Singapore Airlines Boeing plane experienced extreme turbulence during its flight to Singapore, departing from London. A passenger died, dozens of people were injured… How do you react when you come so close to death? Doctissimo interviewed psychologist Amélie Boukhobza on the subject.
Overturned meal trays, taken out oxygen masks, passengers who describe a “crazy flight”, a deceased passenger and around twenty people in intensive care… These are traumatized travelers who describe what happened during the flight connecting London to Singapore, Tuesday May 21. The photos taken at the end of this flight suggest the scale of the disaster that occurred during this nightmarish flight.
Severe turbulence during flight at 11,000 meters altitude
Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 therefore experienced “extreme and sudden turbulence” at 11,000 meters above Burma, approximately ten hours after takeoff. The plane plunged several times, free-falling 1,800 meters. This flight also caused the death of a 73-year-old British man and more than 70 passengers were injured – particularly in the head – among the 211 people on board. It was only today, Wednesday, that 131 passengers and 12 crew members were finally able to land in Singapore via another flight. They say they are traumatized by what they experienced.
What happens psychologically when you come close to death?
The first question we ask ourselves about these passengers is their feelings after having faced death, convinced that the plane was going to fall. “SSurviving an event as serious as a plane accident is a release from all illusion and a direct confrontation with the reality of death. Which is never without consequences for the future necessarily” believes psychologist Amélie Boukhobza.
“Inevitably an initial moment of shock and astonishment is felt. The latter can manifest itself through feelings of unreality, as if the event had not really happened or as if we were detached from it” she adds, explaining a classic psychological defense mechanism.
“Then quite quickly, after a while, proximity to death can generate an intense fear of death itself. For yourself, for your loved ones… This can result in panic attacksgeneralized anxiety, a fear that the event will happen again, particularly in similar contexts such as flying again, or in other means of transport” adds the expert.
Feeling survivor’s guilt, developing post-traumatic stress disorder…
Subsequently, the consequences are serious for people experiencing this type of event. “Surviving such a disaster, where others have died or been seriously injured, can generate intense guilt about having survived and questions such as “why me? why did I survive when others did not ?'” further indicates Amélie Boukhobza.
Moreover, she emphasizes, “it is not uncommon to develop after a few weeks to a few months a syndrome post-traumatic stress“. The picture of this disorder is quite typical with flashbacks, nightmares, sleep problems, depression, hyper vigilance and avoidance of situations that remind us of the event…
Of course, such a situation can also lead to a profound reassessment of life priorities and values. “The best that can happen is another, more heightened appreciation of life.” specifies Amélie Boukhobza.
To turn the page and recover from this event, the specialist recommends EMDR for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. “This is a particularly effective technique in this case. Going through the event in session to reprocess it will not only reduce the negative emotional impact and remove the negative and irrational beliefs associated with the event, such as the guilt” she further explains.
Being able to talk about what you have experienced with those close to you and finding support from family and friends or people who have experienced the same thing is also essential. “This helps with recovery, as does cognitive behavioral therapy with progressive exposure or with virtual reality simulations” advises the expert. “So many therapies that can also help rebuild confidence to fly again” she concludes.
Slide: 10 health reasons that may prevent you from flying