Only just stumbled across this thread. It resonates with me a lot. I used to petrified of flying to the extent that I wouldn't get on a commercial flight. I found that simple exposure in baby steps is what helped me to overcome my fear.
Believe it or not I went from being terrified of flying, to being an airline pilot! Today I fly the ERJ-145 in the USA and I'm moving on to the EMB-175 in a few months.