Driving Phobia

Modern driving can be very stressful as there are hidden stresses that build gradually each time we drive and more obvious stresses that result from involvement in an accident, or simply from getting lost. The cumulative effect of this driving stress can cause all sorts of problems in our lives. People who suffer from driving phobia experience a psychological difficulty concerning their ability to drive a vehicle. A phobia related to driving can often be identified as being one of the many possible symptoms of PTSD.

This is a condition in which patient can suffer from frequent panic attacks, which can be severe in nature, and to the extent that they will find it difficult to drive. Some people develop a driving phobia as a result of their past experiences. These phobias seem to have no apparent cause. Flashbacks,hopelessnes, irritability, anxiety, a feeling of loss are some of the feelings that people have due to the phobia.

Patient Being involved in a road accident is a common causation factor, although there are many other incident that can be involved. Although not necessarily dangerous in real terms, the incident may be perceived as being so at the time by the sufferer causing sufficient increase in stress levels within the mind causing mental scarring.

When a person experiences, or witnesses, a traumatic incident, particularly where injury is sustained either to themselves or to another, their threat perception level can be highly exaggerated. That incident may cause a high level of stress and anxiety.

What Are The Symptoms of Driving Phobia?

Driving phobia can produce the unpleasant physical symptoms of fear. Some of them are:

• Throat dries due to fear.
• Heart palpitation.
• Acute fear.
• Dizziness.
• Sweating.
• Nausea.
• People feel that they will die or go mad.
• Distressing and recurring thoughts, memories, images, dreams.
• Difficulty in breathing.
• Loose control.
• Chest pain.
• Fainting.
• Not clear vision or hearing.

How Can I Overcome My Driving Phobia?

• Gradually expose yourself to the things that you fear, and experience the fears without running away, and so becoming less sensitive to them.
• The help of family/ friends can make self-treatment much easier to manage.

Treatment Options - Driving Phobia:

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is basically the study and practice of how we create our reality. According to NLP a phobia is the result of our programs or "constructs" that we have created and don't work very well. These constructs are revealed and "re-programmed" with the help of NLP so that the Driving Phobia is minimized.

Energy Psychology is based on a theory and practice that has been around for a couple of thousand years. It has the same roots as acupuncture, except in this case there are no needles used. It is an emotional acupuncture.

Counseling , where a psychologist will help to put fears through periods of discussion and reasoning.

Cognitive therapy in which changes in behaviour are encouraged through persistent practical exercises.

Group therapy, in which individuals with similar problems are brought together to discuss with each other their problems and symptoms, thus reinforcing the feeling that they are not alone with their anxiety.

Medication , in the form of anti-depressant such as SSRI's, which are designed to decrease the level of anxiety and so assist in the ability to deal with the underlying issues more effectively.