DRIVING PHOBIA
DRIVING PHOBIA
Motorways, dual carriageways, A roadsDread, anxiety, panic & avoidance
"I'm not fearful of the thought of making a motorway journey and I thank you for kind of giving me my life back. I used to love driving as a young man and I feel I'm getting back to that space once again.
I totally recommend the Mindspa Phobia Clinic to anyone with any kind of driving anxieties - Their therapies do work."
Mark L
[ Motorways, dual carriageways, other roads. Dread, panic & avoidance]
"I'm not fearful of the thought of making a motorway journey and I thank you for kind of giving me my life back. I used to love driving as a young man and I feel I'm getting back to that space once again.
I totally recommend the Mindspa Phobia Clinic to anyone with any kind of driving anxieties - Their therapies do work."
Mark L
"I'm not fearful of the thought of making a motorway journey and I thank you for kind of giving me my life back. I used to love driving as a young man and I feel I'm getting back to that space once again.
I totally recommend the Mindspa Phobia Clinic to anyone with any kind of driving anxieties - Their therapies do work."
Mark L
You're in the right place because driving phobia is one of the most common phobias we treat in our clinics. So although it might feel like you are alone, you are not and this can be changed.
What is driving phobia?
Fear of Driving (or driving phobia) is an excessive and irrational fear of driving, of being or feeling out of control whilst driving, causing dread, panic and avoidance. The sufferer recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable but feels powerless to change their responses.
The sufferer either avoids driving (or avoids particular roads or driving situations) or endures it with intense distress and discomfort. This interferes significantly with normal daily routines (work, social activities, and relationships).
Fear of driving is distinguished by the intense, often debilitating, fear it generates. At its worst it will end in a panic attack. So it’s way beyond driving nerves. This is hardcore white-knuckle fear.
The physical symptoms of driving phobia
Physical symptoms will come on when starting a journey or enroute when exposed to a particular driving situation (typically a certain kind of road). The symptoms usually stop once the driver is out of the situation or out of the car.
For some drivers these symptoms may start at a lower level sometime before actually driving and persist for some time afterwards.
Typical symptoms of driving phobia will include some of the following:
- Tightness in the chest
- Sweating (especially the palms) and shaking
- Physical tension (especially in the arms and hands)
- Light headiness or dizziness
- Shortness of breath or over-breathing
- Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
For a small percentage of sufferers, some of these symptoms may also be experienced as a passenger.
The psychological symptoms of driving phobia
Before driving there may be a build-up of dread and anxiety for hours or even days before a “big journey”, leading to sleeping problems and loss of appetite. When actually driving, psychological symptoms may include feeling that you:
- Might lose control
- Might do something stupid
- Might swerve
- The car might tip over
- Are being pulled or drawn to the left or right
- Are detached from the experience as if someone else is driving
- Have to focus and concentrate intensely
- Can’t tolerate distractions (engage in conversation, listen to the radio)
How people respond
When these physical and psychological symptoms come on, most drivers will do some of the following when actually driving:
- Slow right down (sometimes to a dangerously slow speed). This can often seem involuntary.
- Pull over, stop the car and try and calm down before driving on or having someone else take over.
- Drive on with great discomfort.
- Try and reduce their discomfort by forcing themselves to think of other things. Strategies including reciting the alphabet backwards, counting backwards or singing at the top of their voice.
Many people, of course, will respond by not even going there. They will simply avoid driving on particular roads or avoid driving completely.
Who it affects
Driving phobia can affect anyone.
Most people with a driving phobia are normal, intelligent, well-balanced people who once drove happily but are now anxious and panicky when driving or else don’t drive at all. Over the years we have treated all kinds of drivers, some with exceptional skills and experience, including police drivers and a rally driver. We have treated doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists.
So it can happen to anyone and it’s never a skills thing. It's the fear that gets in the way.
In fact most people with driving phobias are good, competent drivers. Which is why additional or advanced driving lessons are usually of no benefit in overcoming a driving phobia.
What causes driving phobia?
Driving phobia is very rarely caused by a traumatic or unsettling event (such as an accident) but is usually caused by something milder
(like suddenly feeling a little strange when driving at speed on a multi-lane highway) which normally would be okay but at the time the individual was perhaps a lot more stressed that normal (background stress levels raised by other things like tiredness or by financial, work or relationship problems) and this tipped them into a mild panic attack. This builds into a phobia.
So driving phobia is linked to different things for different people – to driving on wide open roads like major highways (most common), to dual carriageways, small roads, hills, high roads, bridges, flyovers, particular routes, junctions, to manoeuvres (especially overtaking), to being boxed in by heavy traffic, to being close to particular vehicles (usually large or high-sided ones) or to being limited to a particular speed. It often starts on big highways and spreads to smaller roads, restricting the routes, speed and distances that can be travelled.
Safety & avoidance behaviours
Safety and avoidance strategies are used by the sufferer to reduce the perceived danger and to control, conceal and accommodate their panic and embarrassment.
As more and more routes or situations are avoided, the sufferer’s world starts to close in. Energy and time are used in planning and driving alternative routes. They may have to drive at times when the roads are clear. Partners and friends may have to drive instead or take over en route. Excuses are made to avoid giving people lifts or traveling with friends and colleagues. Jobs, promotions and social invitations may be turned down. People and situations may be managed and manipulated.
Eventually these “solutions” become part of the problem. When this happens most sufferers
think “enough is enough” and do something about it. And get help.
How we can help
We have developed the Driving Phobia Cure program*.
This is a direct therapy program whose purpose and expectation is to eliminate the fear of driving. It’s a fast, gentle, positive and effective treatment delivered by UK experts in the field. And it's without the scare tactics and exposure therapy used by the older and less effective driving phobia treatments.
And it requires
just two pleasant treatment session at one of our private clinics
(or
online over Zoom video) to be free of your driving phobia. So that in future you can drive in calm and comfort like you most probably used to. Driving can just become second nature again. In
rare cases
more than two sessions may be required.
The two-session clinic program is £300 a session, so £600 in total.
We ask you to pay for each session as you come in. Each session is 1½ hours but you should allow 2 hours in case of overrun.
The sessions are, ideally, spaced a week or two apart so you have the chance to test things out and notice the changes and improvements between the sessions.
If you are reading this and think this is what you have been looking for and you are serious about getting help then take the next step and call us now on 0800 302 9452
to speak to a specialist about your driving phobia.
If you are reading this and think this is what you have been looking for and you are serious about getting help then take the next step and call us now and speak to a specialist about your driving phobia and how we can help you.
"I'm not fearful of the thought of making a motorway journey and I thank you for kind of giving me my life back. I used to love driving as a young man and I feel I'm getting back to that space once again.
I totally recommend the Mindspa Phobia Clinic to anyone with any kind of driving anxieties - Their therapies do work."
Mark L