For many of you out there, fear of driving can be difficult to wrap your head around. However, for the ones who suffer from driving (or attempting to drive) in fear, it’s as real as it gets. According to www.Zebra.com, about 66% of Americans experience driving anxiety. Even someone very close to you may be experiencing this kind of fear without sharing their feelings with you.

Unfortunately, even the best drivers are not immune to the fear of driving. Regardless of driving history, very unexpectedly, it’s possible to find yourself avoiding driving certain places or driving altogether!

Thankfully, subconscious techniques such as hypnosis can be very helpful with healing from driving anxiety and phobia. Various hypnotic tools can help with managing the triggers, eliminating anxiety, and can even feel like exposure therapy on steroids!

 

 

What is fear of driving?

Fear of driving is feelings of intense anxiety before, and/or during driving. In some cases, anticipation may even begin days or weeks before the action of driving. Some common symptoms are increased heartbeat, sweating, panic, or unknown dizziness while driving. 

Fear of driving can happen very unexpectedly and is usually paired with general anxiety as well. Even if you were driving very comfortably just a few weeks ago, it’s possible to develop a fear of driving later on.

Fear of driving can present itself very differently in each person’s life. Here are common ways people can experience fear of driving:

 

Fear of driving on the freeways

Driving on the freeways is probably the most common form of driving anxiety. Between the faster-driving cars, the number of cars, and the pressure to drive at higher speeds, freeways are the perfect places to make drivers uncomfortable. 

Some people report feeling anxiety only during driving on the freeways, while others report feeling anxious when they have to merge into another freeway. Often times these people can drive on the small streets with little to no problems but they feel intense anxiety when it comes to driving on the freeways.

 

 

Fear of driving over the bridges

Bridges can be scary for many people because they usually involve heights and tighter roads which can trigger feelings of being trapped. Even though they know that the chances are very minimal, some people worry about falling off the bridge, getting stuck on the bridge, or having an emergency and being stuck while on a bridge.

People who experience fear of driving over bridges may feel somewhat comfortable driving on smaller streets, freeways, or even busy roads however when it comes to ramps, big bridges, or narrow roads, they may feel anxious.

 

 

Fear of driving long distances

As we drive to work, to the grocery store, or home, we get used to the roads that we drive. It’s almost like we drive on autopilot, there is no conscious effort made. However, when it comes to going somewhere new or far; these instances can trigger anxiety for some people.

You may be confused about why you have no problems driving to familiar places but when it comes to traveling or going to a new restaurant, you are drenched in sweat. This is because of driving anxiety.

 

 

 

What causes fear of driving? 

There can be many causes for fear of driving. One thing we know for sure is the anxiety part. Everyone who is experiencing fear of driving is also dealing with some form of anxiety as well.

In some cases, fear of driving initiates purely based on the anxiety that is felt at the moment. Even though the anxiety may not be related to driving in the beginning, because you’ve felt intense anxiety while driving, you may attribute the anxious feeling to being behind the wheels.

There are also many cases in which driving anxiety starts following a car accident. This may be an accident you witnessed or somehow got involved in. The fear itself can be powerful enough to make the person anxious every time when the person is behind the wheel.

 

 

How can hypnotherapy help with the fear of driving?

Hypnosis has been a very helpful subconscious technique to overcome many fears or phobias. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that there are a number of hypnotic methods that can be used for driving anxiety depending on the individual’s needs.

Although each technique and its use will change from therapist to therapist, there are some common hypnosis approaches that can be used.

 

Desensitization technique with hypnosis 

Think of desensitization as exposure therapy on steroids. Exposure therapy is slowly being exposed to the triggering situation until triggers are not stimulating anymore. The desensitization technique’s progress can be very similar to the exposure therapy and since it’s done subconsciously, the effects will be more profound.

Imagine going through the feared event so many times that you cannot feel the fear anymore, how would you like that feeling? That’s what desensitization with hypnosis can help you achieve.

 

Anxiety relief with hypnosis

Clearly, anxiety is the most important component of the fear of driving. If there was no anxiety, it would be possible to rationalize the low risk and feel relaxed while driving.

One of the most immediate benefits of hypnosis with any fear of phobia is anxiety relief. Hypnosis itself is a very calm and relaxing experience. This state of comfort also gives a chance for the person to tap into their inner resources.

With the help of hypnosis, we can train to minds to trigger a calming response rather than anxiety.

 

Hypnotic Regression

In the cases in which there was a negative driving experience such as an accident, hypnotic regression can actually be beneficial. Even though the accident happened only once, the subconscious mind reacts as if it’s happening over and over again every time while driving.

Hypnotic regression allows us to revisit the memory from a more peaceful and mature point of view. There is a reason why the subconscious mind is triggering fear every time you drive; To protect you! However, if you make peace with the event and let it integrate subconsciously in a peaceful way, you can still be safe and drive comfortably at the same time!

  

Calmness anchor

Hypnotic anchoring is a common technique that you may have witnessed in stage shows or movies. For example, any time a movement is made or a keyword is repeated in the mind, a particular state of being will be remembered.

During hypnosis, we can create a feeling of total calmness and relaxation. Attaching these feelings to a physical movement or a physical keyword gives the power to trigger these positive feelings again rather than anxiety.

 

 

Final words

Fear of driving can be debilitating and will affect one’s life quality. Repeatedly feeling like you are failing yourself and others can also take a toll on your confidence in the long term. If you are dealing with any form of driving anxiety, take control today! Reach out to a professional and make sure that you control this fear before it controls you!