Fear of driving
Hypnotherapy for fear of driving
If you suffer from a fear of driving, often called ‘driving phobia’ then you are not alone. A fear of driving affects thousands of people in the UK every year and is one of the common phobias I address here at my practice in Warrington.
This is a phobic reaction to driving that may have suddenly appeared, or grown over a period of time to affect the driver to the point that they either dread driving or simply avoid driving at all costs. You may have been driving for many years without the slightest of concerns but now the very thought of getting into a car strikes fear to your very core. This fear of driving can have a really detrimental effect on your life and makes travelling extremely difficult, limiting the places where you can go, or even disrupt your working life. We use our cars for everything these days, even on short journeys, so you can begin to see how this severely impacts on a persons mobility and quality of life.
Help with the fear of driving
The fear of driving may have been as a result of what we call an initial sensitising event. What this means, is that at some point, the driver has experienced a negative event that has changed the way they think and feel about driving.
This may have been an accident they have actually been in or perhaps they have witnessed, but not been involved in, an accident.
Another form of fear, is the deep concern about what other drivers may think of them. The affected person my be so frightened of making a fool of themselves by driving, parking, setting off on a slope or slipping backward, that the fear of negative judgement is so strong that the fear grows and grows and the only way to extinguish this angst, is to avoid driving. This will give temporary relief from the anxiety, however, the fear will still be there.
By using a careful, structured approach of clinical hypnotherapy and cognitive restructuring (a fancy way of saying altering the way you think), we can uncover the reasons for the fear and address the feelings and thought patterns associated.
For most people, the fear is irrational and based on insufficient evidence. The thoughts are scary, and the way we think, effects the way we feel. I work to bring back these thoughts into rational alignment whilst working with the unconscious emotions, to build more confidence in the individual.
Cost and benefit to treatment
With any phobia or fear, it is always best to start off with the costs versus the benefits of treatment.
What is the cost of the treatment?
Well this is the time it takes to complete the treatment, the commitment and the costs (fees).
What is the benefits of the treatment?
- You take back control
- You are no longer fearful
- You can travel again
- Your life is no longer limited by the fear
If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from a fear of driving, then you don’t have to just accept these feelings, and the way things are. In fact, we often can’t accept the feelings are there and so this creates more anxiety through negative feelings about yourself and abilities, such as “why can’t I just do this?”, “why can everybody else drive, and I can’t?” These negative appraisals just make the anxiety worse.
If you feel that now is the time you took back control and to leave behind these thoughts and feelings about driving, then give me a call or contact me by email on the contacts page and we can start the process of positive change within you.
Think about how good you will feel to be able to drive once more
Think about how good it will feel to get back that control
I am here to help, and I will always offer a free over the phone chat to anyone suffering with a problem.
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