Amaxophobia Or Panic Of Driving: Discover The Keys To Overcome It
Are you afraid of driving? Do you suffer from anxiety every time you touch the steering wheel? Maybe you suffer from a driving phobia or amaxophobia. Find out how to address it and what is the best way to overcome it.
Many people may suffer from fear of driving due to a bad experience behind the wheel. But when this intensifies and becomes a real driving phobia This becomes a psychological pathology called amaxophobia. One thing is the fear of driving and another is amaxophobia. In both cases there is fear, but in the first it is an emotion and in the second it is a psychological emotional disorder.
It affects people who are afraid of a lack of control, who are insecure and who regularly suffer from stress and depression. The driving phobia It also usually occurs in people who have stopped driving for a period of time and who suffer from other phobias, such as fear of flying or staying in closed spaces.
Typically this panic driving It is usually suffered by responsible, self-demanding, perfectionist people who like to have all possible variables under their control, including driving. At the slightest feeling of risk they prefer not to drive, and they make any excuse not to leave the house; That makes them very dependent, and they tend to change plans continually.
Consequently, people who suffer from driving phobia or amaxophobia, they feel frustrated, sad, helpless and have low self-esteem. When they are forced to get behind the wheel, they always do so with anxiety, nervousness, tachycardia, palpitations, sweating in the hands, dizziness, nerves in the stomach, trembling in the extremities, muscle and neck pain, and hyperventilation (shortness of breath). ).
More than half of the people with amaxophobia He drives sporadically, takes the same routes and imposes certain limitations on himself, such as not driving without a companion, on the highway or highway, in heavy traffic or at night.
What are the symptoms of amaxophobia?
In the amaxophobia, how in other phobic disorders the flight-avoidance response produces in the subject a feeling of relief from anxiety, which is maintained by negative reinforcement. This response becomes so powerful that it is experienced as the only possible response to the problem.
As a result of the first anxiety crisis that is experienced around the fear of vehicles as well as the fear of driving, a vicious circle develops where the fear of experiencing this same distressing situation predominates and this fear is what triggers new crises that are always more intense, which causes the phobia to intensify and perpetuate. In many cases, amaxophobia and its symptoms They are presented in the following way.
Automatic and uncontrollable phobic reaction
Take extreme measures to avoid the trigger
Overreaction disproportionate to actual risk
Intense fear of having an accident
These are some of the symptoms of amaxophobia. In many cases losing andl fear of driving or overcoming amaxophobia It depends on the help of a professional psychologist.
How to overcome amaxophobia?
Hence, the most effective treatment is to do the opposite of avoidance, that is, exposure to phobic stimulus (drive). Addressing the treatment of this disorder involves modifying the erroneous ideas and thoughts that the affected person has about traffic and about themselves, and deconditioning the flight response in the face of various traffic situations. As with any phobia, live exposure allows you to develop direct coping experiences that help:
1. Rationalize negative thoughts
One of the first steps to overcome driving anxiety It is trying to refute negative expectations with evidence of reality. In many cases, amaxophobia and its treatment attempt to address the negative thoughts that arise around driving and vehicles.
2. Emotional control
Develop emotional self-control when suffering fear of driving or amaxophobia It is essential to be able to end up overcoming it. In this way, to confront the fear of driving it will be essential to analyze our emotions, identify them and try to clarify why they happen and if they are really useful for us.
3. Improve our driving skills
Improving the psychomotor skills involved in driving vehicles can help us overcome fear of driving and amaxophobia Through this improvement the person can feel safer behind the wheel and can help to leave driving panic and driving anxiety behind.
4. Encourage positivity
Increasing positive memories about driving ability can be a good method to overcome amaxophobia To do this, the key will be to try to rationalize negative thoughts to change them for many more positive ones.
These are some of the methods that can help you overcome amaxophobia Although they are good resources to overcome the phobia of driving, in many cases the help of a mental health professional is required. Seeing the good side of driving again will give you the freedom you need so much.
