The number of customs and habits has become much more varied over time. technological progress and exactly the same thing has happened with the repertoire of phobias.
As we saw in the article about strange phobias, today it is not uncommon to have a pathological fear of an infinite number of elements, some of which occur only in fiction. The phobia we will talk about today, however, is more related to everyday life, but it is still serious. It is about the amaxophobia or fear of driving.
What is amaxophobia?
To put it simply, It is the fear of driving taken to a pathological extreme. that is, it creates problems and difficulties for us and worsens the quality of life of those who experience it.
The origin of the phobia can be found in past experiences related to experimenting with driving, but it is also possible that it occurs in people who have never been able to drive for the first time. This means that first-person experiences but also preconceived ideas or information given by third parties can intervene in the birth of amaxophobia.
Why does it occur?
There are several psychological facets that explain the fear of driving.
In the cognitive aspect, fatalistic thoughts often occur in which a fatal accident is anticipated. These thoughts can consist of narratives captured in images that are repeated over and over again without much being done to try to suppress them. Memories related to previously known traffic accidents, road death statistics, etc. may also be present.
On the emotional level, anxiety and stress experienced at specific moments are normal. These emotional states are nothing more than the tip of an iceberg that includes hormonal and physiological processes such as sweating, accelerated pulse and muscle tension. Blurred vision or nausea may also occur.
Regarding the material aspects surrounding amaxophobia, there are some rituals initiated before starting to drive. indefinite postponement of driving (even if certain responsibilities push you to take your own vehicle), driving at low speed, etc.
These three aspects feed each other and perpetuate or even aggravate the degree of driving phobia, since they have a circular effect in which fear and stress only grow.
Of course, it is not uncommon to experience fear behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially if you have little experience in it and a failure can put your own life and that of others at risk (a situation that occurs on practically all types of roads). . However, amaxophobia is an irrational fear that cannot be justified and, precisely for this reason, it’s hard to fight. Despite this, just because it is not easy to treat does not mean that it is impossible to drastically mitigate its effects.
How is fear of driving treated?
There are several fronts from which the phobia of driving can be attacked from the cognitive-behavioral intervention.
First of all, it is good to inform about the nature of amaxophobia, since this way the person who experiences it will be able to understand what is happening to them and will know what being afraid of driving implies and what it does not imply. However, this measure does not serve to produce improvement by itself, since the phobia is not based on rationality. In any case, it serves to narrow down the problem and know how to deal with it from that point on.
It is good to train in self-instruction techniques to the person with amaxophobia. Following self-instructions involves following a kind of imaginary script to know what to do and in what order. This makes it easier to be clear at all times about what the immediate objective is when driving and shifts attention away from catastrophic anticipatory thoughts.
It is also essential to attack the emotional side of the phobia, and this can be done by following techniques to combat anxiety before and while driving. Those that directly involve breathing control are especially important, since this helps maintain an adequate heart rate and prevents the brain from being overwhelmed by circumstances.
In addition to all this, It is common to combat it through progressive exposure to the source of fear. This involves making small approaches to driving by setting increasingly ambitious goals. It usually starts with the company of someone, but in the later stages the person must be able to cope with driving without any company. Normally it is in exposure to the phobic source where the results are seen, and this can act in favor of the person’s motivation.
Not everything is black or white
As in all phobias, in amaxophobia There are different degrees of severity. That means that for some people it can be a lot of nerves while driving at high speed on a highway or highway, while in other cases it can be scary just starting the engine.
The key point is knowing how to identify the magnitude of this phobia in each specific case and adapt the strategies to combat it depending on it.
