Absolutely TERRIFIED of driving! Afraid I'll die!--help!?!


Question: Absolutely TERRIFIED of driving! Afraid I'll die!--help!?
I'm not talking "ooh, I'd rather not drive long trips or take the car out on the highway." I'm talking "God, I'm SURE I'm going to die if I so much as sit behind the wheel of a parked car."

I'm 26 and I'm really fed up with not being able to go anywhere alone.

I've had really awful experiences in cars, at 8yrs old I saw a really horrific accident where an old woman went through her windscreen. I got hit by lightning in a car (or rather the car did), when I was 13. The first time I tried to move a car I hit another car, a tree, and a basketball hoop before I even got down the driveway.

I feel like I'll never be able to drive. I sort of want to, but the thought of actually doing it fills me with dread and nausea. When I put the key in the ignition, even when I'm seated in the passenger seat, my heart races and I get tunnel vision and feelings of impending doom.

Am I hopeless?

I WILL have to learn one day because my husband has a degenerative eye condition, and it would be impossible to rely solely on public transport where we live. I have no idea what to do. People I ask tell me to start slowly--try sitting in the drivers seat without turning the car on, having the door open, etc., but I still have panic attacks with even that small step!

I want to try to be a little more independent.

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I think due to your past experiences seeing those horrific crashes you were left traumatized. you are afraid that the same will happen to you. i know the equivalent of your situation. you can get over your fear. it will take time but you can do it. it can start from even opening the car door alone or even unlocking it alone. but if you start small, assure yourself that there is nothing to fear, then you can do it.



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Systematic Densitisation Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy have been shown to be effective in the treatment of phobia. Also worth considering are hypnotherapy, particularly from a reputable professional hypnotherapist, and EFT. Give EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at www.mercola.com "EFT" & "EFT therapists" or www.emofree.com or www.tapping.com (13 free videos). Professional is best. - There is a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I have a fear of driving, I deeply and completely accept myself." Anyone from any country should closely examine the advice at the following websites, before beginning their search for a suitable therapist: http://1-800-therapist.com/index.html Phone: 1 800 843 7274 (USA), and http://www.metanoia.org/choose/ Recommended reading: How to Stop Anxiety & Panic Attacks: A Simple Guide to using a specific set of Techniques to Stop Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Fear of Driving or Flying and Stress by Geert Verschaeve, & Overcoming Specific Phobias - Therapist Protocol: A Hierarchy & Exposure-Based Protocol for the Treatment of All Specific Phobias (Best Practices Series) by Edmund J. Bourne, & The God of Driving: How I Overcame Fear and Put Myself in the Driver's Seat (with the Help of a Good and Mysterious Man) by Amy Fine Collins, from your bookstore, or amazon.com and enter: "phobia; driving" in the searchbar for more media. View http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_2… about panic attacks, and anxiety, then pages h, & i. Phobia; see page v. If you suffer from panic attacks, learn, and become proficient in an anti-panic breathing technique, such as the one below.

With anxiety attacks, there are a number of approaches, including pulling over to a relatively safe place, and employing the EFT, or Progressive Muscle Relaxation, but it's probably not wise to use them if driving. Begin by driving up and down your driveway. Later, go up and down the street. Then around the block. Then a short distance, in off peak hours in daylight, where there is light traffic. The idea is to build confidence, and gradually increase the distance, and the amount of traffic you have to cope with. Leave peak hour, highways, long distances, and especially night driving until later on. Consider having a friend, or relative along when tackling a new stage. Ensure you can park alright, and that the vehicle is prepared; make a checklist if necessary. Can you change a tyre? Are you a member of the auto association, or do you have the phone numbers of those who can assist in the case of breakdowns, and a charged cell/mobile phone? If going somewhere new, (not having sat. nav.) get, or make a map, (Google: maps is quite comprehensive) with approximate distances to turns, and plan it beforehand. It can help to either have someone else drive, while you study the route, and the visual cues, or to have them give you instructions. If lost, go back the way you came until in familiar territory. Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind. 85% of people are suggestible to some degree; 15% - 20% highly so, and 15% - 20% aren't much at all, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, hypnosisdownloads.com has ones about overcoming fear of driving, and fear of the driving test. For him: Have 4 eggs weekly, with the centres runny, for the lutein, and zeaxanthin. Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, or the recommended dose of a high quality fish oil daily, like Carlsons or Melrose (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice.

If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it! Dr. Mercola rates "krill oil" much higher than fish oil, because it is far less easily oxidised, so you may want to check this out for yourself through the searchbar at mercola.com Vegetarians & vegans: Google: "Omega 3; algae; supplies" and use it with flaxseed. View: http://drbenkim.com/vitamin-d-facts.htm & http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl… I have a weblink that I believe may well provide further help, (about an excellent supplement for eye health I take daily) but if I include it here, this answer may be removed by Y!A for promoting a personal website with no direct relevance to the actual question asked, so email me if interested.




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