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(This blog was originally posted on February 17, 2014)
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| Photo courtesy of Fotolia |
For
many people, driving a car is a way of life. It is not only a way to get things
done; it is practically a prerequisite for being able to accomplish many of
your goals. It is a symbol of independence: if you can drive and have a driving
license, you can go and do just about anything you want to do. When you can
drive, you must no longer rely on a friend, neighbor or family member to chauffeur
you to an event or an appointment. It is a way of getting to work or simply of
getting away. Driving a car is a privilege and a responsibility; and for many
people, it can be the source of great anxiety and even social debilitation.
People
can develop a fear or phobia of driving for various reasons. Sometimes, people
become understandably afraid to drive or to even ride in an automobile after
they have been in a car crash or narrowly avoided being in an accident. The
same is true if they have been injured in a crash or if a loved one has been
seriously injured or killed. Anxiety and phobias about driving can also develop
in association with a sudden drop in blood-sugar level; it is common to
associate (blame) driving with sudden symptoms of dizziness, feeling
light-headed, confusion and nausea. However, the likely cause of this
discomfort is being hungry because the person skipped breakfast to save time in
the morning and then downed a quadruple espresso beverage to help stay awake
for the morning commute.
When
I work with clients to help them resolve their anxiety about driving, one of the
first things I do is to contextualize the origins of their fear or phobia. I explain
John Kappas, Ph.D.’s, concepts of the Theory of Mind to illustrate how this
current fear/phobic reaction has successfully, albeit temporarily “protected”
them from perceived danger by keeping them out of cars. Finally, I employ
relaxation, systematic-desensitization and visualization techniques to help my
clients work through and overcome their anxiety while they are in hypnosis so
they can get back in the driver’s seat of the car, and their lives, once again.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
