When you suffer from a fear of driving, even normal life can cause anxiety. From driving in bad weather to driving over bridges, every road trip makes you panicked. This type of fear is especially common after a car accident. Up to one out of three people who get in a crash that involves a hospital stay are afraid of driving afterward.

A Fear of Driving Impacts Your Life

You want to go on a fun vacation, but you are afraid of driving on mountain roads without guard rails. Even when you are not driving, you have nervous passenger anxiety. It can even be so bad that you stop going places that are far away. Unless a bus or bike can get you there, you stay at home.

There are many levels of fear. Some people can still drive, but just avoid doing it. Other people cannot even get in a vehicle. No matter how bad your fear of driving is, you can get help. Hypnosis can help you unlearn your fear and feel relaxed on the roadways.

Hypnotherapy for Driving Anxiety

Some therapists advocate for exposure therapy. This type of therapy involves gradually getting used to cars and driving in them. With hypnosis, you can do the same thing in your mind. Your hypnotist takes you to a state of total relaxation. In this state, you can visualize riding or driving cars. You imagine how you will react and how relaxed you will feel. Your subconscious relearns how to deal with cars mentally, so you are ready for real-life exposure to them.

Sometimes, there are specific memories that caused your fear. Perhaps you were driving near large trucks when you got into a crash. You may have memories of slick, icy roads and car crashes. Whatever the case, you can learn to change these fears. These memories have become a thought pattern over the years. Like any thought pattern, the fear can be broken. You just have to find out how.

In hypnosis, you can change how you think of the memory. You can look at the triggers that make you feel afraid. Suggestions and imagery help you learn a healthier way to approach driving. Instead of being afraid, you feel relaxed and confident.

Recognize the Pattern to Cause Change

Your hypnotist will help you learn how to recognize the symptoms of anxiety. When you have anxiety, your mind starts the fight or flight response. Basically, your mind thinks that there is a danger. It wants you to be ready to run or fight the danger. Unfortunately, this response can happen for things that are not actually dangerous. When you have a driving phobia, you feel the anxiety even though the car is totally safe.

Anything that is learned by the mind can be unlearned. If you have developed a pattern of fear, hypnosis can break the cycle. You can learn how to recognize anxiety, feel relaxed and enjoy driving. Before long, you are back on the roadways and feeling good about it.