driving, the dark and fear

[cranberry123]

I have been dealing with panic and anxiety for about 10 years now, when it first started it was mainly brought on by being somewhere public like a restaurant or public event and i would start to think i was going to die and everyone would see and it would be embarrising..i know this sounds silly,anyway i controlled it over the years and it went away almost completley for a couple of years after receiving hypnotherapy, i still had to work at it but found myself a lot lot better, however recently my anxiety has returned, it started when i began to get scared about long journeys especially long country roads with no turning points or dual carriageways as it seems i fear being stuck and not being able to escape, this has affected my life and has gradually got worse as now its not just long journeys but any, it seems to be worse when driving in the dark which is difficuly with it being winter and and the days getting darker earlier. I recenly got very anxious on a journey back from my moms who lives 30 mins away and its a journed i have done once a week for 15 years, but it was dark and half way back i realised its quite a way back to home and also back to my moms, theres no quick way back to either (i find it hard to explain exactly) so I suddenly felt trapped and scared,I was in the car with my husband and kids so tried to control myself with an hypnotherapy exersise which helped a bit, but by the time I got home I was shaking and had to have a glass of wine to relax, but all evening i felt anxious. I use alcohol a lot to help, sharing a bottle or two with my husband about 4 to 5 times a week, this is making my anxiety worse though and i feel im in a vicious circle. I would love to here from other people who seem to have this anxiety brought on especially by driving and the dark, but also it seems almost anything brings it on now. I feel trapped angry and upset.

[pooh]

Hi there and welcome along to NMP

it sounds to me like you are describing agoraphobia. I would suggest reading the material on the site in the left hand menu and then searching the forums to see other peoples accounts and how they have learned to managed overcome it.

Pooh x

[lorac]

Hi

Welcome to the site I am sure you will get some good advice and support on here.

Take care

Carol

[sheena]

Hi
i

I developed a driving phobia when I was at my wost with agoraphobia. I was bad as before the phobia I used to drive to the corner shop (8 doors away) so I became totally housebound.

Like you if was the fear of being trapped. I worried that I would have an accident and be unable to get out of the car. I was okay with my daughter driving until we hit the M1 and the traffic appeared to be static. Luckily it started to move slowly. So would not go on the motorway.

I had CBT for my agoraphobia and we spent a couple of sessions on my driving phobia. She asked me how many car accidents I had and it was none.

I started just sitting in the car until I felt comfortable. I would then drive to the end of my road, around the roundabout and back home and built it up slowly from there.

I am still only comfortable driving a 3 mile radius from my home.

No way will I drive in the dark and now I just tell people. My grandson wanted me to watch him do karate after school but I had to tell him that I could not drive in the dark and will come see him when the evenings got lighter.

The main thing, at the moment is not to keep pushing yourself, in the car, if you are feeling anxious as the end result will be that you will not get in to the car. What ever you do, do not stop driving. Only drive to where you feel comfortable and tell people that you are having a problem at the moment but hope that it will get better.

Also search for Nic's CBT thread on her journey with her car phobia and how she got over it.

Sheena

[weeble40]

Hi and a big welcome to NMP its great to have you here, hope to see you in chat sometime,

Take care

Emma xxx