MOTORWAY PANIC

OK, heres what happened today..........
I was working up in Edinburgh and stayed overnight, left 7am hoping to get back to the midlands by mid day; i felt fine and proceeded, got out of Scotland ok and got to about Penrith on M6, then the mountains all came into view each side of the motorway, i felt high up, shakey and the mountains felt like they were too close to me, i began to feel scared of lorries near me and could not overtake anything, started to slow right down (middle lane) and felt horrid, i just frose at the wheel, could not change gear, turn off the radio, change lane or anything, any movement terified me. I eventually got to a service station by which time i was in a terible state, ended up in tears and shaking, had to rush to the loo etc. My partner took over driving, but i didnt want to get in the car, and when we left i hung on to the door handles and pleaded not to overtake or go fast, but every slight movement on the road was aweful, i was gripped with fear and this lasted some time. When it semed to have passed i took over driving again near to Warrington, but when i had to climb the viaduct o the M6 it all started again, the strange feeling of going upwards and total fear, i had lorries all around and i just frose again, probably only going 30mph, managed to get over the bridge but felt so ill, turned off M6 and was fine cross country rest of journey.
Normally i am fine driving with no problems on ordinary roads, i occasionally get mild panic overtaking and with lorries around me, worst case is change of direction of a motorway (a bend etc) which sometimes affects me. I love mountains and countryside, but the height thing seems to be having an effect, i also wont go in lifts and feel unwell just looking up at tall buildings. This is not good, at present i dont even want to leave the house again and cannot vision travelling far in the future; i am due to go to Dubai in November with work, i havent flown for over 10 years and am scared of freaking out when i get on the plane;

Facts: i am not fightened of crashing, terrorists or anything else similar; the syptoms start with close vehicles or landscape, going upwards etc (have also had supermarket episodes in past)

I take st johns wart and missed a few days about 1 month ago, i have just started Flaxseed Oil in last week - could this have an efect ?

I had a can of red bull this morning to help keep awake, have done this many times before without problems though.

This is really serious, i could have caused an accident or been killed today, i am obviously worried for the future and want to know how i can combat this horrid experience and be able to travel again.

Does anyone else get these problems, are they indeed panic attacks or some kind or vertico ? ( i was tested for rotational after some blackouts last year plus MRI and CT etc - nothnig found, told it was PA)

All help appreciated, i am feeling very depressed tonight after it all

Andy

Hi Andy. I don't know how much i can help but I have just read your thread and have been through exactly all of what you experienced today. i'm 25 and although over the past couple of years i have been experiencing mild panic in certain situations on the motorway (overtaking, bridges, height, and mountainous scenery which i also found disconcerting as i too love such scenery under different circumstances), recently these feelings became much worse and actually stopped me from driving on the motorway at all (not practical, i know). i first realised how serious the problem was when i was driving over the bridge on the way to liverpool airport on the m56. total nightmare. i started sweating and trembling and literally felt like i was using every bit of self control i had to keep my foot on the accelerator and get across the bloody thing. i was light-headed and believed that i was close to blacking out and swerving to my death. but i didnt. and although u will need more reassurance, neither did you. the thing about panic attacks is that they appear because of some other underlying problem you need to resolve. u might not be completely aware of it now (i didn't think i had anything to panic about until my doctor pointed out to me that all it took was a big change, a sudden unexpected event, something u might subconsciously be fearing/anticipating and that alone can trigger them. remember, nothing escapes your subconcious. it's like a mental dumping ground. another important point to note is that sometimes when u have experienced more stress than usual, or you mind reacts to this stress or anxiety by almost switching off. u feel like u're in an almost trance-like state. u zone out. everyone experiences this at some level on a day to day basis, when we stare into space for example, but when this happens to you on the motorway, it can almost jolt u into a panic. this sense of 'derealisation' is incredibly unsettling and might well be the trigger to your panic attacks on the road. i would recommend that you try and find out more about it. i'm still trying to research and hopefully overcome it myself. the good news is that it is something you will overcome but u might need to think more about what might be causing u to 'zone out'. really analyse what has been going on in your life recently and even those events which are seemingly unrelated and 'happened so long ago'. did u deal with them? your job alone could be a major factor. u might think u're coping with the pressures of it but maybe you just 'expect' yourself to cope. often panic attacks can occur when stability is lacking, and this is hardest to cope with in people who like to be in control (also in my case a perfectionist and afraid of failure). when certain events occur which are out of your control, they have the potential to send u into a bit of a spin and add stress to your life. apart from the attacks, ask yourself if things have happened which have questioned your own sense of control in your life.
i know i'm going on a bit here, but it really is a broad topic which could be due to a number of factors and i'm just hoping that you can relate to some of them and put this whole thing into perspective.
the first steps you can take to help yourself are to realise that what u have experienced IS in your control even if it doesnt feel like it at the moment. negative anticipation, although difficult to avoid when u dont understand what's happening to you, will NOT help u. u really need to stop worrying about your trip to dubai. i'm sure that anytime something reminds u of it u start a chain of negative thoughts which might, if not already, trigger a wave of panic in itself. i'm currently having cognitive behavioural therapy for this as my attacks got worse through a lack of knowledge and insufficient support, leading to a string of physical symptoms related to anxiety. you are lucky in that this has only really come to a head today and u now know what it is. it cant harm you. u were never going to lose control of the car no matter how much u believe

IS in your control, you WILL overcome it. u have just taken the most important step to overcome this problem. something which i avoided for far too long because i was ashamed. please dont be. u only have to browse this forum to see how common a problem it really is. here's a list of things i would recommend. hope it helps!

- strategies for dealing with panic attacks e.g. diaphragmatic breathing (there's an abundance of material on strategies to cope on the net or from your GP)

- see a counsellor, even if only a volunteer counsellor. maybe u just need to talk. u'll be amazed at what's been going on in your head!

- explore CBT with a professional therapist. your GP can recommend one or put u on a waiting list. i pay £35 per hourly session but u might get it free on the NHS if their waiting list isnt too long.

- the book 'self help for your nerves' by dr. claire weekes really helped me. i know i was a bit further down the path to nervous breakdown but this book really is amazingly reassuring!

- watch your diet and general health. i found that by eliminating caffiene and cigarettes i improved a lot. less jittery i suppose. also exercise is fab for generally working off that nervous energy we accumulate day to day. eat healthy foods and stock up on B vitamns as they help to keep your nervous system functioning properly (so lots of greens and oily fish).

finally, good luck andy. you're not alone in this and there are so many other people around you who can and will help you get through this and get your confidence back. :)

[quote]<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Hi Andy. I don't know how much i can help but I have just read your thread and have been through exactly all of what you experienced today. i'm 25 and although over the past couple of years i have been experiencing mild panic in certain situations on the motorway (overtaking, bridges, height, and mountainous scenery which i also found disconcerting as i too love such scenery under different circumstances), recently these feelings became much worse and actually stopped me from driving on the motorway at all (not practical, i know). i first realised how serious the problem was when i was driving over the bridge on the way to liverpool airport on the m56. total nightmare. i started sweating and trembling and literally felt like i was using every bit of self control i had to keep my foot on the accelerator and get across the bloody thing. i was light-headed and believed that i was close to blacking out and swerving to my death. but i didnt. and although u will need more reassurance, neither did you. the thing about panic attacks is that they appear because of some other underlying problem you need to resolve. u might not be completely aware of it now (i didn't think i had anything to panic about until my doctor pointed out to me that all it took was a big change, a sudden unexpected event, something u might subconsciously be fearing/anticipating and that alone can trigger them. remember, nothing escapes your subconcious. it's like a mental dumping ground. another important point to note is that sometimes when u have experienced more stress than usual, or you mind reacts to this stress or anxiety by almost switching off. u feel like u're in an almost trance-like state. u zone out. everyone experiences this at some level on a day to day basis, when we stare into space for example, but when this happens to you on the motorway, it can almost jolt u into a panic. this sense of 'derealisation' is incredibly unsettling and might well be the trigger to your panic attacks on the road. i would recommend that you try and find out more about it. i'm still trying to research and hopefully overcome it myself. the good news is that it is something you will overcome but u might need to think more about what might be causing u to 'zone out'. really analyse what has been going on in your life recently and even those events which are seemingly unrelated and 'happened so long ago'. did u deal with them? your job alone could be a major factor. u might think u're coping with the pressures of it but maybe you just 'expect' yourself to cope. often panic attacks can occur when stability is lacking, and this is hardest to cope with in people who like to be in control (also in my case a perfectionist and afraid of failure). when certain events occur which are out of your control, they have the potential to send u into a bit of a spin and add stress to your life. apart from the attacks, ask yourself if things have happened which have questioned your own sense of control in your life.
i know i'm going on a bit here, but it really is a broad topic which could be due to a number of factors and i'm just hoping that you can relate to some of them and put this whole thing into perspective.
the first steps you can take to help yourself are to realise that what u have experienced IS in your control even if it doesnt feel like it at the moment. negative anticipation, although difficult to avoid when u dont understand what's happening to you, will NOT help u. u really need to stop worrying about your trip to dubai. i'm sure that anytime something reminds u of it u start a chain of negative thoughts which might, if not already, trigger a wave of panic in itself. i'm currently having cognitive behavioural therapy for this as my attacks got worse through a lack of knowledge and insufficient support, leading to a string of physical symptoms rela