Panic attacks while driving

[whitbywitchuk]

OH hun, you sound so like me, motorways are the worse for me, I just hate it. Sometimes I will get on the slipway and start to panic just thinking about it.
I amazed myself driving from Yorkshire to Dawlish to go pick up my future hubby so I had a great motivation and managed it.
What I did was play nice music and keep my shoulders relaxed, breathed steadily if I felt one coming on, and kept mostly in the left hand lane as overtaking really scares me to panic.
I know people without the disorder that hate motorways, must bring the worse out in everyone. Then you get those guys who couldn't care less and act totally relaxed about it, I wish I were like that.
I used to be really assertive and a good driver but the panic is another thing all together.
I fully understand your problems. Make sure you have eaten a light meal before going on there.

Good luck
lotsa luv
Dawnx

[Goldie]

I am a new member, wondering what on earth is suddenly happening to me, and truly enjoying the different discussions I'm reading...not "enjoying" them from an entertainment viewpoint but enjoying or finding comfort knowing others are trying to live with irrational problems like I am.

I have recently developed a rather odd fear while driving - I'm not particularly afraid of traffic, I'm constantly anxious that an animal (a dog) will run out in traffic and get hit. I will be driving and constantly searching the sides of the road for stray animals.

Never have I ever hit an animal but I did witness a dog get hit two years ago and sometimes I think that one event triggered the panic/anxiety problems I have now. The dog did not get severely injured and survived but I swear, I still cannot get the image out of my mind when I'm driving. I love dogs and was actually trying to get this one out of the road when it was hit.

Goldie

[carmenk]

Hi, im new to this site, but so glad I found it, as I thought that I was alone in experiencing panic symptoms when driving. I notice that night driving is worse, and so have to get on with it, but during the day I also get symptoms, and since mine are mainly related to my eyes, I have found that wearing a good pair of sun glasses helps. I can't explain what happens exactly, but my eyes do some funny things, they seem to have a mind of their own, the nearest I can get to an explanation is that my eyes feel dizzy, although I get dizzy spells as well. I also get bursts of what looks like I am looking through a kaleidoscope, but thankfully this lasts for seconds, but can be terrifying when driving on a motorway. However, I have become so fearful of the idea that this may happen I know I bring it on myself. Evidence of this is that to get to work I need to drive through a tunnel, just before I get to this tunnel I become agitated, my stomach 'goes' and my eyes seem to blur, all awful, but I am determined to get through this, and not to fight it, as I have found in the past that 'fighting' it can unleash further feelings of panic, 'floating through it' as Claire Weekes advises works, but after a time.

Hope this helps

[clairevoyant]

Hi i am new to this forum although i have been browsing for a while. I had my first panic attack whilst driving at the weekend andbit was awful and i was 100 miles from home but i did manage to get home safely talking to myself. The post CBT again as last time i had been doing it a few and my therapist left and i seem to have got lost in the system, but really noticed improvement and i feel i am going backwards again.

Claire

[nikkipops]

I don't drive myself, as I stopped my driving lessons a couple of years ago to make my parents and my boyfriend happy. I understood that they would be apprehensive about me driving when I have such trouble controlling my panic attacks, but I was wondering how people manage it? I am fairly hesitant in my driving (even with an instructor by my side) but it's not one of the biggest things that makes me nervous. I just don't know if I could manage to control the car while I was in the middle of one (even though I don't feel like the idea of driving would be any more likely than anything else to bring on one). Do people cope with this on a regular basis? I don't want to avoid things because I could potentially have an attack, but this one seems quite different.

[PHOBIA MAN]

anybody here have a car incident and after that, fear driving?
I have a great technique to help you with it.
I'll keep a eye on these posts
I'm a hypnotherapist/NLP phobia expert (amongst other things)

[tm_edinburgh]

I'm currently doing CBT for my driving phobia.

[PHOBIA MAN]

how are you getting on with it?

I'm currently doing CBT for my driving phobia.

[BasilCat]

Hi Phobia Man, What is your technique then? I had panic/anxiety attacks in the car almost 3 years ago and it took me the best part of a year to get back in the car again, let alone drive one. Now,after starting off with 1/4 mile drives, then 2 miles, then 4, then 10, I finally managed to drive the 120 mile round trip to my parents with my husband at my side. Now I am wondering if I dare do this on my own or not. Perhaps your technique can help? Thanks. Shirley

[gofishing]

I guess it depends how severe your panic attack will be.

I couldn't drive over 50 mile/hr, while all others drive over 70 mile/hr.
I had to stop at the gas station, couldn't breathe.

Later, after I accpet Jesus as my Savior, I often listen to the christian worship songs while driving, also listen to real powerful sermon from some charismatic pastor. That really helps, although it makes me weep. A lot of clinex tissue but fear goes away.