Fear of driving? To get into the center or take a roundabout? Situations like these, do they limit your day to day? Do you feel misunderstood by your surroundings? These symptoms have to do with the call Amaxofobia, that although it is a little known phobia, it is experienced by the 33% of drivers.
Its symptoms and the origin of it may differ from one person to another, but the trigger that starts the disorder is a acute anxiety attack while driving, or being the victim of a traffic accident. This crisis causes us to fear that it will happen again, and by avoidance there is the refusal to drive again.
According to the RAE, it is the phobia or fear of driving a vehicle; It can develop as a result of being involved in an accident or that one of the relatives has suffered a traffic accident. It is estimated that 15,000 people suffer from it in Spain, of which the 87% would women and the 13% male.
The person who suffers Amaxophobia, he experiences a host of negative sensations that makes him drive in tension and fear, if he can drive at all. The sensations they experience are anxiety, cold sweats, rapid heart beat, hyperventilation, catastrophic ideas and the feeling of running away ... but, it is fair to say, that if you experience this type of sensation, you should know that lto amaxophobia, it is a disorder that can be overcome.
Driving is a daily action that we carry out automatically and that implies a certain risk to our life, therefore having or feeling fear is reasonable; But when that fear leads us to suffer authentic panic attacks, then we speak of Amaxophobia.
Both are characterized because fear is present in both, but the difference is that in fear of driving, fear manifests itself as an emotion, such as joy or anger, and in Amaxophobia it is a psychologically based emotional disorder.
Perhaps the best known cause, is like psychological sequelae from a traffic accident suffered in the first person or someone from your environment; but, we can also develop this irrational fear for the existence of previous psychological problems, for deficiency in our lack of driving, for work stress, a dismissal, a case of workplace harassment or a marital breakdown, They can lead to anxiety attacks at the wheel and therefore, the refusal to relive that experience, makes us gradually abandon driving and therefore experience fear of driving.
Personal characteristics, such as history of anxiety and depression, high level of stress, low self-esteem, high level of self-demand, low tolerance for frustration, emotional fragility, are predisposing factors in the germination of this disorder.
Novice drivers are a vulnerable group to suffer from amaxophobia; But even highly experienced drivers with a pleasant driving feeling are exposed to these types of symptoms. Why? Because our driving is linked to our emotions and moods, "Are we as we drive or do we drive as we are?".
Studies have been done where it has been observed that Emotional intelligence has a lot to say about it and it is possible to work in this field as a factor to reduce accidents and accidents on our roads, I am one of those who preach "The greater the emotional intelligence, the greater the road safety".
The relationship between suffering from Amaxophobia and a traffic accident is undeniable, and has to do with feelings of insecurity and vulnerability, which expose our limitations and dependencies. Thus, when the person realizes that there are things that are beyond our control, they set off. unconscious mechanisms related to catastrophic thoughts, feelings of guilt appear (if it derives from a traffic accident), feelings of insecurity and uncertainty, as well as worthlessness that leave the person in a situation of acquired helplessness.
Faced with this type of situation, three key elements are put in place: thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Our thoughts make us perceive fear, whether real or imaginary, before that perception our anxiety (sweating, tachycardia, tremors, anguish, crying ...), which is nothing more than an accumulation of psychic and physical sensations, are set in motion. and automatically we tend to flee, that is, we do not drive.
The tendency to flee, that is, not to drive, is the most typical; Hence, their treatment is the opposite, exposing the patient to what scares them: LEAD, through exposure techniques and through cognitive behavioral therapyl for the change of limiting beliefs, since this is achieved in an efficient and fast way, that amaxophobics can re-experience the pleasure of driving.
“Fear is the most difficult emotion to handle. You cry for pain, you scream anger, but fear silently creeps into your heart " (David Fischman)
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