How to Overcome Fear of Driving or Amaxophobia

Phobias do not know limits or borders as regards what elements we end up feeling an atrocious fear. Pathological fear can haunt us from the most common situations or things, such as a closed space or a dog with the face of few friends. Other times, fear comes in more eccentric ways, such as fear of a particular bird's feathers or the color yellow. Even so, they all share the terrible anguish and discomfort that comes with being faced with such situations. On this occasion, we will talk about a common and everyday phobia, but one that is a big problem for those who suffer from it: amaxophobia, the fear of driving or going by any means of transport. In this Psychology-Online article about amaxophobia or fear of driving: what it is, symptoms and treatment, we will find out more about this particular phobia and what can be done about it.

Index

1. What is amaxophobia
2. Symptoms of amaxophobia
3. How to overcome the fear of driving: treatment of amaxophobia

What is amaxophobia exactly? For psychologists, amaxophobia belongs to a group of anxiety disorders listed in the DSM-V as specific phobias.

Amaxophobia: etymology

The term amaxophobia comes from the Greek words "amaxo" (vehicle) and "phobia" (fear).

Amaxophobia: what is it

Amaxophobia is a specific anxiety disorder characterized by a exaggerated, irrational and uncontrolled fear of driving or using a vehicle.

A person may have anxiety in front of the wheel due to inexperience, insecurity or in the face of specific situations such as, for example, being afraid of driving at night or on the highway. In the case of a person with amaxophobia, the fear of driving is very intense and although its severity is variable, it reaches being overwhelmed by catastrophic ideas of accidents or the damage that can be caused to companions or to third parties. His level of anxiety is such that he can become mentally blocked and dizzy at the mere idea of ​​getting into a vehicle and, therefore, he is unable to use the car. This can lead to a significant deterioration in the quality of life of the affected person, given that currently transport is vital for the day-to-day life of most people.

Amaxophobia and the functional fear

"I have taken my driver's license and I am afraid, do I therefore have amaxophobia?" It does not have to be this way. It is important to differentiate the typical fear of a novice driver, that his fear is functional and adaptive since it lies in the lack of experience and security in his abilities, and the exaggerated and disproportionate fear that amaxophobia. In the first case, as experience and confidence at the wheel are gained, fear will decrease, while a person suffering from amaxophobia is fearful of permanent, does not diminish easily and incapacitates the person to lead.

To better visualize it, here are the key points that differentiate a phobia from a common fear:

• It is exaggerated. There is a fear that is much more frightening than it should normally be experienced.
• It is irrational. The person who suffers from it cannot give a logical explanation for the disproportionate fear.
• It is uncontrollable. Anxiety responses cannot be controlled.
• It's constant. The same level of fear occurs every time you try to drive or get into a car.

Variable gravity

Not all people who experience amaxophobia experience it in the same way or intensity. There are people whose case of amaxophobia is focused on only specific situations, such as driving on the highway or being afraid of driving alone. Of course, there are also cases where the very idea of ​​driving is enough to sour your day. Although they seem different cases, they all share that intense and irrational fear of a phobia.

Given that amaxophobia is variable, it is important to discern the level of severity and the interference that it supposes for the life of the person in order to be able to make a better approach to treatment.

Whatál ands the origin of amaxophobia?

"Why am I so afraid to drive?" The causes that originate phobias depend on many different elements related to lived experiences and biological factors:

• Experience of traumatic experiences related to driving.
• Having suffered or witnessed a traffic accident.
• Distrust in one's own driving skills that has gradually progressed towards irrational beliefs about one's own abilities.
• Genetic predisposition towards anxiety and stress.

As in all anxiety disorders, amaxophobia presents symptoms of this type of conditions. A person with amaxophobia presents stress symptoms not only when you are going to use a car, but you can also feel anxious about the very idea of ​​driving or in places where you drive (such as roads, highways, parking lots, etc).

Although anxiety symptoms appear differently in each person, they can be classified into three categories:

Physical symptoms

• Increased respiration.
• Tachycardias
• Muscle tightness
• Feeling of suffocation
• Profuse sweating
• Stomach pains
• Severe headaches.
• Dizziness and nausea
• Uncontrolled shaking

Cognitive symptoms

People with amaxophobia often have constant thoughts that revolve around irrational beliefs about the idea of ​​driving and all the bad things that can happen.

• Negative thoughts of catastrophic events that could occur. For example: "I'm going to have an accident", "What if I don't brake in time?", "What would happen if I get an anxiety attack in the middle of the highway?"
• Viewing disastrous images without stopping.
• Fear of not knowing what to do if you lose control.

Behavioral symptoms

People who develop phobias end up adopting behaviors in order to avoid driving-related situations as much as possible, thus trying not to face their fear. These behaviors are called avoidance behaviors. Here, we leave you some example of avoidance behaviors:

• Walking to the destination when using transportation could save travel hours.
• Use only subway and train.
• Use only public transport.
• Deviate on conventional or secondary roads so as not to go on the highway.
• Make up an excuse not to have to go to the destination.

Does amaxophobia have a treatment? Specific anxiety disorders can be treated with psychological therapies, in addition to being able to go accompanied by a pharmacological treatment as long as its use has been recommended by an expert in health. The goal of treatment will be for the person suffering from amaxophobia to face the fear of driving in order to reduce anxiety symptoms, as well as giving tools and resources to cope with the situation and change thoughts irrational.

Amaxophobia: psychological treatment

For the treatment of phobias, psychologists use a repertoire of techniques within the scope of cognitive-behavioral treatments:

• Live exposure techniques. The key technique to be able to treat phobias. The individual is exposed to his fear gradually to reduce fear. In the following article you will find all the necessary information about the Exposure technique in psychology.
• Self-instruction techniques. It makes it easier to control anxiety by having clear instructions in times of panic.
• Systematic desensitization. Behavioral technique that reduces anxiety in front of certain stimuli, such as the car itself.
• Relaxation techniques. For the reduction of anxiety symptoms. Know these simple and effective Relaxation techniques through breathing.
• Cognitive restructuring. To work on negative and irrational thoughts and give way to more adaptive thoughts.

Here you will find others tricks and strategies to overcome fears.

Amaxophobia: drug treatment

Sometimes the fear is so intense that it can prevent any progress with respect to psychotherapies, or in specific situations where we can be overwhelmed. In these types of situations, the use of drugs may be recommended anxiolytics, which are responsible for reducing anxiety, always under the supervision of a health professional who has prescribed the use of such drugs.

Drugs cannot replace psychological therapies, they are a patch that facilitates treatment in cases where the level of anxiety is very high. By themselves, they are only temporary solutions that can lead to dependency without actually fixing the root problem.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to overcome fear of driving or amaxophobia, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• American Psychiatric Association. (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, S.A.
• Bonet, J. I. C. (2001). Effective psychological treatments for specific phobias. Psychothema, 13(3), 447-452.
• Gomez, A. H. (2017). On the subject of a case: Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy applied to the treatment of amaxophobia. Journal of Clinical Cases in Mental Health, 5(1), 77-97.