Amaxophobia, the irrational fear of driving

The fear of driving cars is more common than it may seem.

The number of habits and customs has become much more varied with technological progress. technological progressThe number of habits and habits has become much more varied with technological progress, and so has the repertoire of phobias.

Fear of driving or amaxophobia

As we saw in the article on strange phobias, nowadays it is not uncommon to have a pathological fear of an infinite number of elements, some of which occur only in fiction. The phobia we will talk about today, however, is more related to everyday life, but it is no less serious. It is amaxophobia or fear of driving.

What is amaxophobia?

To put it simply, it is the fear of driving taken to a pathological extreme, i.e. it creates problems and difficultiesthat is to say, it creates problems and difficulties and worsens the quality of life of those who experience it.

The origin of the phobia can be found in past experiences related to the experience of driving, but it is also possible that it occurs in people who have never been able to drive for the first time. This means that the birth of amaxophobia may involve first-person experiences but also preconceived ideas or information given by third parties.

Why does it occur?

There are several psychological facets that explain the fear of driving.

These three aspects feed each other and perpetuate or even aggravate the degree of driving phobia, as they have a circular effect in which fear and stress only grow.

Of course, it is not uncommon to experience fear behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially if one has little experience in it and a failure can put one's own life and that of others at risk (a situation that occurs on practically all types of roads). However, amaxophobia is an irrational fear that cannot be justified and, precisely because of this, it is difficult to combat. However, the fact that it is not easy to treat does not mean that it is impossible to drastically mitigate its effects.

How is fear of driving treated?

There are several fronts from which the phobia of driving can be attacked through cognitive-behavioral intervention.

First of all, it is good to inform about the nature of amaxophobia, since this way the person who experiences it will be able to understand what is happening to him/her and will know what it implies and what it does not imply to be afraid of driving. However, this measure does not serve to produce an improvement by itself, since the phobia is not based on rationality. In any case, it serves to delimit the problem and to know how to deal with it from that point on.

It is good to train in self-instruction techniques the person with amaxophobia. Following self-instructions involves following a kind of imaginary script to know what to do and in what order. This makes it easier to be clear at all times what the immediate driving objective is and shifts attention away from anticipatory catastrophic thoughts.

It is also essential to attack the emotional side of the phobia, and this can be done by following techniques to combat anxiety before and during driving. Especially important are those that directly involve the control of breathing, as this helps to have an adequate Heart rate and prevents the brain from being overwhelmed by circumstances.

In addition to all this, it is common to combat it through progressive exposure to the source of the fear.. This involves making small approaches to driving by setting increasingly ambitious goals. It usually starts with the company of someone, but in the later stages the person should be able to cope with driving without any company. It is usually in the exposure to the phobic source that the results are seen, and this can act in favor of the person's motivation.

Not everything is black and white

As with all phobias, in amaxophobia there are different degrees of severity. This means that for some people it may consist of suffering a lot of nerves during high-speed driving on the highway or freeway, while in other cases it may be scary just to start the engine.

The key point is to know how to identify the magnitude of this phobia in each specific case and adapt the strategies to combat it accordingly.

• On the emotional level, the anxiety and stress experienced at specific moments is normal.. These emotional states are only the tip of an iceberg that includes hormonal and physiological processes such as sweating, pulse acceleration and muscle tension. Blurred vision or nausea may also appear.

• As for the material aspects surrounding amaxophobia, there are some rituals initiated before starting to drive, the indefinite postponement of driving, the indefinite postponement of driving, the use of a driving license, and the use of a driving license.The indefinite postponement of driving (although certain responsibilities push to take a vehicle of one's own), driving at low speed, etc.