Solutions to overcome amaxophobia, the fear of driving

There is no quick fix, the most effective way to overcome your driving phobia is to get behind the wheel. This may seem paradoxical, but it is when you try to avoid driving situations that you maintain your fear. In this way, you can desensitise yourself to your fear and gradually regain your confidence.

Learning to relax and unwind from the fear of driving

This can be achieved by a combination of breathing exercises, meditation, relaxation therapy and hypnosis. Only when you have found the solutions to reduce your stress level can you gradually get back behind the wheel. The more you face your fear in a relaxed way, the more it will tend to disappear: this is called desensitisation.

How to manage panic attacks with breathing?

The acute panic attack is the culmination of the abnormally high level of anxiety induced by the anxiety-producing situation – in this case the car journey. It usually manifests itself as hyperventilation, i.e. a rapid increase in breathing rate accompanied by physical sensations of tightness and discomfort. In normal functioning, this accelerated rate of breathing is intended to prepare us to face a serious danger. But in the case of phobia, it occurs without any real threat. Moreover, hyperventilation, in addition to causing unpleasant sensations, triggers catastrophic thoughts that add to and reinforce the physical symptoms. It is a real vicious circle that is set up in the moment: hyperventilation ➔ unpleasant physical sensations ➔ distressing thoughts ➔ hyperventilation more and more strongly!

Relaxation through breathing exercises can therefore help to manage anxiety levels to prevent panic attacks. It can also put an end to it after the first signs of acceleration of the heart rate and breathing frequency. These exercises are numerous and diverse. There is, for example, the well-known technique of placing a paper bag in front of the nose and mouth and breathing into it during a panic attack. Another example is square breathing, in which the person breathes in through the nose, holds the breath, exhales and then holds the breath again for the same amount of time in each stage. These methods aim to control and thus slow down the breathing rate to a normal rhythm in order to bring the anxiety down.

Medication: a solution for the fear of driving

Medication has not been shown to be effective for fear of driving. However, they may be useful if you feel that your fear of driving is accompanied by panic disorder (a form of anxiety characterised by repeated panic attacks). Serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants have only been shown to be effective in this case and not in treating avoidance behaviour.

If you are a fan of alternative medicine, a wide variety of practices can also be offered. Some are described as physical (osteopathy, chiropractic, slow gymnastics, etc.), others combine psychological and physical components (yoga, meditation, sophrology, etc.). Take the time to try them all, they are all complementary and provide an important state of well-being!

Virtual reality exposure therapies to treat fear of driving

Drug treatments are a good solution to temporarily neutralise the symptoms of amaxophobia and to continue to function despite this disorder. However, to get rid of it in practice, it is better to turn to Exposure Therapies, which are an effective and rapid way to make the fear of driving disappear. Indeed, by regular and prolonged exposure to different situations that can be found on the road, they aim to progressively reduce the anxious response until total desensitisation, i.e. until driving is no longer synonymous with particular anxiety.

Exposure therapies can be done in vivo, i.e. in a real-world situation. In the case of amaxophobia, exposure in a car on the road can be extremely anxiety-provoking for the amaxophobic individual, and even risky in the event of a breakdown if the individual is a driver. They are also difficult for therapists to implement. In order to limit the risks and encourage acceptance of the therapy, the exposure is also done in virtuo thanks to virtual reality.

Virtual reality exposure therapies

Today, Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) offers a solution to help you get rid of your phobia. By being immersed in a virtual environment, it is possible to decondition the brain from all the learning that has been going on for many years. If you suffer from amaxophobia, TERVs allow you to take control of a vehicle without having to leave your therapist’s office. The therapist controls the three-dimensional images you see through the headset from his or her computer and accompanies you through the therapeutic process.

You are free to remove the virtual reality headset if the images make you anxious, there is no risk in doing so. The advantage of this method lies in the possibility of being confronted with stressful situations many times. It is this repetition that gradually reduces the intensity and duration of the fear in a sustainable way. By doing these exercises several times and gradually increasing the level of difficulty, your brain can become desensitised. As you go through the exercises, the anxiety becomes less intense and lasts less time. In this way, you progress at your own pace towards acceptance of your emotions.