The April Center for Anxiety Attack Management – Los Angeles staff, led by Dr. Craig April, Ph.D. (often known as the panic attack doctor), offers special help for those suffering with a fear of driving or driving anxiety. Because it is one of the most commonly treated phobias here at The April Center, we offer a variety of treatment options (including phone and zoom sessions) to teach you how to overcome fear of driving, as quickly as possible.
You CAN Go From This . . .
TO THIS . . .
List Of Commonly Treated Driving Anxiety Symptoms at The April Center:
1.) You often avoid driving outside of your comfort zone, which could be limited to an area around your neighborhood, a certain amount of mileage, specific roads, or simply driving on side streets while avoiding the freeway or highway altogether.
2.) Your fear of driving seems to involve more than just the act of driving and can include a fear of losing control, a fear of passing out, fear of being trapped on a road, freeway or highway with no quick escape, fear of hitting other cars or pedestrians, fear of driving to new or unknown places, fear of driving over bridges, through mountains and more.
3.) When you are driving or anticipating driving, you often experience a great degree of anxiety, which can include physical symptoms such as, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, breathing struggles, shaking and trembling, sweating, nausea, tingling of the hands, and many more.
4.) You often create excuses in order to avoid specific situations where you would be forced to drive.
5.) You have (or fear having) panic attacks and anxiety attacks while driving, which may involve many of the above physical symptoms and the feeling that you may lose control of yourself, the car and sometimes reality.
6.) You fear that when driving you may cause an accident that brings harm to you and others.
7.) You experience anticipatory anxiety and are scared days or weeks before a scheduled time where you know you’ll be expected to drive.
8.) You often depend on others to drive you where you need to go, with a reduced ability to take care of your life on your own terms.
9.) Your ability to truly live free and roam has decreased due to the lack of freedom that your driving fear and anxiety have created.
(*If any of the above symptoms sound familiar to you, then you most likely have a fear that requires The April Center’s specialized driving anxiety treatment program.)
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Main Office Phone: 310 – 429 – 1024
Learn how to stop fear of driving now and get your life back!
Treating Fear of Driving and Driving Anxiety
1.) Individual therapy is offered in our Los Angeles therapy office location.
This location serves Los Angeles, West Hollywood, West LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Woodland Hills and the rest of the San Fernando Vally, plus The South Bay.
Or another powerful option is . . .
2.) Driving anxiety treatment by phone or zoom.
Phone therapy sessions and zoom therapy sessions are for those unable to visit the office due to their struggle with driving or far location.
We offer phone sessions for people throughout California (including San Francisco, San Diego, Temecula, Oceanside, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Riverside County, Fresno, Marin, San Bernardino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Ventura).
And because we’re very aware of the lack of driving anxiety treatment specialists throughout the U.S., . . .
We also offer phone and zoom sessions to people all over the country (including Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Austin, Phoenix, Houston, Chicago, New York, Seattle, New Jersey, Boston, Philidelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Providence RI, and more). This has proven to be a very successful method in treating fear of driving (also known as vehophobia).
And because there is a lack of driving phobia experts outside the U.S., we even offer phone and zoom sessions to people struggling with driving anxiety in London, Australia, Canada (Toronto, Alberta, Calgary, Vancouver) and more.
The April Center For Anxiety Attack Management is committed to helping you remove the destructive barriers of fear of driving and driving anxiety, so that you may lead a calmer, healthier, happier life.
Driving Anxiety Advice: Seek an expert!
I recently reviewed multiple sites and articles online written by former driving anxiety sufferers with no degree, license or training in the field. Many even have their own programs and websites offering their unskilled help to those with driving anxiety.
After reading these articles and exploring many of these programs, I have come to the conclusion that it is often like “the blind leading the blind”! These articles written by laypeople with a past fear of driving are filled with the wrong information and incorrect advice on how to beat driving anxiety.
WHY WOULD ANYONE GO TO A NON-EXPERT?
Why seek help from someone who has no experience in treating anxiety and no training? Is it simply because those with a driving phobia are looking for anyone who might understand what it’s like to fear driving? Perhaps. However, that is the wrong path.
I can tell you that we’ve professionally treated hundreds and hundreds of driving anxiety cases at The April Center. We’ve successfully treated them with scientifically proven strategies and, therefore, we absolutely understand what it’s like for those with this fear. And, more importantly, our trained Los Angeles anxiety specialists know exactly how to help you overcome it, so you can drive comfortably and freely, without fear.
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME
Don’t waste your time on programs that are offered by non-specialists and non-experts! Over the many years we’ve been treating this fear, people have come to The April Center and shared their lack of progress after much time and money spent on work with nonexperts, nonspecialists and even therapists who don’t truly specialize in anxiety disorders.
To overcome your driving phobia, you simply must seek an anxiety doctor who consistently treats fear of driving. A trained professional and specialist in the area of anxiety disorders. Remember, when you have a specific medical problem that requires treatment and a trained skill set, you go to a specialist for that issue. There is a reason your family doctor refers you to a cardiologist, a surgeon, a gastroenterologist, a dermatologist, an ear, nose and throat specialist and so on.
THE WRONG ADVICE
Here are just a few examples of bad tips and the wrong advice I read online about overcoming driving anxiety written by laypersons (and even therapists) who clearly aren’t experts or trained specialists in the field of anxiety disorders.
1. Take along a friend (wrong!)
This is not recommended. Because eventually you’re going to have to drive alone anyway. So, you’re just prolonging your fear and creating a dependence on another person when you’re driving. This is not working towards your driving freedom. This is like only riding a bike with training wheels or only wearing water wings in the pool without ever taking them off and swimming freely.
This will not help your fear of driving. At The April Center we have tools and strategies designed to help you learn to drive on your own. We do this gradually and do not throw you in the proverbial deep end (that’s called flooding therapy). Our work is done at the pace you desire.
2. Drive under the speed limit (wrong!)
Driving under the speed limit is not a helpful ongoing strategy. If it’s homework designed to start slow and build, so that you’re eventually facing the speed limit you fear, it could have benefit. However, to overcome fear of driving one must, at least, drive the speed limit on the highway and freeway. There are tools and strategies that can help the driving anxiety sufferer achieve this. Again, the proper help is what is required.
3. Only stay in the right lane on the highway or freeway (wrong!)
Again, this is not a helpful strategy in and of itself. Why? Because it is avoidant. Any behavior that is designed to help you avoid facing your driving anxiety is going to backfire and, at the very least, maintain and reinforce your fear of driving. It could, however, be a beginning strategy as you work your way over to the left lane on a gradual basis with the tools and strategies that you’re being taught by a specialist, such as here at The April Center.
4. Drive during light traffic hours or heavy traffic hours to manage your fear (wrong!)
Please refer to the response in number 3 above. Same issue. This is avoidant. Could be a beginning strategy, but is not going to help you overcome your driving phobia.
5. Take medication (wrong!)
Medication for a driving phobia or fear of driving is not going to work. At least not for helping you overcome your specific driving anxiety. That said, if anxiety is so extreme that it prevents one from engaging fully in CBT treatment, some medications (like certain antidepressants), may reduce one’s anxiety intensity to a degree that allows them to approach the therapy more easily (though not necessary). However, there is no specific driving anxiety medication.
Unfortunately, many psychiatrists and family doctors often prescribe medication that is addictive (the benzodiazapenes or “benzos”, such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin or Valium) and only worsen the problem, while creating a dependence and possibly more. At best, these meds only provide a sedating or tranquilizing effect that masks the problem and does not treat it.
No medication can help one overcome fear. The best way to overcome fear is to face it with the proper tools and strategies taught by an anxiety treatment specialist.
*By the way, for those seeking medication for any psychological issues, only a psychiatrist is trained to conduct a medication evaluation and should be consulted.
6. Take driving classes with driving instructors (wrong!)
Once again, you need a psychologist with an expertise and exclusive specialty in CBT for treating anxiety disorders. An anxiety treatment specialist who understands all the nuances of anxiety and has vast experience and education treating this issue. A driving instructor does not have this specialized knowledge. Therefore, you’re most likely wasting your time and prolonging your driving phobia by taking driving classes – again.
Yes, you are scared to drive. You may even fear you’ve forgotten how to drive on the freeway. But just because you’ve lost confidence driving does not mean you don’t know how to drive. It’s just like riding a bike. One never forgets because it’s committed to muscle memory. So, rather than focusing on how to drive (which you already know) your focus needs to be on how to get over fear of driving!
7. Start taking the subway or a bus (wrong!)
This is a mistake and will not help. Again, this is truly avoidant. Please refer to responses in number three and number four above.
8. Do hypnosis (wrong!)
Hypnosis is useful for a number of other issues. Unfortunately, despite some hypnotherapist’s advertising, it is not helpful for treating anxiety disorders. Quite frankly, if hypnotherapy was proven to work for treating anxiety disorders, The April Center For Anxiety staff would have sought training in it. Unfortunately, although hypnosis has been shown to help with self-esteem, smoking cessation, weight loss and some other issues, it simply doesn’t help people overcome fear of driving or anxiety disorders like phobias, OCD and panic attacks.
9. Talk it through (wrong!)
You can talk about your fear of driving until you’re blue in the face. It’s not going to make a difference! At least, not in reducing and removing your driving anxiety. CBT is the only proven treatment for panic attacks and phobias (and all anxiety disorders). Yet, there are many therapists out there that still believe talking about your anxiety and exploring old, unresolved feelings and family conflicts can somehow resolve it. It can’t and won’t.
10. Do affirmations (wrong!)
Just like talking it through, this won’t work either.
You can repeat all the positive affirmations about fear of driving you want, such as “I’m a good driver”, “Driving is easy and fun”, “Everybody drives and so can I”, “I’m at peace with the road and calm on the highway”, “I’m a beginner driver, but already an expert” and so on. Still, your anxiety when you get in the car or drive the highway is going to override this positive self talk every time!
In fact, you’ve probably already had the experience that no matter what you tell yourself, your anxiety overwhelms you and wins. This is because your brain knows what you really believe. And affirmations are usually statements you don’t believe, so your anxiety-based beliefs will argue and rule. This is also why one aspect of CBT encourages real cognitive change by modifying false beliefs towards a reality-based perspective.
Although anxiety feels personal and sometimes even downright shameful, your symptoms have to do with a brain system issue regarding anxiety created and reinforced by neural pathways that need shifting and changing. See below for more on this.
11. Focus on stress management (wrong!)
Focusing on stress management techniques does not help anyone overcome a phobia. Though stress and anxiety can be linked and intertwined, practicing stress reduction techniques to combat anxiety symptoms actually serves to encourage anxiety. I am not saying that various stressors in your life can’t stimulate stress on the road while driving. For example, work related stress can enter your driving experience when on the road and frustrated with feeling a lack of control. So, stress reduction tools can help one enhance their calm in regular daily life stress situations. We encourage and also teach patients how to work on stress inducing areas of life that they are unintentionally adding more conflict to, due to an unhealthy or unrealistic outloook. However, anxiety disorders like a driving phobia need cbt specific anxiety treatment that differs from stress reduction.
*We have an extremely high success rate at The April Center in Los Angeles with our Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy approach – the only proven form of treatment for fear of driving and all other forms of anxiety. (Click here for some of our success stories. )
*Driving anxiety does not go away on its own and the more you avoid driving, the more long-lasting and severe your fear can become. Fear of driving is treatable with cbt therapy at The April Center!
If you fear driving, trust that it can be overcome with the proper help and treatment . . .
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Call The April Center For Anxiety Attack Management
Main Office Phone: 310 – 429 – 1024
Learn how to cure driving anxiety now and break free!
Freeway Driving Anxiety and Fear Of Driving On Highways:
Fear of driving on freeways or highways is a common phobia, especially if you live in Los Angeles where driving is needed to live a full life! But be hopeful. Freeway driving anxiety and highway driving phobia are highly treatable. You can regain confidence while driving and get back on road behind the wheel! (Because most people refer to them as the same, the terms “freeway” and “highway” are used interchangeably here.)
Fear of driving on the freeway or highway (or motorway as they call it in Britain!) can be created by a variety of experiences. Some suffer freeway driving phobia after being in a car accident. Meanwhile, others develop it after just observing a car accident. And still some others develop driving fear on the highway without experiencing or witnessing any accident at all. Sometimes the emotional cause of anxiety while driving on the highway remains a mystery. However, the psychological and neurological causes begin with seeds . . .
The seeds of anxiety and the possible upcoming development of a phobia can occur when one feels discomfort and a loss of control. One waters the seeds when he or she begins to avoid that which creates this particular discomfort and feeling of being out of control. This then, unintentionally, sets the stage for panic, phobia, and anxiety disorder.
Typically, those who struggle with driving anxiety can drive semi-comfortably on side streets, but can’t bring themselves to get on the freeway or highway. However, it’s important to note that their avoidance of getting on is often based on a perceived difficulty getting off the freeway while driving and anxious. Even more specifically, anxiety while in traffic on the higway or freeway can lead to feeling trapped, which only adds to the fear of not being able to get off when needed or desired.
On the opposite end of traffic anxiety on the highway or freeway is fear of fast speeds. As mentioned, for those with driving anxiety, local streets often tend to be easier. One reason, though arguable, is that those who fear driving feel like they’re more in control. Specifically, they feel they can pull over mroe easily, they can escape more easily and generally can choose their direction. However, on the highway, freeway, or interstate, with everyone speeding in the same direction, they usually feel their options are limited at best. At worst, they feel totally out of control which can encourage a fear of losing control in the form of a car crash.
Another common highway driving anxiety focus tends to be fear of panicking on the freeway or highway. The origin of this fear is simply based on the experience of having had panic attacks while driving on freeways or highways. Adding insult to injury, they tell themselves that having a panic attack on the highway is dangerous and potentially life threatening, especially if they pass out from panic. Hence, one major concern for those who fear driving is how to calm a panic attack while driving on the highway. Unfortunately, the more one tries to control a panic attack, the worse driving anxiety gets – leading to more frustration and helplessness. And avoidance of driving on the highway and freeway!
Although freeways and highways have been spoken about somewhat interchangeably so far, most with driving anxiety tend to feel there is a bit of a difference. Freeways, like the ones in Los Angeles, are created for high speeds and are separated from other cars driving in opposite directions. They can include overpasses and underpasses. Freeways do not include traffic lights, intersections, crosswalks or other streets. Also, to enter and exit a freeway, a ramp is the only option. Highways, on the other hand, although they may have long areas without intersections, do include traffic signals and slower or changing speed limits. And you’ll probably pass businesses, schools and pedestrians!
All of this highway driving anxiety often leads one to frequently say to themselves, “I hate driving”. Meanwhile, fearing something and hating something are two different things. (*See “I hate driving” and other excuses people tell themselves below) Overcoming fear of driving on highways and freeways allows one to free themselves from negative, false perspectives on driving and adopt a more reality based perspective. Following successful fear of driving treatment, although this new accurate viewpoint might include dislike of traffic, crazy drivers and certain roads or freeways, it will not include fear!
How does one get rid of a freeway driving phobia and fear of driving highways? Seeking treatment from a qualified anxiety specialist is the key. The only proven method for treating freeway driving anxiety and highway driving fear is cognitive-behavioral therapy. A licensed anxiety doctor can teach you tools and provide strategies, so that you may begin to reduce your fear of driving on the highway. In addition, the anxiety treatment specialist will gradually expose you to what you fear, plus help you manage panic and anxiety.
Help for fear of driving is here!
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Call The April Center For Anxiety Attack Management
Main Office Phone: 310 – 429 – 1024
Learn how to overcome fear of driving on highways now and leave anxiety in the dust!
The April Center now offers –
Two office locations:
– Los Angeles
– The South Bay (serving Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes, Torrance and El Segundo)
We Design Our Fear Of Driving Program To Fit Your Needs, Specific Driving Anxiety Symptoms and Budget. Our Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Treatment Plans may Include:
1.) Individual therapy sessions
and/or
2.) Support Groups
and/or
3.) Scheduled Phone Sessions – For those who live a far distance from The April Center or currently feel unable to drive to the office.
and/or
4.) Fear of driving exposure sessions with Dr. April in the car helping you cope while coaching you as you gradually face your fear.
*Don’t waste more time struggling and letting driving fear control your life. Help is here! Contact us now at 310-429-1024. Ultimately, you’ll save time and money. And, most importantly, you’ll learn how to overcome your driving anxiety! It’s time to break free!
Afraid of Freeway Merging?
Anxiety over freeway merging is a common symptom when it comes to fear of driving. For those with driving anxiety, merging onto the freeway or from one freeway to another can be difficult and trigger several fears, such as:
Follow the link for more information on therapy for anxiety
For treatment information on fear of left turns, just click the link
There are many common ways in which a fear of driving can develop. It’s time to overcome your driving anxiety now and achieve the freedom you desire!
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