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Situational Phobias

Fear of Driving – Vehophobia

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What Is Fear of Driving or Vehophobia?

Having the ability to get in a car and drive to your destination is a freedom most of us take for granted. Unfortunately, some of us have a debilitating fear that can hamper this simple freedom.

The fear of driving may be powerful enough to limit or even prohibit some from driving at all. Let’s go through the fear and phobia known as vehophobia. Maybe with simple knowledge and discussion we can work through the issues and put the fear in our rear view mirror.

Vehophobia refers to the fear of driving as well as sensations or places associated with driving.
As a result, there is some overlap between vehophobia and other phobias. For example, one way vehophobia can manifest is a fear of being trapped in the small confines of a car and not being able to escape due to traffic. If you think that sounds a bit like claustrophobia, you would be correct.

How To Pronounce Vehophobia

A fun way to remember how to pronounce vehophobia: Vee-Ho-Fo-Bee-Ha

fear if driving

Other sufferers find themselves unable to even get behind the wheel of a car without freezing with fear. However, it is vital to note that vehophobia can manifest in many forms. It does not necessarily need to involve a fear of small, confined places, or being “trapped” somewhere and being unable to get out, or any PTSD or previous accidents or bad experiences with cars. Panic attacks are a common manifestation of vehophobia.

Some of the most common fears that manifest as vehophobia include:

  • The fear of getting into another accident, if an accident is indeed the trigger.
  • Severe anxiety to the point where you are unable to drive or even potentially move while behind the wheel.
  • Fearing the fear. Vehophobia can manifest being afraid of being afraid, and that and the resultant panic attack while driving may cause another accident.
  • The fear that their driving may cause harm to another person, especially a loved one.

Many Struggle with Vehophobia

If you suffer from vehophobia, it can be all too easy to feel silly, isolated, or alone. After all, whoever heard of being afraid of driving? You must be the only person weak enough to feel this way, right?

Well, it isn’t silly. You’re not weak. And you’re not alone. According to one study, as many as 25 to 30 percent of those involved in accidents experience some form of PTSD within the first thirty days of the accident.

Vehophobia Treatment
With as many as six million auto accidents occurring per year, you do the math. Even if they don’t want to come forward, chances are there are plenty of people out there with various forms of vehophobic symptoms, just like you. Some people have a fear of driving on highways, some have a fear of driving over bridges and the very common fear of driving in snow. These are all similar fears but may have been triggered by different circumstances.

Why does that matter?

Because all too often, we take numbers to mean power or legitimacy. If one or two people fear something, we ostracize them and call them weak or cowards (which does nothing to help their plight). If there are many people with the same fears and conditions, however, suddenly society has an easier time taking them more seriously.

woman has fear of driving
What’s more, with more people comes more data, which in turn means a better chance of treating or even curing the condition. As more people come forward about vehophobia, we have a better chance of treating it.

 

Causes of Fear of Driving or Vehophobia

As mentioned above, there are several potential causes of vehophobia.

While it is not a universal cause, vehophobia is most commonly found in those who have been in an accident in the past. In these cases, a PTSD-esque mental association is made between that catastrophe and sitting in a car. In addition, if you suffer from other conditions which may overlap with vehophobia (e.g., claustrophobia) one condition can trigger or exacerbate the other.

In addition to causes born of suffering an accident or a related condition, some other potential triggers include:

  • Being the witness of an accident.
  • Childhood fear of cars.
  • Extreme aversion to driving in intense conditions such as heavy rain or snow.
  • A fear of driving near water, cliffs, or other areas you associate with accidents.
  • A fear of driving on the highway due to high speeds, traffic, accidents, an inability to leave your car, and so on.
  • Having been yelled at or otherwise severely reprimanded by a driving instructor or passenger.
  • Seeing large animals run in front of your car and/or being afraid of hitting them.
  • Being around overly aggressive drivers.

Symptoms of Vehophobia

Depending on the nature of your vehophobia and what your triggers are, you may suffer from any number of symptoms, including but not limited to:

  • Shaking
  • Sweating
  • Sharp, shallow breaths
  • Extreme tension resulting in chest tightness, elevated heart rate, muscle pain, and so on
  • Nausea
  • Panic attacks

In addition, there are more psychological symptoms of vehophobia. For example, if you are constantly looking for an excuse to get out of driving, even when it’s a short or simple trip to a location a few minutes away, vehophobia may be a factor.

Vehophobia Treatment

Limitations Imposed by Vehophobia

While a fear of driving may not seem like a big deal to the rest of us, for those who suffer from it, vehophobia can impose some crippling life limitations. Most obviously, it makes driving next to impossible. This can deal a serious blow to your livelihood and lifestyle. What’s more, in a city with poor public transportation and a high ratio of drivers such as Los Angeles, it can make it hard to get around.

All of this can cause a great deal of anguish and make you feel isolated and miserable.

Vehophobia Treatment

So, vehophobia is clearly a troubling condition. But you ask how to get over fear of driving?

PROVEN SELF HELP PROGRAM FOR THE FEAR OF DRIVING CLICK HERE

One method of self-treatment for vehophobia is to simply conquer your fear head-on. Get behind the wheel, and retrain your brain to not be afraid of driving. Of course, this is far easier said than done, and nobody should pressure you to do this if you aren’t ready. (In fact, doing so will likely only make your vehophobia worse.)

If you are looking for a more controlled form of self-treatment, you may want to consider taking a course in defensive driving. One of the main causes of vehophobia is a sense of helplessness and exposure while driving. Defensive driving courses can help you feel more “in control” while behind the wheel, which in turn can help mitigate your vehophobia.

If you are looking for a more professional approach, you may want to consider therapy. Talking through a phobia with someone who you can trust can be extremely cathartic, and this is true of vehophobia as well. This can be especially helpful if you suffer from PTSD or the root cause of your vehophobia was an accident. A trained therapist can help you unpack the feelings and psychological links you have formed in the wake of your accident, thereby helping you come to grips with and ultimately conquer them.

Therapists can also make facing your fear head-on easier. They can guide you through the process, slowly getting you reacquainted with your car and the process of driving, helping you unpack your feelings and remain at ease the whole time. This is known as prolonged exposure therapy, and it along with your therapist’s support can be a game changer.

If you suffer from extreme tension and anxiety, you may want to consider hypnotherapy. The effectiveness of these treatments vary from person to person, so you’ll want to get the opinion of a doctor or therapist first.

Your doctor or therapist may also prescribe medication to help you control your anxiety. Beta blockers and sedatives are two commonly prescribed medications for vehophobia.

While further trials are required to establish its efficacy, there have also been some promising signs that virtual reality can be used to treat the condition.

Finally, as alluded to above, you are not alone. There is strength in groups, and a support group can be a great way to help conquer your fear of driving. Meeting and talking to people with similar fears and experiences with vehophobia can help you break the sense of isolation and shame that accompanies the condition as you strive to conquer your fear.

List of Common Driving Fears

  • Fear of driving on highways
  • Fear of driving on bridges
  • Fear of driving alone
  • Fear of driving after an accident
  • Fear of learning to drive
  • Fear of driving in snow
  • Fear of driving at night
  • Fear of driving on the interstate
  • Fear of driving in the rain
  • Fear of driving down steep hills
  • Fear of driving near cliffs
  • Fear of driving next to big trucks

Stories Submitted by Our Readers

Fear of Driving

I’m in my forties and I had a really weird experience while I was driving. For some reason, I began to feel scared and pulled over. My body froze. Then I began shaking and did not know if I could make it back home. I do not have any idea why I became scared, but I was very happy when I made it home. I have never driven again.

Mary
I know this sounds crazy, but I cannot drive at all due to fear. My ex would get so mad at other drivers that he would try to hunt them down. Yes, he carried a gun in the car, and he did not care if the kids were with us or not. He would try to find the person that made him mad cursing the whole time. Now, I only drive a short distance and that is it, and never on the highway.
Tammy

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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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