driving_nerves_pexel                           


                             DRIVING NERVES




 

Hypnotherapy can help people who have an anxiety of driving for all sorts of reasons, including:

- the fear of taking driving lessons (confidence)
- the fear of having to take a driving test (test nerves)
- the fear of having passed your test and having to drive a car on your own

The fear of driving cannot only be extremely terrifying, but it is a big step for any learner driver to take their vehicle onto the open road for the first time. For many drivers however, this fear stays with them long after the first lesson unless they seek help to overcome their fears.

For some people the anxiety and panic they feel prevents them from ever passing their driving test in the first place.

Anxiety while driving can include (but is not limited to):

  • town driving 
  • driving in heavy traffic
  • joining motorways
  • feelings of overwhelming panic
  • making excuses, so as not to drive at all
  • becoming flustered while driving
  • avoiding driving if poorer weather conditions are forecast
  • nervousness while approaching roundabouts, junctions and the prospect of multiple lanes
  • fear of losing control and having an accident
  • an unexplainable fear of motorway driving
  • sudden inability in remembering what to do

Many of the feelings that people with a fear of driving face, as with many phobias, are linked to the fear of loss of control.

 


Driving Test Nerves


It is probable that your confidence is adequate in most situations, but that certain things unnerve you.  Nerves often show themselves as soon as the words "Exam" or "Test" are said.  You won't find many people who actually enjoy being in a test situation.

For many people the anticipation of the test and the thoughts of what might go wrong can be worse than the test itself, and of course the more nervous you become, the more likely you are to make mistakes on the actual test - a catch-22 situation!

Over one million people take the UK driving test each year.  Many driving instructors will tell you that many people fail their driving test not because of lack of driving ability, but because of driving test anxiety or nervousness which builds up before the test even starts.  Conversely, many others pass the test even though their technical driving skills may be limited - they just get it right on the day.

Passing the driving test is often as much about being calm, relaxed and focused as it is about driving skills. Whilst you must take sufficient driving lessons and get enough practice to learn to drive proficiently, hypnotherapy can help you prepare mentally to stay focused and relaxed ahead of the driving test itself.


Driving Nerves/Confidence

Hypnotherapy can help you break the negative cycle you have gotten into, and will help to change change your driving experience into a positive one.  It can take the anxiety and tension out of the situation and it will help you gain back your control.  Deep relaxation techniques used in hypnosis help you focus inwards and start to restore your feeling of confidence and self-belief, providing real help in any test/exam situation.

I would use visualisation techniques, using the power of your imagination, to see yourself driving confidently in your mind.  By doing so you will have already experienced the feeling of driving and your mind has been pre-programmed for success.  With your feelings of confidence and control restored, any test or exam can be tackled with new levels of calmness and assurance.

Hypnotherapy can help you overcome all your driving anxieties, and can take away the feeling of panic and pressure that you may be feeling.

Take control of your driving nerves now, and enjoy the freedom that you will gain from being able to drive with confidence.


Usually three to four sessions are all that is needed.

 

Allison Reed, Complementary Therapist and Hypnotherapist
Therapy Centre, 78-82 Church Road, Redfield, Bristol, BS5 9JY - Tel. : 07837 222 730

Privacy Policy

  Site Map