Fear of Driving

Fear of driving is a common problem that people seek hypnotherapy for. I recently saw two clients with a similar fear. Maybe it’s because we are based in London and our roads are notoriously busy. Or perhaps it’s because the people concerned were overloaded with other thoughts and feelings. They were feeling overwhelmed with life, and this manifested in a fear of driving.

How Fear Builds up

Both of the clients were able to drive, despite their fear, but over time they changed their habits. They started to make allowances and change their habits so they could still drive. This is so often the case with fear. First they changed the time that they were driving; leaving earlier or later. Then they started to avoid roads where there was likely to be traffic. Eventually they made changes due to the feelings of panic and occasionally terror at the thought of a busy road. Over time they added more and more conditions. ‘I can only drive if a, b and c are perfect.’ Before they knew it, their world’s had got smaller and the fear was taking over.

For most clients I see, there is a turning point, an event or a catalyst which brings them in through the door. For one client, the inconvenience of having to drive on small roads in order to avoid A roads or motorways was becoming a huge irritation, and in fact was stopping the client enjoying life. Another person experienced a severe panic attack due to being stuck in traffic. It was so intense, that they thought they were having a heart attack.

Hypnotherapy for Driving Confidence

Once we started to unravel the symptoms of the problem we could see how each person experienced their fear (which is very individual). This included how long they had had it, when it started and what was going on when it started and so on. Then we could get to work on finding the solutions.

The treatment includes NLP (neurolinguistic programming), positive psychology, Timeline techniques, EFT and more. It works with both the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind, I which can make changes from the very first session. Most clients report feeling relaxed, lighter, and freer after the first session. Over the sessions, we built up the confidence, through therapy in the room, and driving practice in the real world.

Hypnotherapy and Creating a New Mindset

Each client receives the hypnosis recording we create in the sessions. This means that they can listen to it before they go to bed. Clients report this to be one of the key tools in helping them. The words in the recording change their mindset, which is the soundtrack to their thinking. And together with the rest of the therapeutic work, helps them to create a positive new mindset. This can be completely life-changing for many clients.

Confident Driving

Both of the clients I have talked about here reported a new found confidence, and a new perspective. When their mind was calmer and more in control, feeling relaxed, it was easier to feel good about driving. They had made deep changes in the mindsets.

Here’s what one client said about this work:

“My experience of Cognitive Hypnotherapy with Zeenat was very positive. It was a safe environment and Zeenat made me feel relaxed. The work we did together proved to be pivotal in overcoming anxiety around driving on busy roads. Zeenat’s patience and understanding has really helped in successfully conquering a deep fear and I have made big steps forward in the right direction. The hypnosis recordings have been so useful. The various techniques that I have been introduced to for coping with my specific situation have been great too. I just need to give myself more time and space for practice! I would definitely recommend Zeenat for helping to make positive life changes.”

Driving refresher courses with the AA are another useful resource which you can find here.