The trigger for many drivers can be accidents, illness, finance or work problems, anxiety, stress, depression, relationship difficulties and sometimes no discernable cause. Women also on occasion become more nervous as drivers following childbirth. Any of these types of changes can lead to self-doubt and loss of confidence culminating in the development of a driving phobia or the fear of driving.

The myths are that you can tell someone to ‘pull themselves together’ and attain a positive result. This method of treating a sufferer can be detrimental and make them feel even more inadequate. Another myth is that well-meaning amateurs accompanying the driver can prompt, provoke or cajole the sufferer into overcoming their fear and expect a magical recovery.The final myth commonly stated is that nothing can be done and individuals who suffer from these difficulties should stop driving.

You now have the facts and myths in the first three paragraphs and the answers will unravel during the remainder of this work. It may be true that some will never recover their skills to an acceptable safe level, but for the vast majority it should be at least worth trying. The alternative is to resign yourself to reduced employment opportunities, the cost of public transport and the inability to travel where and when you want.

Problems with driving present themselves in many forms and are caused through many different sets of circumstances. Lack of confidence is the end result which creates the nervousness. However, the issue can be made worse by insufficient practical training and lack of knowledge about road procedure. Only when these issues are addressed and a period of time has elapsed for experience to be gained, is it possible for confidence to return.

I have developed a programme of hypnotherapy and practical advice about overcoming this common condition and present that programme herein. This audio programme is intended for use by all nationalities and both sexes provided the student has the aspiration to drive a car, the ability to learn and the tenacity to see it through.

I have been working as a specialist consultant since 2006 helping individuals overcome this debilitating condition. These irrational fears manifest as fear, anxiety, nervousness, panic or phobia linked to driving and occasionally to being a passenger in a motor vehicle. Hypnotherapy helps resolve the psychological issues by removing or reducing the emotions from driving and the technical and practical advice develops the knowledge, skills and ability.

The programme is presented in audio form so that individuals can gain the benefits of hypnotherapy without the cost and inconvenience of personal consultations. The added bonus is that these audio hypnotherapy sessions are dedicated to the topic of nervous driving and can be played again and again. The aim of this process is to help you take the emotions out of driving.

There are three main types of difficulty;

1. Fear of driving generally
2. Fear of driving at faster speeds
3. Driving test nerves

These issues and others will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 3 but there are common traits in these types of problems which can almost always be eliminated or reduced.

Regardless of the cause, these conditions exist through the inability to confront sub-conscious internal conflict about certain driving situations. In other words, there is part of you internally saying “I can drive and driving is safe” and there is another part of you insisting “I can’t drive and driving is dangerous”.

The good news is that you are taking constructive action to resolve these mixed emotions. The act of studying this material has tipped the balance slightly in your favour because it demonstrates your ASPIRATION to be able to drive safely. Your aspiration or desire to change is a pre-requisite to success and is covered in more detail in Chapter 6 ‘The Psychology of Success’ in which we examine the resolution of the issue on a psychological level.

It is important to remember that this programme is about REGAINING the driving skills you have already learnt. Individuals who have a fear of driving or a fear of driving at speed are presumably qualified drivers who have simply lost confidence. Drivers suffering from test nerves can presumably drive well enough to pass a test but the impending test date causes them to drive differently to the way they learnt.

The hypnotherapy element of this method seeks to remove any emotional blocks to driving and is used primarily to help individuals successfully overcome internal conflict. If the emotional blocks are the cause of the problem and the removal or reduction of such blocks are achieved, the likely outcome will be a full or partial return to former levels of driving ability.

If an individual should choose to attend the nervous driver course, detailed information gathering will be carried out to uncover any deeper psychological problems that may be contributing to the issue. If any more deep seated issues are apparent, a hypnotherapy session will be delivered as part of the course to help resolve that specific issue as well as the driving issue.

Hypnotherapy can successfully be used to treat driving fears, anxiety, nervousness, panic, anger and phobias. Also, clients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can be treated using this method. Individuals report that the process makes them feel more relaxed in otherwise stressful situations.

On a practical level individuals are often unaware of the ‘Rules of the Road’ and are encouraged to learn the rules and study other driving related issues with recommended material. Study material such as DVD-ROMs can be interesting and entertaining to use. These products provide interactive hazard perception video clips and multiple choice questions about all motoring matters. The simple resolution to the problem of insufficient knowledge is to ‘burn the midnight oil’.

Finally, in the act of driving you consolidate your gains and put it all together. This may involve unaccompanied or accompanied practice specifically focusing upon the techniques describes in Chapters 11 and 12. Obviously it takes a while for newly learned skills to become habitual but with sufficient practice, driving can become easier and eventually even fun.

So to summarise, hypnotherapy is designed to help you deal with the psychological aspects of your driving problems. Study of recommended material will help you with the theory and technical aspects and driving practice will help you to bring it all together. It may take a while to master these skills but, ‘You only fail when you quit’.

The Scale of Fear

1. Fear
2. Anxiety
3. Nervousness
4. Panic attacks
5. Phobia
6. Post traumatic stress disorder

Fear

The fear to drive may be a rational concern, especially if the driver has a low level of driving knowledge and skills. Even highly skilled drivers can experience a fear of driving due to inadequate experience and lack of knowledge. Confident driving results from skill, knowledge and experience.

At its best, fear helps us protect ourselves. A fear of driving can be described as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm when driving. By examining this material, these deficiencies are now being addressed.

Fear of driving can also remind us that we don't have control over everything in our lives. Just as a pedestrian must accept that certain real dangers exist when walking down a street, a driver must accept that there are certain real dangers in driving that are caused entirely by other road users.

However, the correct road procedure exercised competently can make danger more easily avoidable and when unavoidable, the consequences less severe.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and it can be useful in helping individuals deal with difficult situations. If for example, anxiety prompts you to learn more about driving then being an anxious driver has helped you deal with that issue. However, when anxiety becomes excessive it can be debilitating.

Anxiety is a feeling that can manifest without a specific trigger and can develop into a full phobia. An anxious driver experiences worry and unease about driving and is often very eager and concerned not to inconvenience other road users. They often feel that they should go faster and perceive that they are being ‘pushed on’ to a greater speed by the driver behind. Also, they may drive unnecessarily close to the curb to let others pass.

Anxiety is provoked by perceived uncontrollable or unavoidable events, but by driving in full control of your vehicle it is easier to avoid situations that may become hazardous. Anxiety also results from a tension caused by conflicting ideas such as ‘I am in danger’ and ‘I am safe’. Hypnotherapy deals specifically with this subconscious conflict.

Nervousness

A nervous driver is easily agitated or alarmed which may lead to making incorrect decisions that actually cause danger. Their driving is often hesitant, which agitates other road users and they frequently do not make progress when it is safe to do so. Nervous driving can also be viewed as driving in a mentally disturbed state characterized by a state of unconscious conflict usually accompanied by anxiety and obsessive fears.

Drivers suffering from this condition often still drive regularly but avoid busy or unfamiliar places. The nervous driver is often fully aware of the cause of the nervousness such as motorway or city driving, but still suffers physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea and a sense of dread. This condition normally stops short of panic attacks.

Nervous drivers need to be more relaxed and improve their observation skills so that they can decide on approach to junctions or hazards whether or not to stop. This enables them to be less hesitant which boosts their confidence and results in them making more progress. This leaves the driver feeling more in control with a reduced level of nervousness.

Panic attacks

A panic disorder is a condition in which a person feels sudden over-whelming fright, with or without any reasonable cause.

A panic attack is generally accompanied by physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, sweating and rapid breathing. A sufferer may be in constant fear of the next panic attack.

Panic attacks typically occur in disaster situations when a person is attacked or threatened in some way. These types of panic attacks can be useful as it prepares the body for the primitive fight or flight response which may help the individual escape or defeat the imminent danger.

However, panic attacks when driving are without rational cause and often follow on from anxiety and nervousness about driving. Obviously it is important to retain full control while driving and not panic whilst in control of a vehicle. This brief but strong loss of composure that occurs during a panic attack must be avoided due to the obvious dangers.

Individuals suffering from this condition often feel that they are going to swerve off a road or bridge etc and in response pull over until they regain their composure. Hypnotherapy can be used to great effect to deal with this subconscious over-reaction.

Phobia

A driving phobia is an extreme or irrational fear of driving beyond reason despite the reassurance that it is not dangerous. Worries about driving and the perceived impending dangers are all concerns for the unfortunate sufferer.

Some if not all of the disabling aspects of the earlier conditions are normally apparent but to such a significant degree that sufferers find driving at best difficult and at worst impossible. The onset of a driving phobia may be gradual or sudden and may develop following an accident or situation that the client perceived as dangerous. The recovery from such a condition can equally be gradual or sudden.

Post traumatic stress disorder

If you have been involved in a motoring accident, you may find yourself unable or less able to drive. This could be a condition known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is an emotional illness that develops as a result of a traumatic experience. Sufferers tend to think constantly about the event and avoid places, people; or other activities that remind them of the event. Sufferers are also very sensitive to normal life experiences.

Following the measures outlined in this material could help sufferers recover their former driving ability and live a more normal life. The condition has probably always existed but has been more frequently recorded in recent times with many accident and trauma victims now reporting its effects.

Read the full 14 Chapters of this work including sub-sections on;

1. Overcoming the Fear of Driving
2. Successful Motorway Driving and Faster Speeds
3. Fear of Taking a Driving Test

Purchase the Nervous Driver CD Set with the booklet included.