AMAXOPHOBIA

Amaxophobia, or the Phobia of Driving or of being a passenger, is crippling. This fear not only limits your life but also tends to grow with continued avoidance.  This phobia makes life restricted, and usually, more and more dependent on others to help as they make accommodations for the anxiety (driving to the store for you, changing their plans due to the phobia).

As a therapist specializing in Amaxophobia, the treatment plan will follow a thorough assessment of your fear and include contributing factors such as the presence of Panic Attacks,  PTSD flashbacks, agoraphobia and Harm OCD (fear of harming others while driving and the fear of running someone over when driving is a common form of Harm OCD), and the treatment is tailored to your specific needs and goals (such as getting to a new job).

Treatment for Amaxophobia 

Therapy for a fear of driving is typically short-term and effective.  It involves Exposure Therapy (ERP), Interoceptive Exposures when there are Panic Attacks, Cognitive Therapy focusing on beliefs around anxiety and your ability to cope and virtual exercises that come together to build your ability to get on the road and where you need to be.  

The treatment is challenging, and you will be encouraged to experience rather than avoid the anxiety past your comfort zone. Still, never to the point where you are overwhelmed or "thrown in" to driving exposures you are not ready for.  We are a team in deciding the challenges you will expose yourself to and with preparation to make the exposure beneficial.

(In the cases of acute PTSD, you may be encouraged to seek a course of EMDR before or while working on your phobia of driving)