Contents
We are glad to welcome you, dear readers of the site! Amaxophobia (autophobia) is the fear of cars, no matter if the person is in the role of driver or passenger. In extreme cases, even a casual passerby, he will experience a lot of anxiety and anxiety, being close to the subject of his phobia.
And today we will look at why it occurs and how it can be dealt with.
What is it like?
Interestingly, it manifests itself in different ways. In a sense, amaxophobia is sometimes not just a fear of cars, buses, but directly, a fear of certain models or colors.
For example, such a person will not come close to a red Mazda. And the rest rides quietly.
It is also embarrassing to drive non-representative class cars, because this will affect the image. Most often, this form of manifestation occurs in adolescents and women.
They are afraid to even imagine themselves, for example, in a Cossack or a Muscovite. But this phobia is already simply intertwined with fear of judgment, low self-esteem or arrogance.
But basically, a person is terrified of the possible likelihood of getting into an accident, crippling another, or suffering personally.
According to statistics, as already mentioned, it occurs more often in women. This is sometimes associated with an exaggerated need for security in order to preserve the life and health of their offspring, even probable ones.
The most common causes of irrational fear
- Driving at night, in poor lighting conditions or in weather that impairs visibility;
- Crossroads and places in general where it is necessary to give priority to other vehicles in traffic;
- Traffic jams and heavy traffic;
- Using someone else’s car, for which he is currently fully responsible;
- Unpredictable situations on the road, for example, when animals suddenly jump out;
- Doubts about their ability to overcome fear and cope with unpredictable danger while driving on the track. Suppose, if there are no skills to drive a car in ice, an amaxophobe will be insanely afraid to leave at all until the winter has passed;
- The passenger worries about the safety of his life if he does not trust the skills and knowledge of the driver.
- Responsibility for passengers, especially if there are small children among them;
- Uncertainty in the skills and mental, physical condition of other drivers with whom you have to intersect during the trip.
Evidence
At the thought that it is necessary to ride in transport, a person’s hands and legs may begin to tremble. By the way, they are still getting colder and begin to sweat intensely. Even at sub-zero temperatures indoors or outdoors.
Often a panic attack occurs, this is when a person loses control of himself due to anxiety and it seems to her that she is about to die. Suffocating or from a heart attack, as at such a moment it begins to prick strongly in the left side of the chest.
The pressure rises, the face turns red, and sometimes turns pale when fainting. Those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract experience all the «charms» of diarrhea, as well as spasms.
May feel nauseous and vomit. Loss of control leads to a change in the perception of reality. It becomes extremely dangerous and causes one desire — to run away and hide.
And this is just very risky. Because in a panic, running away, a person does not notice anything around him and easily becomes a victim of an accident. Sometimes fatal if it jumps out onto the road and gets hit by a car.
In severe forms of manifestation, when obsessive thoughts take over the mind, the amaxophobe simply decides not to leave the house. Since it is unbearable to watch cars around you. Even in the most remote village they are, what can we say about megacities.
Such isolation and alienation gradually leads to depression, degradation, complete loss of social ties.
What is degradation, you will learn more from this article.
Causes
Injury
An accident is a traumatic event for the human psyche. At such a moment, he realizes how fragile life really is, unpredictable and that he is completely unable to predict what will happen to him in an hour, a day, a minute.
Living through powerlessness is not easy, especially for those who are prone to control and power.
Plus, due to injuries at the physical level, information is stored in the subconscious that transport is associated with pain. Sometimes insanely strong, which he is not able to withstand.
The condition becomes more complicated if you had to recover for a long period. Moreover, the phobia will begin to develop if a person after a car accident has lost the ability to walk and, in general, move.
For some individuals, it is enough to be not a victim of an accident, but a witness to understand how dangerous cars are.
Media
Car accidents are covered daily in the media. You can even turn off the TV, just scroll through the news feed on social networks.
And besides, in the age of modern technology, every witness of any accident can take a photo and put it on public display. Thanks to this, not a single event is left unattended.
And how not to be afraid to drive a car if almost every minute someone crashes into someone and knocks them down?
Heredity and character traits
People with an unbalanced psyche, quite vulnerable, impressionable and with a wild imagination easily become «owners» of any kind of phobia and, in general, a mental disorder.
Every time they come across news about an accident, they will simply imagine themselves in the place of the victims, only intensifying the symptoms of amaxophobia. Which, by the way, can be inherited.
And the conditions of upbringing play a significant role in its occurrence. If a significant adult is horrified when a trolleybus or car passes by, the child may decide that this reaction is the only correct one.
Otherwise, mom or dad would have calmly behaved in such situations. And he simply copies the behavior, thinking that this is how it should be.
Treatment
In principle, if you are anxious to drive a car for moments, but it practically does not bring discomfort to your life, no special treatment is required.
Especially if you manage to overcome anxiety on your own. Which sometimes can even be beneficial.
Since a person who is worried about his safety will more closely monitor the road and the maneuvers of other vehicles.
Before going somewhere, he will definitely check the condition of his car, and, moreover, he will not drive drunk.
And he will not go anywhere with an inadequate driver who raises suspicions about taking alcohol or drugs.
If you understand that even the role of a passenger is beyond your power, contact a psychotherapist. It will help to investigate the reasons that provoked this condition. And also to discover resources so that you can rely on them when panic attacks occur.
A psychologist or psychotherapist will be able to refer you to a psychiatrist. If amaxophobia affects not only the quality of life, but also health.
Which, in turn, will prescribe antidepressants. Or medications that relieve anxiety, help restore sleep and improve mood.
Recommendations
- If you have panic while driving, you can easily overcome it yourself. Just park in a safe place, turn on your hazard lights if necessary, and close your eyes. First you need to restore breathing, and remove dizziness. Breathe into your palms, this will return the level of oxygen in the blood to normal. Which, due to shallow and frequent breathing, has risen to the maximum limits. Provoking even more anxiety and leading to loss of consciousness.
- Then use the method of positive affirmations. That is, statements that will help you calm down and believe in yourself. Start moving when you feel like you have the situation under control again.
- Practice meditation and breathing techniques. This will help to find harmony inside, relieve tension and other consequences of stress.
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Subscribe to site updates and you will find out what the fear of sharp objects, loneliness, horses and much more is called. That will allow you to expand your horizons and become more developed, happy.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina