Driving Anxiety Therapy in Adelaide

Signs driving anxiety is shrinking your world

• You plan routes to dodge freeways, bridges or right turns across traffic.
• You only drive roads you know, or you let someone else drive.
• Your heart races when you merge, overtake or get stuck in a tunnel of trucks.
• You have a fear of driving at night, alone or in heavy traffic.
• Since a crash or a near miss, getting back behind the wheel feels impossible.
• A driving test or a long trip is coming, and you feel anxious days before.

Some people call this a driving phobia. If a few of these fit, read on. Does anxiety while driving make you feel unsafe? Pull over when it’s safe, and talk to your GP.

Why do I have driving anxiety all of a sudden?

Anxiety about driving often has a clear trigger. It might be a crash, a near miss, or a panic attack at the wheel. Sometimes it creeps in after months of stress, or a long break from driving. A fear of heights when driving can show up on bridges, hills and overpasses too.

After that, your alarm links the car with danger. Avoiding certain roads brings relief, so the avoidance grows. Before long, the safe routes get shorter.

How hypnosis for driving anxiety works

In hypnosis you’re relaxed, focused and awake, and you can stop whenever you like. In that state we rehearse the drive in your mind, one situation at a time. You picture the on-ramp, the merge and the bridge while your body and mind stay settled.

If a crash sits behind the fear, Rewind can soften the memory. You picture it at a distance, like a film, then run it backwards. You don’t need to share details. NLP helps you manage the “what if” voice and other negative thoughts. You also learn a simple coping strategy for red lights and car parks.

How to get over driving anxiety between sessions

Between sessions you gradually try short real drives, just outside your comfort zone. List your drives from easiest to hardest, and start at the bottom. Before each one, use relaxation techniques for driving anxiety: a slow out-breath and a loose grip. If anxiety makes driving lessons hard, a patient driving instructor can help you rebuild driving skills.

Hypnotherapy for driving test anxiety

Adult learners and new drivers can freeze on test day, not because they can’t drive. We rehearse the morning, the waiting room and the first instruction, so the day feels familiar.

How driving anxiety therapy works: video or Adelaide

The program is four one-to-one sessions, and it starts with a free 15-minute phone call.

1. 1A free call first

   Fifteen minutes by phone. Tell me what’s coming up. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll say so. You can also ask me anything about hypnosis, like what it feels like or whether you stay in control.

2. 2Your first session

   We identify the drives that set you off, from the first thought of the trip to the first merge. Then we start the real work in that same session.

3. 3Sessions two to four

   We build on each step and tune it to your next event. If you have a date, like a driving test or interstate travel, we plan the sessions around it. You take a recording home, plus a short relaxation routine to use before you start the car.

Still weighing it up? Ask me anything on a free 15-minute call. I ring back within 24 hours, at a time you choose.

Or call 0427 218 092

What the research says about hypnosis for driving anxiety

After car accidents, your GP can refer you to a psychologist. They may offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy: planned practice drives, step by step. Hypnotherapy can sit beside it, not replace it.

Is hypnotherapy for driving anxiety safe?

For most adults, yes. No medicine is involved, and you stay aware the whole time. Some people feel a little sleepy afterwards. If we meet in person, sit for a few minutes before you drive. Don’t drive if you feel drowsy.

If you have severe anxiety, or flashbacks or nightmares after a crash, see your GP first. The same goes if a health condition or medication affects your driving. Your GP may suggest an occupational therapy (OT) driver assessment. Keep seeing your GP or psychologist while we work. In a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000.

What driving anxiety therapy costs in Adelaide: $1,000

One session at a time is $300. Most people take the 4-session program: $1,000 paid at the start, which is $250 a session and $200 less than paying as you go ($1,200).

Who you’ll be working with

Ernest McLeod

Clinical hypnotherapist, Adelaide and online

I’m Ernest McLeod, Adelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, with fourteen years in practice.

Before hypnotherapy I wrote software for twenty years. So I like to understand how a problem works before I try to shift it. I see clients by video anywhere in Australia, or in person in Adelaide by arrangement.

Fellow, Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH) · Certified NLP Practitioner · Time Line Therapy® Practitioner · Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses

Something you should know: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered health profession here. I’m not AHPRA-registered, and I’m not a psychologist. My memberships are voluntary. I also teach other hypnotherapists. The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association has approved my smoking, vaping and gambling cessation courses for professional development (CPD).

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