Learning to drive?. Many people suffer from fear of driving when they sit in the car! The degree of the fear of driving varies from person to person. Sometimes the fear of driving only occurs in very specific situations that rarely occur. But the fear of driving can be so intense that you refuse stubbornly to get in to the car again. And while driving in this society really has become a must. About fear of driving you do not talk so openly, many people are ashamed of this. If it is told to friends, they make fun of it isn’t that ?!" But if you do not drive more daringly, your world suddenly becomes a lot smaller and you depend on the help of others. And it is not pleasant. Maybe you're one of the millions of people in the Netherlands with a license. It may be that you're hunting for the pink paper. When driving the fear of driving come in between butlet it be out of your head. Fear of driving is often accompanied by physical reactions such as anxiety, sweating,There are seven million people with a driver's license: Drive a half million people (almost), half a million rides, but selectively. That is the fear of driving. The most common form is the combination of routine deprivation and anxiety which results inavoidance of driving behavior. We know this is not the solution and this fear of driving can be overcome easily with continuous practice under good guidance.

Fear of driving types are:

• Fear of driving on highways.
• Fear of driving at intersections
• The fear of driving after loading event
• Fear of driving due to anxiety
• Fear of driving by skills shortage
• Fear of driving as a passenger
• Fear of driving due to other disorders

Due to fear of driving

If you constantly are in such a situation on the road, you're going to avoid traffic. The car is put on the side, you will not go to work or looking for another way to get there for example family who live far away, can no longer be visited comfortably in a car. At such time professional help still is the only thing that helps, because the body and the mind does not recover normally as in most cases it does after facing a fearful situation.

Worse and worse

Most people with the fear of driving avoid difficult traffic situations out of the way. They invent excuses like: "The train is cheaper," "”too much traffic”and others. Thus, the fear of driving is becoming higher.
The fear may in such proportions can even cause panic attacks. Someone with fear of driving will prevent any such attack and therefore at some point they don’t drive car anymore in their life. This fear of driving makes it all worse.

Fear of driving is an irrational fear

Fear of driving is a fear of something that is not real, but which is quite profound. People with fear of driving are particularly afraid of the things that can happen  when in reality they did not happen. Fear  makes them think irrationally and act in a illogical way during driving.This gives a much more rapid breathing, increased heart rate, muscle tension and other negative changes in the body and mind.

If you follow a fear of driving refresher course, there are many forms of fear of driving, all of which are equally annoying. On the page  symptoms fear of driving and approach  you will find more information about our specific and personal approach to the various forms of fear of driving. The cost for fear of driving guidance can be found on the page:Article about the fear of driving (Marie Claire July 2013)

To the left of this text, you see a flashy picture of me in a vintage car. Probably you think, what you stand again well, just disgusting, but anyone who knows me even slightly find two things particularly pretty (actually almost impossible) in  this photo. 1. I'm in the place where the car  actually has to govern . 2. I like at first glance no horrible panic attack. Conclusion: The photo must surely be Photoshopped.

Point is that I have a decade fear of driving and so prefer no car driving. Thus I have to squeeze myself in the most remarkable manner to get anything at all anywhere, or having to drive myself. Memorable is the time I organized a surprise party for my girlfriend on my location, but the did not dare to pick her up in the car. Eventually I got her running and she had to come herself   to her own party (surprise!) Drive. The absolute winner is the day I felt it had to agree over with fear, and I could drive to the beach really on my own. I grabbed my beach bag, walked into our garage, started the car and came up with .. conscious vehicel to get caught in a remarkable corner of the garage. The panic was indescribable, and to make matters worse decided something outside myself that I simply just had to press real hard the accelerator. The good news: I got loose, hooray! The bad news: my door fell to the file .. stijnen and went with no possibility open. The neighbor had to free myself with ERG brute force. Then I knew that this was the last straw. I want to drive fine without fear. Above all, I would not let that restrict my life. And so it is time for fear of driving course. The key question: could I get rid of my fear? Need clarification.

Cold feet (Not very clear)

After extensive research I arrive at Driving School AAK, specializing in fear of driving courses. The reviews are good, practical approach of  the website appeals to me so I filled in the registration form with red cheeks. I have not pressed send and the phone rings: a female voice tells me the following week all may come along. Wow. That's fabulous fantastic! Scary and horrible at the same time. And so I consider in the next few days - as a good anxious man - to cancel everything. So blowing and snowing at the moment, so maybe I should wait until the summer? But then a friend pointed me L. delicately on the horror situation in the garage, leaving me on the day in perky heading off to the Overtoom. In short, a thousand times better than many other driving schools of yester year. But more importantly, I find a sympathetic ear to people who have more than thirty years of experience. We talk (or rather I oreer) about how I got my driver's license and the birth of my fear. In a nutshell, my first driving instructor held the following four classes suddenly seen and spoke to the legendary words: "We both know that it does not click." The second was really nice, but smeared me a quick package that umm, went too fast. After a lot of extra classes outside the package (an embarrassment when I found) I passed, but uncertainty remained  my middle name . It moreover light stimulated by the contagious and hereditary uncertainty of my mother, who never dared to get her license however. Anyway, I drove only, no routine built on, was becoming anxious, therefore increasingly made more mistakes .. and finally gave up. Belinda, my coach, reassures me: "Of the seven million people with a license have a fear of driving million. There are also many species. You can become fearful after an accident, but also have depression or anxiety. Besides a rijcoach have you often need supportive therapy. Most -as you - have fear of driving stemming from a combination of lack of driving experience, anxiety, sometimes not adequate driver training and some unpleasant events on the road. Through those mistakes growing anxiety, creating a vicueuze circle and you're driving (sometimes) is totally avoided. This kind of fear of driving is good to deal with the fear of driving lessons from a coach. "

Van comes as (Not clear)

Hurray, there is hope. I think euphoric things. But I hear that together we now really entering the car. Sorry? Do I have right now already optuffen Overtoom? I ask suddenly I seriously wonder why the hell I do not live in the idyllic St Pancras. But fortunately; she drives me first to Stadionplein where I can drive test laps. Moreover, there shines a B on my roof which soon became necessary because the link does not exactly my best friend and the car jerks sharply. Switching is already  ages ago , so I more than once ferocious bend 'overshoot'. It's all in my head, but central to the word LOSER. But fortunately a vicious verdict remains out. In fact, I get extensive information about how a clutch works and I learn that this is the instrument that allows you to control the car. Which in itself is positive, because I've always felt that the car I  drive the other way. To understand the operation of the car makes me calmer and I realize that it really is just a machine with a manual - and no uncontrolled alien. But then comes (as I 'fictitious' stand down unparked) a wintersportbus at us. The size of the caliber:  no words . I cry out 'what now?' but Belinda remains extremely calm: "Why, what now? You need to do anything, you're standing here. The bus driver has seen you. It is important that you learn to claim your spot on the road and you are not guided by uncertainty. That makes anxious. But we're working on. "

score points (not very clear)

"Oh girl, a fear of driving course? Is that some kind pufcursus, but for the car or something? " Some of the tap derisive comments when people hear what I'm doing.  Think again bitchez it is a serious matter. You follow smarten lessons at the same time in a professional manner in view on your fearful thoughts- and feelings. So I often figured in class. No, not for passing cars, clothes or sunglasses, but the nerves. The number 10 means that you are in total panic and cannot absorb anything more, and 1 means you are relaxed. Furthermore, I follow double lessons: it is known that after a while fear of drive sinks. That way, you shut off the positive driving experience, giving you the brains 'reset' and you less dreads the next time. There also appears in this hour refresher enough work to do, so I have a lot to tinker with the "conscious perception. I'm not progressing or are derived (wtf look that great Mulberry ad along the way), so I am completely surprised several times by traffic situations. So I am racing with a lot of speed over a set 'totááál unexpected' thresholds and see me at the last moment a cyclist with tricycle full of children. Well folks, there can indeed be quite anxious. What good foresight so does one of my keys to success. Belinda also see positive aspects to the event: "Eventually you could see her and you are stopped, there is no one in danger. Moreover, the rest of the lesson went well. Therefore, do not put all focus on what went wrong. Unplug it, put it behind you and concentrate on your journey: otherwise you 'stack'. And that pile, I'm good at. I have my negative experiences of recent years stacked and I can tell you: Big Mountain. Especially to get in behind you. It also touches on another learning point: to accept it's time that I am a novice driver. Making a mistake is a learning experience, no shame or panic moment.

Uppers & Downers

And yet, after five weeks of the course begins to take its toll. The 'news' is off, it's just much, it's hard work, I have to constantly challenge myself again. So I have a good time waiting car parallel parking in a fairly busy street, while a car is out there wants along. Well: everything inside me went really prefer somewhere a glass of wine (or three) drink .  The big change comes when I get to drive the mission independently from the heart of Amsterdam for a restaurant in Haarlem. What a surprise! I'm not a nervous wreck, although make a few mistakes, but I fix myself up. It's like going on a button: the confidence and euphoria me a boost, even I drive slowly becoming more fun to find early. The lessons then are therefore primarily a matter of fine-tuning, so after 8 weeks driving smack the message that we will reduce the course. As a final lessons in my own car: it is even meant that I then just drives home. Leaving yet again looms a slight fear: we have a Golf 1989 without power steering. Oh em gee. But Carla points - the other owner - me on a fallacy. "Every car is essentially the same. If you can drive one car, you can do that in the other. And another thing: you'll be in the future-sometimes encounter situations that you know what fear is back as a six or seven seat. Keep it small and knows that it belongs there, it takes about eight months until you ride without fear. And keep punting, otherwise you will fear the upper hand. "

A week later, the time has come: I drive after my last class alone back home. Without jerky (OK, a few) and a master of a smile. Who would ever have thought that? As icing on the cake I ride in the weeks after gay in my up to Arnhem and take me behind the wheel of a white vintage Beetle. Which I can summarize a long story short here: the attached photos is nothing shopped. At the car, with my head, not my smile, not to nothing. I find it now fun to drive car.

Editor  Renske Hoff

Fear of driving, the ins and outs

Psychologist Jan van den Berg:

Fear of driving is a concept such as heights. Anyone can sometimes be afraid sometimes, but its not all the time Due to this fear one may avoid driving.

• Anxiety does not have to be immediately understood: some people are afraid of spiders, but you cannot always explain. Moreover, anxiety can be contagious, especially from parent to child.
• There are seven million people with a driver's license but not all of them drive confidently.. That is the fear of driving
• There are many forms of fear : panic attacks on the highway or intersection, passenger anxiety, fear following a traffic accident, old age uncertainties etc.
• Women develop a greater chance of anxiety: they can process more information at the same time therefore they are more sensitive to moods and fears.

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