Anxiety, Panic, and Hypervigilance in a Common Situation...Specifically, Driving or Riding in a Car

[Lionheart]

I have PTSD symptoms that are due to a traffic accident (and many "close calls"). I experience high anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, and avoidant behavior. I am becoming more and more unwilling to expose myself to auto/travel.

I am afraid I will become totally homebound and be forced to walk everywhere that I go.. (which won't be far with my health in the condition it is in). I am already almost to the point of being homebound. I am really struggling with this.

Because it makes sense to be afraid of having a traffic accident my psychiatrist recommends prayer and is very dismissive of my anxiety stating that it is common...; "All people worry about traffic accidents", he says. But I say that not everyone reaches a panic stage to the point of being unwilling or unable to withstand a car ride!

I have very vivid intrusive visuals of horrific physical trauma due to a traffic accident run through my mind when I am in a car and the pervasive thought seems to be that I will die a horrible and painful death.

I am being treated with hydroxyzine which does not work for me and one-on-one "talk" therapy /CBT. I wondered if anyone has experienced this type of problem and if treated, what worked and what didn't?

Thanks,
Lionheart777

 

[Keming]

Can't speak to auto accidents but relate to problematic psychiatrists. Although... a psychiatrist that recommends prayer? Skepticism rising.

Psychiatrist that isn't listening. Suggest addressing that problem. Inform psychiatrist very firmly that you are quitting hydroxyzine and require a different anti-anxiety medication.

Technique: repeat a short phrase three times. State it; let them start a response; interrupt and state it again; let them start; interrupt, state it again. It's a teaching technique for classroom management but it works on darned near everyone. You just keep repeating the your statement until they are forced to engage with it.

If three isn't enough, then repeat ad naseum, so the psychiatrist has two options: engage with you at your level, or listen to you repeating the same phrase for 45 minutes. They'll give in before you do. Obstinacy is a virtue.

Visualization helps me work against anxiety when it's trying to keep me inside. Picture what we want, very clearly - only our actions, not predictions or speculation. Build the visualization in our heads and run through it a few times: Reach into pocket. Get keys. Reach for doorknob. Grasp doorknob. Twist doorknob Step into hallway. Pull door closed. Insert keys... etc. Then perform the visualization - in your case, getting into a vehicle. It doesn't make me feel better, but it gets me out of the house. Long-term, getting out is beneficial but in the short term it can be... unhappy.

Counting helps me too. When exposed to problematic stimuli or environment I count how many seconds I'm in that environment, for the purpose of later congratulating myself for being exposed for (x) time. And counting gives the brain something to do. Try visualizing the numbers popping in fireworks in the air in front of you. Keeps parts of the brain busy.

and maybe ask the T. T might have a trick or two.

hope things get better

 

[scout86]

I wondered if anyone has experienced this type of problem and if treated, what worked and what didn't?

Yes! Well, sort of. I live in a rural area and drive all time for work. That's not a problem. But, my T is in a metro area and I used to have to go down there for meetings too. I went through a phase where the traffic really freaked me out. Once, I got lost on the way to a meeting and ended up going home instead of working my through the problem and going to the meeting. It's a 2 hour drive, down there. I was almost there and couldn't deal with it, turned around and came home.

Having said that, it sounds like your anxiety is worse.

I talked this over with my T. He likes to suggest things like "finding a better way to think about" stuff. I did things like imagine I was driving a race car. (I can see where this isn't going to work for everyone!) In a race, you know the other drivers aren't idiots. (That's what worries me the most. Other drivers doing stupid things.) I also learned to focus on my breathing when I start to get tense. Listening to the right music helps. The more I've done it, there better it's gotten. It's still not always easy.

Another thing that helped is being sure I know where I'm going. I look it up on something like Google maps. Then look at the picture version and street view, if I can. Because I worry that I'll miss something while I'm looking for a street sign and get in a wreck, you know? I also try to visualize the drive. A successful, safe version of the drive.

You can do this, I'm sure, and it will be worth it.

 

[Lionheart]

Thanks for the replies @Keming and @scout86,

I think the problem for me is that I do not know how safe it is or how dangerous it may be to be riding in a car. If I tell myself that I am relatively safe, to what percentage do I believe this thought? Not too much I can tell ya that. My fear and core thought is that I am in danger and am going to die. So it is no wonder that it is unhappy and anxiety-provoking for me. Anyone would want to avoid a situation that might lead to violent death and so I have given up riding in a vehicle for now, until I can get a better grip on my anxiety levels. Just because it is dangerous does not necessarily mean I am in immediate danger and that is what I need to get into my head I think. But until I have worked through the core thoughts I don't think my anxiety is likely to change.

 

[scout86]

Just because it is dangerous does not necessarily mean I am in immediate dange

Not only that, just because you're in danger, that doesn't mean you're even going to get hurt, much less die. There a whole range of possible outcomes. It sounds like you're on the right track to sorting this out.

Once upon a time, I had a conversation with my T about what i thought "safe" is. I told him it's a fairy tale that adults tell children. (not what he was hoping to get for an answer LOL) What we ended up with is my version of "safe" is feeling like I have a pretty good idea what's going to happen next and believing I have the ability to deal it. It helps, a lot, if you can accurately assess the threat level. That's not always easy to do though, and it's one of the things PTSD can really mess with.

I hope you can work this out, you deserve to be able to get out and about when your want to!

 

[Recovery4Me]

? dear @Lionheart777 ?

After several major car accidents (like dangling off the mountains in Yosemite), rolling down another State’s ravine for 300 feet, sliding on black ice across a bridge and teetering in another state ?... my brother and I just accept that we will be nervous effing wrecks in the car when we don’t drive.

Although I don’t care for my white knuckle on the car handle approach ?, I found that accepting that I am a ‘mess’ seemed to take the edge off my expectations of normalcy. Hence it amazingly lowers my teeth grinding.? So I am not cured but this Mama goes ridin’ as hoofin’ it is slow, you know??

 

[willhealeventually]

I haven’t had a cat accident, but I do have agoraphobia at this point. Leaving the house for ANY reason is brutal. I have to take xanax the be able to go out.
Talk therapy about the ptsd has not helped with my agoraphobia, even though it helped with other things a bit.
Xanax is not great but it helps me function, which I must do since I’m a single mom and my lion cubs depend on me.

 

[Lionheart]

I want to thank everyone for the replies. It is hard for me to know what to say, but I appreciate you and the support!!! I may always get high anxiety when I am not driving and have to relinquish control, but I hope to get it down to a manageable experience if I can. Your input helps me to do that and I am grateful for each of you!!!

 

[Ronin]

I may always get high anxiety when I am not driving and have to relinquish control

You might also look at all the ways in which you DO have control, in that situation?

& It is useful, you can be watching out for everything the driver may not be aware of. More eyes, instead of one more sitting duck waiting to be a casualty.

 

[Nessa7]

My visualization when I'm a passenger is based on when I've felt safest in a vehicle. My grandfather worked for the state and would sometimes pick us kids up for a ride in the snow plow. It would be late at night and there would be no one on the road. I'd be very thoroughly strapped in, and it would be so big that it felt like nothing bad could happen.

For me, hydroxizine tablets were completely useless. The capsuls are much better at addressing my symptoms of anxiety and hypervigalence. There has been a shortage of the capsuls for months in the United States, so I thought I'd share my experience just in case it might be helpful.

 

[shatter eyes]

Just reading this post gets me spooky senses up feeling like a car will hit me out of the blue. I cant drive anymore from TBI and seizures...and also the rehab therapist said i have high chance of road rage because of volatile emotions. Plus she driving is a complex cognitive task.

I am able tolerate more traffic in cars as a passenger now after TMS and therapy...being grounded but i still have hyper vig. Oanics occur when something out of place happens like a bicycle or a cat or car that pops out of nowhere. Makes my heart jump and panic.

If i can drive i feel safe in a UNIMOG. Slow and BIG. And they are cute too.