- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
It's an ERP technique that might be best done under the guidance of a specialist but essentially you write a detailed story as if your fear were happening in the present moment. You would write it pretty detailed describing what you would normally do right before getting in the car while driving and then write out everything you're afraid of happening if you were to hit something. Then you read it over and over until the anxiety comes down and often times writing it all out helps the sufferer realize how ridiculous it is. There's a more in depth description if you go to ocdla.com and search imaginable exposure for OCD and anxiety. This can cause a lot of anxiety and might be confusing so I would say ask for guidance from a specialist.
- Date posted
- 6y
Oh right I don’t realise there are specialist driving instructors I’ll look into that thank you And amazing that you are driving .
- Date posted
- 6y
Wow @injapan that's so cool! It's great that resource was available!
- Date posted
- 6y
Amazing it’s so brave of you
- Date posted
- 6y
The advice that worked for me at the beginning of this is that you would know if you hit something so if you are not 100 percent certain you did you cannot go back and check.
- Date posted
- 6y
This is a fear I have to get over myself so that I can finally start driving myself places
- Date posted
- 6y
For people that aren't driving yet I read doing an exposure script is helpful.
- Date posted
- 6y
Exposure script?
- Date posted
- 6y
Oh right thank you
- Date posted
- 6y
Anytime!
- Date posted
- 6y
Do you drive your self ?
- Date posted
- 6y
Me? I do. Driving OCD came out of no where for me one day and I stopped driving for two days which was way too difficult to find alternative transportation so it was one of the first exposures I worked on in ERP.
- Date posted
- 6y
Oh right .anyone with driving OCD is extremely brave ! I hope to break from it one day and drive
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks but I don't feel brave I feel terrified almost all the time. You can do it! This is one fear that was actually easier to manage and my counselor said lots of people have it and get over it fast after exposures. It's all consuming when the obsessions come on but once you start driving it gets easier. Have you driven before?
- Date posted
- 6y
I mean you are brave for doing it even though you feel terrified that is amazing No I haven’t driven before but I’m scared to
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you : ) ok so learning how to drive will be a great exposure for you. Where you live do they have driving instructors or driving school?
- Date posted
- 6y
Probably why?
- Date posted
- 6y
That way you could start out learning in an empty parking lot with an instructor. Everyone's nervous when they first learn to drive but of course OCD will make it even more scary. When I took driving school it was with an instructor that had a break on their side of the car so they were able to stop the car at any time. Your fear might even go away after learning to drive.
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you very much for all the advice
- Date posted
- 6y
You're welcome!
- Date posted
- 6y
I had problems with motorway driving all my adult life. Say until 35. Then I decided to tackle it. I was able to find a special driving instructor who teaches people with anxiety; people who had been in an accident; people with autism. I rang and explained I have OCD and fear of motorways. I did 2 lessons with the lady and now I can do it. I hired a car overseas and drove me and my kids everywhere this year. I dont love it but I can do it. ?
- Date posted
- 6y
I think the best thing was that I could tell her I had a problem and she was cool with that. I trusted her.
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m amazed at all the response so thank you everyone for helping me out
Related posts
- Date posted
- 20w
I’ve avoided driving majority of my teen years because I got into a head on collision when I was 17. Even before then, I was absolutely terrified of driving. Saying I was terrified is an understatement. I’d literally shake at the thought of anything to do with cars and imagine my body scrunching up with the car metal after getting into an accident. OCD would convince me that I simply cannot trust myself behind the wheel, and that something bad will happen - like I’ll kill my self, someone else, or an animal and I hated it. Needless to say, I genuinley could not bring myself to get started with driving until I was 19, which was a few months ago lol. I got my permit at 17, practiced driving a tiny bit then stopped after the accident I got into. I eventually got the permit renewed a few months ago at 19, then I finally got my license a month after. Now I’m 20, and today I drove myself 45 mins to and from work! I still need to practice more, but holy lord I never thought this day would come. All the years I’d feel embarassed/judge myself have come to an end. Just because I was delayed at doing something doesn’t mean I’m not capable. For anyone who has goals they want to reach and they feel like they’re impossible - they’re not. Fight OCD as best as you can. I hope I can be a symbol of hope for anyone whose struggling
- Date posted
- 18w
So today I’m getting my car back from my grandparents bc it had no ac and they fixed it for me the day I gave them the car I was having ocd bc I touched a little tree air freshener no the air freshener itself but the outside of the wrapper and then I touched my steering wheel and I didn’t clean it before I gave it to them and I was having really bad ocd that day about it and now it’s coming back because I’m getting my car back today and I have a cat so I’m just always overthinking bc of her with the things that have chemicals on it common sense makes me feel stupid for feeling this when but I genuinely get overheated having to pick up this car today because I don’t wanna deal with it and it’s hair wash day and laundry day and I feel I should clean my steering wheel and ik I’m gonna have to wash my hands a million times and everything I touched after touching the steering wheel like my phone and the car handles and my front door handles. Should I just try and not do these things bc it’s common sense that doing all the this is necessary but I feel I need to I know I’m just needing reassurance I know I need to do nothing but I always stress about my cat and I go to the laundry mat to do my laundry so I don’t wanna be sitting there overthinking about my steering wheel bc I could of just simply wiped it down but I don’t wanna repeat the cycle of giving in to my ocd
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 16w
I have been in ERP therapy for my OCD for nearly a year now. Before my diagnosis and doing ERP, I really didn't drive a car for five years and rarely left the house. Now I drive to work, coffee and other outings. Most of the people close in my life don’t really know about my OCD. They do see me doing lots of things I haven't done in the past. I don't really know if I should explain about why this progress happened. I hope they don't think I was just being lazy up until then. They will talk about how someone is “so OCD” because they keep their room clean and really enjoy things neat. Anytime I hear this, I just think that if they hear about my diagnosis of OCD and what it entails they will think I’m crazy. I feel very conflicted about how to go about this, so advice is welcome.
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