Individuals who have this particular fear experience enormous anxiety when confronted with the prospect of having to cross a bridge. High bridges are especially frightening, as are bridges over gorges or water.
Quite often this fear can also be combined with other fears such as the fear of heights, agoraphobia or claustrophobia.
The individual suffering from gephyrophobia may be fearful that they will lose control or faint.
Fear breeds fear and this can easily lead to feelings of abject panic.
Many people who suffer from this particular phobia go to great lengths so that they can avoid crossing bridges. Often they go to great pains to plan their travels so that they do not have to cross over a bridge.
What has happened is that at a deep, subconscious level, the bridge phobic has learned to associate anxiety with the thought of crossing bridges. At some time in the past, he or she will probably have undergone an experience that in some way frightened them and they linked this scared feeling with bridges.
It's as though the person has stopped trusting themselves when it comes to moving over a bridge. And the subconscious mind is producing fear so that he or she will not place themselves in danger.
For the conscious mind, of course, it may be only too clear that such fears are groundless. They may even seem silly. But fear is a feeling and the conscious mind runs on logic, not emotion.
No matter how hard they might try, the phobic individual is usually powerless to analyze or 'think away' their fear.
Fear, like all emotions and feelings, is produced in the subconscious mind and it is in the subconscious mind that the solution lies.
Through the skilful use of modern advanced transformational hypnosis, we can delve into the subconscious mind and re-educate it. We can re-align it with reality so the bridge phobic person can let go of the fear and return to their natural state.
Even though the thought of driving over or crossing a bridge may seem too difficult for you to contemplate at the moment, the fact is that you can be helped to conquer your fear of bridges and cross them with ease and in the complete absence of anxiety.
Working with a fully qualified and experienced advanced transformational hypnotherapist, you can once again return to the freedom that is your birthright.
The medical term used for fear of driving is hodophobia, although strictly speaking it means the fear of all travel, but as driving is a form of travelling, I guess it will do.
If you suffer from this condition, it is important to understand that it is an anxiety related condition that needs to be treated exactly the same as any other phobia, which will involve both behavioral and cognitive therapy. If your symptoms are relatively mild, it is essential that you take action as soon as possible, as your condition can worsen to the point where you are completely unable to even get in to a vehicle.
Before you seek professional help with this matter, it is worth trying a technique known as systematic desensitization, whereby you very gradually expose yourself to the phobic situation and simultaneously use anxiety management techniques to gradually learn to control how your body reacts to the stress caused by your situation.
The recommended anxiety management technique is known as 'progressive muscle relaxation' or PMR, which is an approached designed to teach you how to control the physiological manifestations of your anxiety. You will be able to buy a relaxation CD from your local book store that will teach you this technique.
PMR teaches you how to control you breathing and your muscle response to stressful situations, responses that, if left unchecked, would lead to severe sweating, uncontrollable shaking or palpitations.
Through a series of exercises, PMR will teach you how to relax in stressful situations, try to follow the PMR techniques for at least 20 - 30 minutes twice a day when you first start.
The key factor in successfully dealing with your phobia comes when you begin to blend the PMR techniques with exposure to whatever is causing your fears. You start by first imagining driving your car while at the same time using the PMR approach to control your body's response to the stress.
Make sure you take things very slowly at first, start of imaging yourself sitting in the car, progress to starting the engine and when you feel ready, take a short trip - all in your mind of course. After your first imaginary trip, focus on the things that cause you most stress whilst you're driving, that might be something like driving on the freeway.
When you are confident that you have mastered the imagery and remained relaxed, you can move on to your vehicle and perform the same routine again. Push yourself a little further each time, and eventually you will achieve your goals.
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Peter James Field has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hypnotherapy, Cure Anxiety and self improvement and motivation. Peter Field is a leading British hypno-psychotherapist with busy practices in London and Birmingham, England. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health and Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. More of his absorbing arti. Peter James Field's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.
Ray Baker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interest, Hair Removal and Education. The Author's website features articles, tips and advice about reducing the cost of. Ray Baker's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.