"call of the void" phenomenon/sudden fear of driving over bridges - how do you talk yourself down?

[Anonymous]

I had a really unpleasant experience over the weekend. I was driving over a long, tall bridge - and suddenly felt this horrible anxiety that I was going to drive over the edge. Like I could not get the image out of my head. And not even a fear that it was going to happen accidentally, but that I was going to drive over the edge, on purpose.

I am not suicidal. I do get anxiety. Obviously when it was time to drive over the bridge AGAIN on my way home I was a little more mentally prepared this might happen, and basically chanted to myself the whole time: you're fine, you're fine, just drive straight, nothing to worry about.

Googling around afterwards, I learned that apparently this is quite a common thing. (W T F brains?) It's called "call of the void" and is related to intrusive thoughts. The explanation seems to be that it's your brain's way of processing risk - like, your brain is telling you that you love life and falling off a bridge would be really bad, but the messages get jumbled into this very disturbing and unpleasant and quite scary loop in your head. (It manifests in other ways, too, apparently - a sudden, but unacted on, impulse to slap someone, or to take all your clothes off in a public place, or to do other self-and-other destructive things.)

https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2018/06/29/the-call-of-the-void

Good stuff, brain.

Anyway, yes, I will be looking for a therapist. Because I really do not want to end up with some horrible anxiety that leaves me not able to drive over bridges. But in the meantime...

Anyone else experienced this? And how have you talked yourself down from the thoughts, or dealt with it?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think almost everyone gets this to a greater or lesser extent. I think the thing to do is just to acknowledge that these thoughts fly through your brain, and that they are just fleeting images that you will never act on, and relax and move on.

[Anonymous]

I kind of get this, but not as bad. When I drive over the bay bridge I’m kind of panicky and am terrified of going over the ledge such that you worry you’ll do it on purpose. Something similar happens sometimes if I see someone walking on the side of a road - I’m worried I’ll hit them, and then I’ll get worried I’ll do it on purpose. It’s weird it happens, but I just try not to get works up about it. I don’t think that per se is cause for therapy, but my guess is that you have other anxieties you need to work through as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kind of get this, but not as bad. When I drive over the bay bridge I’m kind of panicky and am terrified of going over the ledge such that you worry you’ll do it on purpose. Something similar happens sometimes if I see someone walking on the side of a road - I’m worried I’ll hit them, and then I’ll get worried I’ll do it on purpose. It’s weird it happens, but I just try not to get works up about it. I don’t think that per se is cause for therapy, but my guess is that you have other anxieties you need to work through as well?

This is OP - I don't know if I have more or less anxieties than other people, but it feels like it couldn't hurt to talk to someone. I just feel very disoriented by that bridge experience, and worried that it is going to turn into a phobia.

When you have those thoughts, are you basically like "Hey, that was weird," and then just get on with your day?

[Anonymous]

PP--Yes, but also imagine what you'd say to help a friend relax and get through it. Use the same positive self-talk while dealing with your own thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have had this happen traveling over the Susquehanna River in PA to visit family. I've been driving the same route for decades and never had an issue. It's a wide bridge, two lanes each way and huge shoulders. A couple of years ago, I had a feeling that I was going to be pulled over the side of the bridge as I was driving across -- not due to wind or anything-- just a weird internal feeling. It was very unsettling. On the return trip, I put on a song and sang it the entire way over. I have to say that the next few trips, I took a different route that involved shorter/different bridges. No issue there or with Potomac River ones. Last few pre-covid trips were fine. No explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kind of get this, but not as bad. When I drive over the bay bridge I’m kind of panicky and am terrified of going over the ledge such that you worry you’ll do it on purpose. Something similar happens sometimes if I see someone walking on the side of a road - I’m worried I’ll hit them, and then I’ll get worried I’ll do it on purpose. It’s weird it happens, but I just try not to get works up about it. I don’t think that per se is cause for therapy, but my guess is that you have other anxieties you need to work through as well?

This is OP - I don't know if I have more or less anxieties than other people, but it feels like it couldn't hurt to talk to someone. I just feel very disoriented by that bridge experience, and worried that it is going to turn into a phobia.

When you have those thoughts, are you basically like "Hey, that was weird," and then just get on with your day?

I get on with my day, but I definitely dread going back over the bridge to get home. It’s turning into a phobia a little, but I’ve also started to get less scared going over the bridge the more I do it

[Anonymous]

I usually just pep talk myself. "Eyes on the road, find the yellow line, eyes on the road, just follow the lines".

Something like that. Or I focus on the car in front of me. "Just follow that car, eyes on the car"

Bridges scare me but most are over pretty quickly. I am usually scanning for other people making mistakes that would push me off, not worried about me doing it. But still.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kind of get this, but not as bad. When I drive over the bay bridge I’m kind of panicky and am terrified of going over the ledge such that you worry you’ll do it on purpose. Something similar happens sometimes if I see someone walking on the side of a road - I’m worried I’ll hit them, and then I’ll get worried I’ll do it on purpose. It’s weird it happens, but I just try not to get works up about it. I don’t think that per se is cause for therapy, but my guess is that you have other anxieties you need to work through as well?

This is OP - I don't know if I have more or less anxieties than other people, but it feels like it couldn't hurt to talk to someone. I just feel very disoriented by that bridge experience, and worried that it is going to turn into a phobia.

When you have those thoughts, are you basically like "Hey, that was weird," and then just get on with your day?

I get on with my day, but I definitely dread going back over the bridge to get home. It’s turning into a phobia a little, but I’ve also started to get less scared going over the bridge the more I do it

OP again: And that sounds like what the experts recommend. Apparently "exposure therapy" is the preferred treatment, instead of avoidance or calming techniques. One of the websites I read yesterday said, basically, you can't be anxious if you're bored - so the trick is to make yourself do the thing over and over until it's just NBD. Sounds like you've stumbled in the right direction. Now I have to make myself do that too apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I usually just pep talk myself. "Eyes on the road, find the yellow line, eyes on the road, just follow the lines".

Something like that. Or I focus on the car in front of me. "Just follow that car, eyes on the car"

Bridges scare me but most are over pretty quickly. I am usually scanning for other people making mistakes that would push me off, not worried about me doing it. But still.

OP again - and yeah, that pep talk sounds familiar to me. You're right that the drive is usually over quickly, at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kind of get this, but not as bad. When I drive over the bay bridge I’m kind of panicky and am terrified of going over the ledge such that you worry you’ll do it on purpose. Something similar happens sometimes if I see someone walking on the side of a road - I’m worried I’ll hit them, and then I’ll get worried I’ll do it on purpose. It’s weird it happens, but I just try not to get works up about it. I don’t think that per se is cause for therapy, but my guess is that you have other anxieties you need to work through as well?

This is OP - I don't know if I have more or less anxieties than other people, but it feels like it couldn't hurt to talk to someone. I just feel very disoriented by that bridge experience, and worried that it is going to turn into a phobia.

When you have those thoughts, are you basically like "Hey, that was weird," and then just get on with your day?

I get on with my day, but I definitely dread going back over the bridge to get home. It’s turning into a phobia a little, but I’ve also started to get less scared going over the bridge the more I do it

OP again: And that sounds like what the experts recommend. Apparently "exposure therapy" is the preferred treatment, instead of avoidance or calming techniques. One of the websites I read yesterday said, basically, you can't be anxious if you're bored - so the trick is to make yourself do the thing over and over until it's just NBD. Sounds like you've stumbled in the right direction. Now I have to make myself do that too apparently.

This totally works. I was a very nervous flyer when I was flying on average one or two round trips per year. A million air miles later, it is NBD. lol And actually it happened way quicker than that.

[Anonymous]

I have this as well. Fortunately it isn’t debilitating but it’s in the back of my head! I’ve heard people also have the same fear with heights - they’re not afraid of the height per se, but that they’ll fling themselves off the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have this as well. Fortunately it isn’t debilitating but it’s in the back of my head! I’ve heard people also have the same fear with heights - they’re not afraid of the height per se, but that they’ll fling themselves off the building.

For those of us who have this issue, it can be a very seductive thought. Definitely creepy.

[Anonymous]

Bay Bridge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I usually just pep talk myself. "Eyes on the road, find the yellow line, eyes on the road, just follow the lines".

Something like that. Or I focus on the car in front of me. "Just follow that car, eyes on the car"

Bridges scare me but most are over pretty quickly. I am usually scanning for other people making mistakes that would push me off, not worried about me doing it. But still.

NP. I do this too. I doubt I'll be able to drive over the Bay Bridge ever again. The last time, I kept my eyes locked on the car ahead of me.

I get a feeling of vertigo, that the car will just veer off the bridge. Rationally I know it won't. And wide or low bridges are no problem at all. But high bridges, bridges with no shoulder, it's a tilting vertigo feeling.