Reply to "call of the void" phenomenon/sudden fear of driving over bridges

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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I get this, and always have since I was a child. I also get vertigo and am afraid of heights, but going over bridges is a whole other level of fear. I didn't realize there was a name for it. I do a couple things to help. I drive in the left hand lane if there is one, so that I am farthest from the edge (though if the traffic is moving fast I don't - driving fast makes me even more panicky). I keep my eyes on the road ahead, not the sky or bridge. If my DH is with me he puts his hand on my leg, just comfortingly being there. And then I just tell my brain to behave itself and stop feeding me bullsh&t. Because it IS BS. I don't have a death wish, and I am not going to drive off the bridge. But chanting "I'm not going to drive off the bridge" just reinforces the idea of it, so I tell myself ONCE to quit thinking about it, and then I think about something else - the line in the road, the song on the radio, etc. I focus very intentionally on that. I still am very nervous and hate it, but I get through it.

I also hate ski lifts, roller coasters, and cliffs. [/quote]

+1 to all of this. For me, it really amped up during childhood when my mom was having serious mental health issues and I was afraid she would decide to take us both out. It has lessened somewhat since I had my own child. I try to focus on whatever is on npr during bridge crossings.[/quote]

OP again: Oh gosh - I am sorry you went through that. I was listening to NPR when it started - and I think it's part of what triggered it actually. It was a Radiolab episode about mental loops, and I think it almost hypnotized me into my own disturbing mental loop. I turned it off when I realized what was happening but - ugh. I need a brain cleanse.[/quote]

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