First, let me convey that my objective within the limited space of this article is to hopefully give a more complete understanding of the ‘Cause and Effect’ of this critically important issue, together with what I believe to be the most effective strategies. My objective is not to attempt to thoroughly cover the issue, but to give a better perspective. Over the past 30 years, I have worked with hundreds of drivers who have been involved in serious crashes, including the highest level race drivers, teens who have been drivers in crashes in which friends have been killed and injured, and adults of all ages. I have also worked with other athletes, (as an example) World Cup soccer players who have experienced a serious knee injury, and even after surgery and rehab, still have the fear of making a "cut" that puts pressure on the knee. This fear is a debilitating and limiting condition, and it is particularly important because in our culture, driving a car is so important to our quality of life.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) impacts people in very different ways and degrees of intensity. This is why a general strategy of what to do is not often successful. A typical strategy might be to tell someone that they just need to forget about it! Or they just need to get back up on the ‘horse’. Or that it’s "all in their mind". (That usually helps a lot – right?) "All in your mind" in our culture means that it is not real. However, this fear is very real. This kind of situation IS in your mind, which is exactly where it should be. It’s not in your toes! And it is "in your mind" because that is the way we are built.

Each situation is individualistic - specific to the person, their personal perspective, their prior programming – and the representation of what a traumatic experience may mean to their mind. As an example, I worked with a young woman a few years ago who was not even involved in an incident in which a local attorney, while riding a bicycle on the side of a street, was run over by a senior driver and killed. She was driving the car behind the incident, and observed what had happened. Afterward, this being such a traumatic emotional event for her, she believed that she was focusing upon anything happening along the side of the street. She was afraid that she would have a tendency to focus on a bicycle rider or a pedestrian and do the same thing. This young lady understood her problem. So let’s discuss what should be our first objective – to understand the individual, and what that experience represents to them - to their mind.

We have developed a functional model that we use to better understand this process, and therefore what potential strategies we may choose to use. We are attempting to identify and work on the CAUSE of the problem. We just might be able to identify a solution to the "cause", but there is never a solution for the "effect". If you are working with a person who has a fear of driving, I would strongly suggest that you try to give them a basic understanding of this model. It is very helpful in giving them an understanding of the process they are going through and why, and this will increase the potential for success.

The Performance Model - Information goes into the brain, which we can look at as a biological-computer. We get that information from our various sensory inputs (visual, kinesthetic, auditory), as well as our thoughts, focus, primary attention vs. divided attention, multi-tasking, etc. And the quality of this (sensory) input is critically important to function. (I.e., GIGO, but also, if higher quality information is going into the computer, the output is higher quality.)

The brain processes that information, just like a computer does, based upon its software. If you bought a new computer, took it home, plugged it in, turned it on … what would it do? Absolutely nothing. Why? Because it has no software. There is nothing in the computer to process any information. The hardware may be great, but it won’t do anything if there is no software!

Let’s say that you download some software into the computer … some word processing software. So now, what will it do? It will do some "word processing functions", but it won’t do a spreadsheet function. Why? Because there is no software for organizing an integrated spreadsheet. So now, if you download some software for processing a spreadsheet function, it will set up a spreadsheet. IF … IF … the operator knows how to run or negotiate through or organize the software.

So what do we typically try to do? After a traumatic crash (we don’t call them ‘accidents’), telling a person to "be careful", or to "take it easy", does not work. In the future, at the time of a crisis, how do you think they are going to respond? They absolutely DO NOT have the programming to respond to the situation at the subconscious level – i.e., automatically, without thinking about it.

Within the base function of the brain, as a part of the autonomic system (i.e., the programming we are born with), is a filtering system referred to as the Reticular Activating System (R.A.S. system). Reticulate means to distribute by networking. Basically, like an irrigation system in a field that distributes water within a controlled networking system.

The programming of the RAS system is the result of our experiences, especially the psychological effects of our more traumatic experiences. When information comes into the brain, and the RAS system notes that this is something very important (i.e., threatening), it sends that information directly to the mainframe of the brain to be dealt with. ("Hey! Wake up! This almost killed us before!" This is why it is referred to as PTSD.)

The net result can be an absolute disintegration of brain function, panic to the point of freeze, contracted muscles, focus upon the problem (rather than solution), holding the breath, etc. All the great systems of the body – visual spatial awareness and tracking, vestibular and proprioceptive systems, etc., will be impacted and often severely limited, at a time when they need to function at the highest level, The result is often an inability to even respond to a crisis situation! The solution to this "problem" is not just a matter of "talking about it". Even a very logical conscious state does not communicate with the subconscious mind.

So, how do we as human beings get our software (the neuron patterning)? How do we create new software? The most effective way is through experiential learning. We learn most effectively by doing … by and as a result of what we experience. Functional learning is programming, not just memorizing information.

In our MasterDrive program, we create an opportunity in a controlled environment (our driving range) for a new, intense experience - to increase the psychomotor skills of car control, how to execute a crash avoidance maneuver, how to handle a slick road condition, or whatever specific conditions may have existed in this traumatic experience for this person. These skills of car control (dynamic control, skid recovery, crisis braking maneuvers, etc.) are developed as the result of many repetitions of a specific "drill for skill". As these skills are developed to a higher and higher level, a person’s state of mind gains more confidence in their ability to handle a crisis situation, which will help to defeat the "old fear programming" from the prior experience. Just putting a person in a car and driving around town does not (typically) make the intense changes in programming needed to overcome the phobia.

As a result of this process, we have literally observed people make major changes in their personal confidence, their identity, their self-esteem, their overall perception of themselves. Not just in regard to driving, but in regard to their overall life skills. The driving is just a metaphor for other issues in regard to their psychology. We have found that in an effective process, they can make major changes in a very short period of time – often in only a few hours.

By Ronn W. Langford, article reprinted with permission