Yikes!Is This Me? 'cept I don't do LA ;)
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| Thu, 11-02-2006 - 5:09pm |
Dear Prudence,
I am a successful 42-year-old woman, yet I have one fear that I cannot seem to overcome. I am terrified of driving on highways, especially the L.A. freeways. My husband and I have lived in California for two years. When we first moved here, I used to go on acting auditions, but soon it became apparent that my fear of driving was going to put an end to this. Then I made some friends, but if they lived somewhere I had to access by way of the highway, I'd turn down their invitations to visit. Recently, I realized I was going to miss the entrance to the 101, so to get on it, I nearly ran a trucker off the road. He was enraged and I was traumatized. When I got home, crying and shaking, my dear husband said perhaps L.A. freeways are too dangerous for me. Should I just accept my limitations, or is this a fixable thing? I don't want to end up killing someone or myself.
—Dying To Drive
Dear Dying,
You have a driving phobia, which is fairly common as phobias go, and yes, you can do something about it. Since you're an actress, you need to—even Gloria Swanson's character in Sunset Boulevard couldn't conduct an acting career exclusively from her home. Go to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America Web site and look up therapists in your area. You can even narrow your search to within two miles of your ZIP code, so you don't have to go on the freeway to get help. Take a look at Triumph Over Fear by Jerilyn Ross, a therapist who overcame her own phobia. And it's probably worth it for you to invest in a GPS device. It would be very comforting while you're driving to have an unflappable voice telling you exactly where you need to go.
—Prudie


Sheri Ann