The fear of crossing bridges (gephirophobia) can be very disabling, but it is possible to take some measures to deal with it and, in the end, overcome it. Gephyrophobia manifests itself in different ways: some people are frightened by the idea of having to drive along viaducts and overpasses built at high heights, while others are more afraid when the possibility of crossing a bridge is proposed. Typically, this phobia is linked to a traumatic event or a reaction learned from driving or crossing bridges and viaducts. It can limit individuals' lives by preventing them from going to work and school or even taking a nice walk with family and friends. However, with proper therapy, gradual exposure to perceived danger, and simple coping strategies, it can be effectively managed.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Try Different Forms of Therapy
Step 1. Analyze the symptoms
Symptoms should be reviewed before consulting a doctor or specialist. The most common manifestations that fall within the pathological picture of gephyrophobia include sweating of the hands, tingling, numbness, tremor, nausea and breathlessness. They present themselves with the idea of having to cross a bridge or in the act of crossing it. You can also get anxious because in that circumstance you are convinced that you are dying, having an accident or going into other dire scenarios.
- The most obvious symptom is the irrational fear of bridges and of the situations that can occur when crossing them.
- This phobia is also characterized by a tendency to avoid bridges and a refusal to cross them.
- Anticipatory anxiety often accompanies gephyrophobia. In this case, you may be afraid of bridges even before you walk them.
- A panic attack can also be triggered, characterized by a rapid heartbeat, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, numbness, tingling, dizziness and lightheadedness.
Step 2. Consider any related ailments
Many times, gephyrophobia falls into broader anxiety-inducing patterns. It also tends to occur in individuals prone to panic attacks. In addition, it is associated with acrophobia (fear of heights) and agoraphobia (fear of open spaces).
Step 3. Talk to a therapist
There are various treatments to treat phobias, such as crossing bridges. For example, psychoanalysis, exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are all capable of helping people prone to particular phobias, such as geophyrophobia.
Ask your doctor if he can recommend a psychiatrist or psychologist trained in the treatment of phobias. He may appropriately direct you
Step 4. Consult a psychotherapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy
Ask your doctor if he can tell you about one. The cognitive-behavioral approach combines exposure to perceived danger with other psychotherapy techniques that can help you cope with fear and anxiety, allowing you to develop a new way of seeing the fears and beliefs inherent in the feared event. It allows you to improve the control of thoughts and feelings that arise from the phobia of bridges.
Step 5. Find a professional who specializes in exposure therapy or gradual desensitization techniques
Ask your doctor first if they can suggest one. This approach consists of modifying the response to feared situations, such as the act of crossing a bridge. By gradually exposing yourself to the phobic stimulus, it is possible to learn how to manage the anxiety that follows. For example, your therapist may invite you to imagine walking over a bridge and, later, watching a movie showing scenes with viaducts and overpasses. The duration of exposure gradually increases with each encounter. Eventually, you will be able to actually live the experience of crossing a bridge.
- Combine exposure to perceived danger with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Undergoing treatment that includes gradual desensitization and cognitive-behavioral therapy, adults from middle age can achieve good results.
- Short exposure sessions to phobic stimuli combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy have been shown to be effective in children and adolescents suffering from certain phobias.
Step 6. Try psychoanalysis
You can investigate the causes of your fear and the anxiety associated with it with a psychoanalyst. He reasons in his presence on the processes from which it would originate. By using her advice, you may be able to trace the root of what caused her. Recall the earliest memories of your phobia.
Step 7. Learn about drug therapies
Your doctor or psychiatrist may prescribe medications that help you manage the symptoms of gephyrophobia. Although there are no medicines that can permanently cure this disorder, however, some can alleviate the severity of the symptoms.
- Ask your doctor about beta blockers. These are molecules that inhibit the physiological action of adrenaline. You can catch them before you expose yourself to perceived danger, that is, before crossing a bridge. They reduce some unpleasant sensations, such as heart pounding and increased blood pressure.
- Ask your doctor if you can use antidepressants to combat gephyrophibia. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors affect mood and can be taken to treat anxiety associated with certain phobias.
- Learn about the use of sedatives. They can be useful if you want to feel more relaxed during a situation where you perceive danger.
Part 2 of 3: Desensitize
Step 1. Recognize the disorder you are suffering from
Admit that you suffer from gephyrophobia and that you need to overcome this fear. Once this awareness is achieved, you can begin to develop a certain addiction to the phobic stimulus by watching movies, imagining that you are crossing bridges and walking along small elevated stretches.
Step 2. Watch a movie with scenes shot on bridges and elevated places
This way, you can begin to desensitize yourself to the images and feelings associated with crossing bridges and viaducts. There are numerous films featuring this kind of setting and many even include the word "bridge" in the title. Look for it in databases of movies distributed over the Internet or on cable networks.
- In Clint Eastwood's 1995 film The Bridges of Madison County, a freelance photographer documents Madison County's famous covered bridges and falls in love with a woman who lives there.
- The 1957 film "The Bridge over the River Kwai" is set during the Second World War and tells of the construction of a railway bridge to transport prisoners of war.
Step 3. Try to cross a small bridge
Cross a short stretch of elevated road with your therapist or a group of friends. Starting gradually, you will develop a physical and mental resistance towards stronger phobic stimuli. If you have the moral support of friends or a psychotherapist, you will be able to improve it slowly until you face a real bridge.
If you go to therapy, you should follow the recommendations of the specialist during exposure to perceived danger
Step 4. Maintain your daily routine
It is important to maintain habits related to work or study so as not to affect the sense of control and balance in one's life.
Part 3 of 3: Coping with the Need to Cross a Bridge
Step 1. Ask family members to drive you over a bridge
Breathe deeply as you drive through it. Trust your friends and family so you can safely reach the other side.
Step 2. Distract yourself as you walk through it
If you focus on something completely foreign to the context you are in, you will have the feeling that time passes faster as you walk across the bridge.
- Try to list various names.
- Read the license plate numbers backwards.
- Count to one hundred. If you finish, start over and continue until you have crossed the bridge.
Step 3. Find out if you can rely on a transport service
In some areas of the world, when there is a need to cross very long bridges, it is possible to resort to special free or paid transport services made available for people with gephirophobia. Before traveling, make a phone call to the local authorities to find out if this type of service is envisaged for the bridge you have to cross.
- Find someone to accompany you on the Italy viaduct, 259 meters high and 175 meters long, in Laino Borgo (CS), Calabria.
- Alternatively, consider the Cadore bridge, between the municipalities of Pieve di Cadore and Perarolo di Cadore. It is 184 meters high and 255 meters long.
Step 4. Join a support group for people who are afraid of crossing bridges or suffer from similar phobias
- Get a list of self-help and self-help groups for those with certain phobias.
- Talk to people with geophyrophobia on the Internet. They can help you. Those who have managed to overcome it also speak. Follow his advice and listen carefully and patiently.
- Tell someone about your fear. It can be a family member, relative, friend or your partner. Anyone can help you. Without the help of these people, you risk never leaving the geophyrophobia tunnel. They will give you all the strength you need to recover and achieve the goal you have always wanted.
Advice
- When you have to cross a bridge, bring a soft toy, a toy from your childhood or an object that has great emotional value with you.
- Take it easy! When you cross a bridge, think: "Everything will be fine".
