Passing Driving Tests

Mirror, signal, manoeuvre! Change gear. Watch out for pedestrians and other traffic. With so much to remember, it's no wonder passing a driving test is so stressful. But it needn't be. Hypnotherapy can help to set you free from a fear of failure and instead help you to feel calm, relaxed, confident and in control (of yourself as well as the car!). Through hypnotherapy you'll learn relaxation and visualisation techniques that'll mean you'll sail through the test - and lose those L-plates for good.

THE EVIDENCE?
In an article in The Times in January 2005, Dr Nick Baylis says that '[self-hypnosis] can provide a low-cost, low-risk virtual training environment in which to practise our skills in preventing and relieving stress and anxiety.'

TESTIMONIALS
'After five attempts at passing my driving test I decided to try hypnotherapy. During the sessions I began to realise that my problem wasn't the driving itself but my lack of calmness and concentration. By practising self-hypnosis I was able to start feeling more focused and when I took the test again, I passed! I now feel very confident on the road and recommend hypnotherapy to all my friends.' DJ, Croydon

'I used to class myself as quite a confident person until I started to take driving lessons. Every time I got in the car, I would get extremely nervous and panicky and drive terribly. Finally, after a year-and-a-half of lessons, I booked my test. I was terrified, so I went to Lisa for performance anxiety hypnotherapy. A month before the test I started doing the self-hypnosis Lisa taught me every day and, as test day drew nearer, I felt less and less anxious each time I thought about driving (and even each time I drove). On the day I remained calm and in control and passed my test with flying colours! I would still be taking lessons now, six months on, if I hadn't gone to Lisa.' AB, Maidstone

'I can honestly say that I can't remember how many times I failed my driving test! Soon after starting lessons, I was encouraged by my very inexperienced instructor to apply for my test despite being nowhere near the required standard, with the result that I not only failed but made so many mistakes that I felt completely humiliated. I had a couple more attempts - each bad experience making me more and more nervous about the next - before giving up for a decade.

'I started lessons again in my early 30s, only applying for my test once both I and my (new!) instructor knew that I was perfectly capable of passing. I felt reasonably calm in the lesson before the test, but as soon as I got out of the car and went into the test centre I started shaking, and a little voice in my head started repeating, "I can't do this!" Needless to say, in that state, I couldn't do it, and I failed again.

'Hypnotherapy was very much a last resort, when I had come to the conclusion that I simply had to keep retaking my test until by some miracle I passed. It's difficult to express how incredibly well it worked. I had just one session with Lisa, then practised the self-hypnosis she taught me once or twice a day for 10 days. Taking the test this time was a completely different experience. I won't claim that I wasn't nervous, but these felt like "normal" nerves, and I always felt that I was in control of them. In fact, the only time I felt really nervous was when I realised we were nearly back at the test centre and that I hadn't committed any serious faults, and began thinking, "Don't mess this up now!"

'I don't think I've ever felt such a sense of achievement as when the examiner told me I had passed. I hadn't realised until that moment quite how strong my negative thoughts about driving had been. No matter what my instructor said about my being a good driver, I hadn't really believed I would ever pass the test, and it was my session with Lisa that changed that. The moment I started believing I could do it, I could! I can't thank Lisa enough, both for helping me to pass my driving test, but also for the way doing so has made me feel about the rest of my life - I really feel I can do anything now!' HD, Dulwich

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