That's how we try to stay profitable. Ernie Weinberg agrees. That's why he quit driving. Vanessa Gourdine hears such tales of conflict nearly every day. Gourdine, a psychologist and director of the Association for Specialized Therapy in Hackensack, treats patients with stress-related disorders.
People have stress reactions to traffic, and can even have phobic reactions to traffic.
One woman I had as a patient, she was very frightened of driving any distance from home, of driving on the highway. Daily driving frustrations can trigger biological as well as mental reactions. A biological reaction occurs when a hormone, adrenaline, is released after someone cuts you off, runs a red light, or stops short in front of you. Sometimes, North Jerseyans don't realize how stressed they are because they are constantly tense. Such techniques can counteract the high blood pressure, heavy breathing, and high heart rate that come with adrenaline surges.