About Transportation Psychology Institute
A Specialized Focus on Transportation Trauma and Anxiety
Transportation Psychology Institute was founded to address a unique area of mental health: the psychological impact of transportation experiences.
For many people, driving, riding in vehicles, walking near traffic, or returning to the road after a crash can become unexpectedly difficult. Anxiety, trauma responses, and nervous system dysregulation can make everyday movement feel overwhelming.
Transportation Psychology Institute focuses specifically on helping individuals restore confidence and a sense of safety in these environments so they can move through their daily lives with greater ease.
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Transportation environments involve constant exposure to speed, risk, and complex decision-making. When frightening or overwhelming events occur — such as accidents, near-misses, or panic attacks while driving — the nervous system can learn to associate transportation with danger.
This can lead to:
• driving anxiety
• panic attacks while driving
• fear of highways or merging
• avoidance of certain routes or roads
• anxiety as a passenger
• trauma responses after accidentsSpecialized therapy can help the nervous system process these experiences and gradually rebuild confidence and safety.
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In addition to her clinical work, Lauren Ordner serves as a CAISS Injury Analyst within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS).
This work involves analyzing real-world motor vehicle crashes and contributing to national transportation safety research.
This dual perspective — crash investigation and trauma therapy — provides a deeper understanding of how transportation incidents affect individuals both physically and psychologically, and how recovery can be supported through targeted therapeutic approaches.
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Therapy at Transportation Psychology Institute is structured, calm, and collaborative.
Treatment focuses on helping individuals:
• process traumatic experiences
• regulate nervous system responses to perceived danger
• rebuild confidence in transportation environments
• gradually return to activities that may have become difficult or avoidedThe goal is not simply reducing anxiety, but helping individuals regain freedom of movement and a greater sense of control in their daily lives.
Lauren Ordner, LPC, ACS, CAISS
Founder & Clinical Director
Transportation Psychology Institute reflects the intersection of clinical trauma treatment and transportation safety research. In addition to clinical practice, Lauren Ordner serves as a CAISS Injury Analyst within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS), contributing to the study of serious motor vehicle crashes and their real-world impact.
This experience provides a unique perspective on how transportation events affect both physical safety and psychological recovery, informing a specialized approach to therapy for driving anxiety, accident trauma, and transportation-related fears.
Begin the Process
If driving anxiety, accident trauma, or transportation-related fears have been limiting your independence or daily activities, therapy may help you gradually rebuild confidence and restore a sense of safety in transportation environments.
