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As a therapist and hypnotist I have a problem with a certain old biker adage. Most motorcyclists have heard it. "There are two types of bikers. Those who have been down and those who are going down."

Laurie Ingstrup is back in the saddle on her Honda Valkyrie after having an accident where it took her time to emotionally and mentally recover. From a psychological perspective this saying is potentially dangerous as it could create what clinicians call a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a mental process whereby an individual subconsciously creates an event due to the mind's belief in the inevitability of that event. In hypnotic theory there is a similar mental process called waking hypnosis. Waking hypnotic incidences occur to everyone on a regular basis. For example, if someone said to you, "What happened to your hair?" chances are pretty high you would quickly go to the nearest mirror to check. The reason is because you became hypnotized around the idea that something was different about your hair simply through the power of suggestion.
Waking hypnosis is especially strong when the person giving you the suggestion has some kind of prestige. So, if an experienced rider tells you that you are going to go down, you may be more hypnotized around the suggestion than if a non-rider tells you the same thing. The point is, be careful what you buy into. Don't think of accidents as a right of passage.
Further, that old biker quote fails to qualify what is meant by, "going down." Consequently, many people will jump to the most catastrophic imagery possible such as a fatal crash. Imagine the self-fulfilling prophecy and hypnotic impact that kind of thought could have.
The Truth
In reality, it is possible for a motorcyclist to never go down. Ask around. You'll be surprised how many motorcyclists have never actually been in an accident. Oh sure, they've had scary moments, war stories even. But quite a few have never been down in any kind of a serious way. It is also possible for a rider to go down once and never again. Psychologically it is important to keep a careful watch on your belief system. This is the psychological end of risk management on a motorcycle, just as taking a safety course and wearing proper riding gear is part of the behavioral aspect of risk management.
However, motorcycling does clearly carry risks. There are, after all, other activities we motorcyclists could engage in that would be much safer. And unfortunately, there are riders who have been in accidents. A problem not commonly discussed between motorcyclists is the psychological symptoms that can linger long after the physical wounds have healed. Interestingly, men are likely to turn to alcohol or another substance in an attempt to quell their symptoms. While women may do this too, symptoms are more likely to turn inward and become depression.
Recovery Problems
Often, the clinical diagnosis of someone who has had a life-threatening trauma is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sometimes, an individual may only have some features of PTSD but not enough to warrant the actual diagnosis. Whether or not an individual has full blown PTSD, common symptoms post-accident survivors will most likely go through can include a loss of self-esteem, nightmares, a numb feeling, avoidance of places, people or situations reminiscent of the accident, panic symptoms, depression, anxiety, fear of motorcycling and, a general questioning of one's ability to be effective in their decisions and abilities. If you have been in an accident it is best to consult with a mental health professional to determine if you have PTSD or just a few of its symptoms. Let's see how some of these symptoms affected women who have had motorcycle accidents, beginning with the loss of self-esteem.
Vicky Racine of Michigan had a scary accident while riding her motorcycle in August of 2000. She hit a deer. Vicky's husband was riding ahead of her. Vicky had been riding her own bike for three years at the time. As a result of the accident, she suffered a lot of bruising and a broken bone in her hand. After the accident, I asked her to gage her self-esteem on a scale from one to 10 (10 being the highest). "After the accident," a soft-spoken Vicky began, pausing to take a deep breath, "my self-esteem was about a four. I really questioned if I could have avoided the accident. I really doubted my ability then. Now I'm riding again and my self-esteem is about a seven."
Laurie Ingstrup of Illinois had her accident in May of 2000. The incident occurred in a construction zone covered with loose gravel. Laurie was riding her own motorcycle along with her husband and a friend. She incurred a broken collarbone and lots of bruising. Laurie spoke very definitively when remembering her self-esteem on a one to 10 scale. "After the accident I was about a one," she chuckled. "I didn't even feel like myself. I had no confidence in anything I did. I'm tall, 5 feet 9 inches, and at that time I went around feeling like I was 4 feet high. I sought therapy for my symptoms and now I'm riding again. My self-esteem is now about a 9.5.”
Self-esteem Problems
The loss of self-esteem is a serious issue. Left unchecked it will likely move into depression. Psychologically, self-esteem is directly related to an individual's feeling of competence and a sense of having a positive effect in the world. After an accident, it is common for people to loose that sense of personal effectiveness, not just in motorcycling, but with life in general.
Another common symptom after an accident is a feeling of numbness and a tendency to avoid anything connected with riding, especially motorcycles. Laurie recalls, "[My husband and I] have four motorcycles in the garage and after the accident they were nonexistent to me. It was like a black hole in the garage. I wouldn't even look at them. I didn't connect with riding at all."
Symptoms of panic, which include a pounding heart, shortness of breath and tremendous fearfulness are also typical for people who've had accidents. Vicky remembers, "After I started riding again I started looking for something to jump out at me. The first time I did see a deer I actually panicked. My heart went up in my throat and I started shaking."

Laurie Ingstrup battled low self-esteem initially after her accident.