Emilio Bravo is a renowned psychologist expert in Mindfulness techniques and Clinical Hypnosis. He has been recognized with the Gold Star for Professional Merit and accredited Diploma of Excellence, awarded by the Institute for Professional Excellence in 2017. In the following article he explains what agoraphobia is and how it can be treated.
Agoraphobia literally means fear of open spaces. Despite this, agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without a practical and easy way to escape should you suffer an anxiety attack.
What is agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia is a psychological problem that limits those who suffer from it, making them unable to travel for work or pleasure, as well as to carry out domestic responsibilities.
It is the appearance of anxiety when being in places or situations where escape can be complicated, as well as where help is not going to be available if an anguish crisis occurs.
What agoraphobics feel
Among agoraphobics it is very common for them to feel a lot of incomprehension from their family and friends, since they tend to think that they do not leave home because they do not want to.
The agoraphobic not only fears open spaces, agoraphobic fears are related to a set of characteristic situations:
- Being alone outside the home.
- Mixing with people.
- Riding in any form of transportation.
- Going through a tunnel or being in a traffic jam.
- Going to the supermarket, shopping mall, cinema or theater.
The usual reaction among people suffering from agoraphobia is to avoid these types of situations and, if they have to go through them, they resist at the cost of discomfort or great anxiety. In most cases, it is essential to have the presence of a known person who can put up with the situation. Avoiding these scenarios is considered to be the limitation of agoraphobics.
What are the consequences of agoraphobia?
The most frequent among agoraphobics is to try to avoid the situations that cause them to panic. This avoidance mechanism leads to a very limited life and difficulties in leading a “normal life”.
When the agoraphobic has to face one of these situations, the fear experienced can manifest itself in a series of cognitive, physiological and/or behavioral reactions:
- Cognitive manifestations: difficulty in thinking; negative thoughts such as sense of ridicule, sense of unreality of the body, helplessness, fear of being alone, fear of losing control in a public place, fear of being in places from which it is difficult to leave. It is not necessary to have all the thoughts, one or two may be enough to feel bad.
- Physiological manifestations: sweating, muscle tension, palpitations, tachycardia, chest pain, stomach discomfort, other gastric discomfort such as diarrhea, breathing difficulties, dry mouth, swallowing difficulties, headaches, dizziness or nausea. It is not necessary to have all these physiological manifestations, one or two may be enough to feel sick.
- Behavioral manifestations: avoid being away from home for long periods of time, especially if unaccompanied. Other behaviors that are adopted are the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, drugs or overeating. People with agoraphobia do not necessarily exhibit all of these behaviors at the same time.
How to overcome agoraphobia
It is necessary to be conscious that all the phobias can be overcome. Most people with agoraphobia require the intervention of a health professional in order to:
- Learning a physical and mental relaxation technique to be able to reduce the physical and mental discomfort caused by that agoraphobia.
- Learning to control anxiety crises or panic attacks at their onset.
- Learning to inhibit the response of anxiety, of fear, that is produced in the situations feared by the person by an antagonistic response such as relaxation.
Another technique to treat agoraphobia is Clinical Hypnosis, which has proven to be quite effective in its treatment if applied correctly by a professional.