HOW TO OVERCOME AGORAPHOBIA

Learn how to overcome Agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder characterised by a fear and avoidance of any place or situation that a person believes may lead to increased anxiety, loss of control, and most commonly a panic attack. For this reason, agoraphobia is sometimes referred to as ‘The Fear of Fear’. Common places or situations people experiencing agoraphobia tend to be fearful of and often avoid include supermarkets, malls, crowds, public transport, heavy traffic, and elevators.

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The Anxiety Mentor YouTube channel and the information provided by Tim are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Whilst Tim is a masters degree qualified therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical, psychological, or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About me: I am a practicing psychotherapist with a bachelors degree in behavioural science / psychology and a masters degree in counselling. I am currently working with clients dealing with depression, anxiety, and related issues.

In terms of therapy, I have been influenced by psychoanalysis, behaviourism, ancient philosophy, evolutionary psychology, existential therapy, motivational interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and the school of life, pondering on the big questions that we as humans ask ourselves. I have also experienced chronic anxiety and depression in the past and believe that only people who have been through it will be able to truly help others to do the same.

References:

Arrindell, W. A. (1993). The fear of fear concept: Evidence in favour of multidimensionality. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31(5), 507-518.

Chambless, D. L., & Gracely, E. J. (1989). Fear of fear and the anxiety disorders. Cognitive therapy and research, 13(1), 9-20.

Chambless, D. L., Caputo, G. C., Bright, P., & Gallagher, R. (1984). Assessment of fear of fear in agoraphobics: the body sensations questionnaire and the agoraphobic cognitions questionnaire. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 52(6), 1090.

Craske, M. G., & Barlow, D. H. (2014). Panic disorder and agoraphobia.

Ley, R. (1987). Panic disorder and agoraphobia: Fear of fear or fear of the symptoms produced by hyperventilation?. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 18(4), 305-316.

Rudaz, M., Craske, M. G., Becker, E. S., Ledermann, T., & Margraf, J. (2010). Health anxiety and fear of fear in panic disorder and agoraphobia vs. social phobia: a prospective longitudinal study. Depression and Anxiety, 27(4), 404-411.

Chapters:

0:00 - History
0:26 - Fear of Fear
1:02 - Panic Disorder
1:53 - Avoidance
2:51 - Safety Behaviours
3:50 - Treatment

#FEAROFFEAR #AGORAPHOBIA #PANICDISORDER #PANICATTACKS

[gigglepatrol]

Taking clonazepam as prescribed by my doctor, once a day for sleep, gave me severe agoraphobia as well as many other psychological symptoms that I'd never had before. Once I figured out what was causing it, I tapered off the med, it took about a year for the worst of to stop.

[AnxietyMentor]

"In 1978, Alan Goldstein and I published a paper in which we argued that agoraphobia was, to a large degree, a "fear of fear", that is, a fear of panic attacks, rather than simply a fear of situations such as expressways and shopping malls, which agoraphobics are known to avoid. This concept has appeared in the writings of a variety of workers in the agoraphobia field, most notably Claire Weekes, who has dubbed this fear the "second fear." We broke down the fear of fear into two components: (1) a fear of the body sensations associated with the panic attacks that plague agoraphobics, and, (2) maladaptive thoughts about the possible consequences of panic such as dying or becoming insane from this high anxiety experience." (Chambless & Gracey 1989).

"The agoraphobic’s oversensitivity to internal bodily sensations is usually evoked
in the context of a feared external situation; however, it may occur in non-feared
situations, for instance as a result of hot weather, strenuous activity, hunger, or
disturbing thoughts. The presence of these physical manifestations gives rise to
intense anxiety, which has been labelled a “fear of fear” (Foa, Sketee, & Young 1984).

"The construct “fear of fear” overlaps with the construct anxiety sensitivity, or the belief that anxiety and its associated symptoms may cause deleterious physical, social, and psychological consequences that extend beyond any immediate physical discomfort during an episode of anxiety or panic (Reiss, 1980). Anxiety sensitivity is elevated across most anxiety disorders, but it is particularly elevated in panic disorder" (Craske & Barlow 2014).

[krasimirivanov]

I have agoraphobia from the age of 22 since I was a child and to this day nothing has changed, how can I recover and I am a man.

[michaelk]

So agoraphobia can be overcome even if google says it’s just treatable?