Agoraphobia
What is Agoraphobia?
The hallmark of panic disorder is having intense distress and avoidance of situations in which you may have a panic attack. During a panic attack, your body may experience trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, muscle weakness, and feeling detached from reality. Your mind may experience “shut down” or “escape” mode. During the moment they may feel like they go on forever, but usually they resolve within a few minutes. Your brain then looks back on this and says “I didn’t like that at all!” and does it’s best to keep you safe. Problem is, avoidance usually grows panic symptoms and never gives you the chance to learn that you can actually handle them, not die, and they get smaller over time.
Symptoms of Agoraphobia
No one likes to have a panic attack. When do you know if it’s panic disorder, though? A few things:
-You have unexpected panic attacks multiple times per month
-You have significant worry about having another one
-You have significant avoidance of situations, people, or places that could bring about a panic attack
-You have unhelpful beliefs about anxiety (like “I can’t handle it” or “I could die”)
-You’ve been feeling distressed for at least a month and your life has changed for the worse
Treatments for Agoraphobia
I provide a gold standard treatment for Panic Disorder: Interoceptive Exposure.
Interoceptive Exposure is a specialized part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that has a strong evidence base for treating severe panic disorder. Some studies show 87% of people are panic-free after treatment. You can expect:
-Learning what may cause panic disorder and why it sticks around
-Approaching the uncomfortable bodily sensations you’ve been avoiding. You’ll work your way up, slowly and safely. This may include spinning in a chair, holding your breath, or physical exercise to evoke symptoms on purpose. Doing this repeatedly teaches your brain to not fear these symptoms.
-Tools to challenge your thoughts about what symptoms mean and your ability to cope
-Skills to maintain your progress after therapy ends