Lift phobia!!!

Does anyone else get frightened being in a lift?

It didn't help when I went to my doctors appointment last week, it was an old lift! and it stopped between floors and the doors opened to reveal concrete!!! The lights went out and I was verging on full blown panic. On top of that the bell didn't work, I thought I was going to faint through terror.

After a few minutes the lights started working again although the lift buttons wouldn't! But it moved and the doors opened at the correct floor, I think I was shaking for about 3 hours!!!

My hubbie when I told him thought I was making a big deal but I told him but my anxiety is bad enough without that happening!!!

I now take the stairs when I can [:I]

Oh do I ever. I hate to take the elevator. Just the thought of getting stuck in there and having a Panic Attack is enough to make me use the stairs. I went to look for a new job last month and had to use the elevator, I had to stand in front of it trying to control myself , praying all the time that I would not go crazy inside the elevator before it came to the floor I wanted to go to. I go in and started sweating and got nervous but made it to my floor. It was not fun I can tell you that.[Sigh...] Anyway you are not alone.
Twila

Oh I hate lifts too...wouldn't say that the hate was great enough to call it a full-on phobia..but there are certainly other ways I would prefer to spend my time! I work on the fourth floor so sometimes I just cannot be bothered to take the stairs.

I think that what bothers me, is that the lift is known for breaking down quite often and most of my colleagues have been stuck in it at some point, so it is only a matter of time before it happens to me! But apparently, you are never in there for very long so I think I would be ok as long as the lights didn't go out!



'Never be afraid to try- remember, amateurs buit the Ark...professionals built the Titanic'

Oh my God....having the doors open on you between floors, the lights going out & the bell not working? It's no wonder you were panicking!

You poor thing.

I hate lifts cos aside from fearing they're going to break down, I'm really aware of the space above & below [:O]

I do force myself to use them on occasion if I'm with someone else - even those horrible cramped ones in multi-storey car parks (when you see a family heading towards the doors & you hope that they might wait for the next one in case they overload the one your in!!) - but I'm a coward and prefer to use the stairs.....even if it's several flights up.

I cover my tracks by saying to whoever I'm with 'You're so lazy - the exercise'd do you good' (never mind the fact that I'm all puffed & sweaty when I finally catch up with them! lol [:I]:D)

Magz
xx

I have had a phobia of lifts ever since getting trapped in one as a child.

It was one of those oldfashioned wire sort in a hotel - just my sister and I were in it and she suddenly started shouting we've gone past our floor, we've gone past our floor. At this point I was visulising us going up through the roof a'la Willy Wonka style!!!!

We slammed on the stop button (well all the buttons actually) and it stopped between floors - we actually climbed out of it at this point, the dangers of doing this still give me a cold shiver up the spine! We dusted ourselves down and swore not to tell our parents. I blame sister totally for this fear and regularly remind her of it to ensure she has a guilt complex to match my lift phobia.

Years ago I worked in an office on the 5th floor for a few years and I did get over it to some extent, which only goes to show yet again how well exposure therapy works - plus the canteen was on the 10th floor and the food was quite an incentive.

However I do not travel in lifts if there are stairs available because I also have my thighs to think of these days not just my fears!!

Love Piglet xx

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

Yes totally. I have always been anxious of lifts, quite a few years ago I worked on the 15th floor and it was just too much to walk up so I went up in the lift, but I always walked down the stairs. Never much went out lunchtimes because of it.

My panic attacks (claustophia) started in 1997 and worse in 1999 and I completely avoid lifts. I still avoid them at all costs, if we stay in a hotel I ask for a room on the ground or 1st floor. I now work on the 3rd floor which isn't too bad but at the moment I'm suffering from anxiety attacks on the stairs, especially when others are around.

I would love to be able to go in lifts again and not worry. I tell myself the exercise on the stairs is good for me.

Never do lifts.
I'm a claustraphobic, agoraphobic...lol
Work that out!!!!!

PHOBIA/FEAR of unknown
Here is what happened when I was coming down elevator once. The Lift got stuck in between. I suddenly felt suffocated enough to cause me breathe heavy/Short. I felt as if I was not able to breathe enough which caused heavy breathing. The reaction of this behavior was enough to cause me panic and I felt I might just die if I can’t breathe enough. Suddenly I was having fear of going through the elevators with the fear what if next time it happened and there is a delay in coming out. The thought was enough to cause fear /Phobia inside me of using the elevator.
Here is what did.
I just decide to confront my fear/Phobia. I knew that next time lift was stuck it will cause panic attack and breathing issues in me. I decided to live that fear by simulating it.
I just went to the small toilet at my home, imagining it to be the lift. Now I had to imagine that the lift is stuck so what should be my reaction.
1) Instructed myself not to panic
2) Instructed myself to Just relax and cool down.
3) Stop thinking about yourself in order to NOT start breathing issue. Just ignore yourself.
4) Look at possibilities of what to do next in order to start rescue process. For e.g. Press alarm button or use yr cell to call security.
5) Once I had followed all steps above I came out and slept tight knowing that I had killed my phobia. It was as simple as confronting the fear and re living it in controlled simulated conditions.