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View Full Version : I Panic When I Am Touched?



JupiterFalling
27-10-16, 16:08
My mother has claustrophobia and I am not sure if I do... or have something similar at least.

I have no issue with small spaces, at times I find them comforting. I'll sometimes squeeze into my tiny closet and just stand there because it is a small controlled space.

But there are times where I completely freak out when I am being touched... my husband is equally perplexed by this. Sometimes we are getting all handsy and suddenly I just start quickly repeating "Don't touch me, don't touch me.." even after he lets go of me. He says I usually look terrified and it sounds like I feel attacked.

On my side of things I just get extremely uncomfortable with him touching me (even though it was WANTED touching), I can't relax until his hands are off me. I usually scrunch myself up in the blanket for comfort... sometimes I am perfectly fine - I can go from excited to upset in a blink of an eye and without warning.

But then sometimes I can't even handle the blanket! He'll put the blanket on me (to try and help) and I suddenly feel trapped inside of the blanket and start widely thrashing to get out of it... I get into a full on panic attack if my feet or hands get tangled up and I can't free them instantly. It is the worst feeling in the world when I can't get my feet free into the air the second I feel uncomfortable... I know this sounds dramatic but it is a full on feeling of dread, like my feet are suffocating.

I've tried researching this and come up with little - most phobias I am reading about are all the time things, not on-and-off.

SLA
27-10-16, 16:19
Ever considered something like regression therapy?

Sounds like an early childhood trauma could have created a weird feedback loop.

JupiterFalling
27-10-16, 18:44
I have considered it, but the thought of coming across a trauma that I don't even remember terrifies me. I know there is one incident that my mother told me about, but I am sure that there is something that happened that they don't know about - or know but don't want to tell me.

There are plenty of other issues I have that my husband tells me 'just isn't normal behaviour', a number of which I have discovered are signs of early childhood trauma. Combine everything together and you have the anxious/unstable mess that is me.

I'm probably going to start looking into whether or not I can get that kind of therapy in my area.