Will i ever get to be normal!!!!!!!!!

Tonight i have seent the the third specialist.

i suffer bad agraphbia(cant walk to bottom of my street and always need my car). i can only drive within a 5-10 mile radias.cant go in bust places like shopping and pubs.

one tried EFT.... never worked but good for relaxation(which does not cure my agraphobia)

one tried Theta Healing which i paid 50 pounds for and to be honest i thought what a load of rubbish.

one tried doing some wierd stuff like going back in the past to clear any emoutions.

The reason for the post is becuase im fed up of not being the normal 23 year old boy i want to be ie playing football going on hols. out drinking with friends etc. The question is will i ever get better? what more do i need to do? i must of spent 1000 on therophist. winds me up so much. maybe il just have to exept this and live with it for the rest of my life eh.

anyones veiws and comments will be most apreciated, thank you take care

i have ad this thread for ages and ur the first to comment, so thanks for that nigel ur a star, take

:) Hi 50 :)

I'm 25 & I can totally relate to your frustration at the 'lost years' of my youth & the lack of progress you're making. I tried a few things hoping to get 'cured' before I realised that my agoraphobia was like a defence mechanism against anxiety/panic, so dealing with the root cause has been the thing that has helped me most. Also, I stopped looking for 'magic wand' solutions - "10 sessions of this or that & I'll be right again" - It just doesn't work like that. That doesn't mean it has to take years & years just that its about what you put into getting better not about what someone else can do for you.

Nigel's idea about taking one or two more steps than you normally would at the end of your road is exactly the sort of thing I mean - It will cement the idea in your head that there is progress to be made & allow you to do it a little at a time. This might be a horrifying idea at first, partly because of the fear of actually doing it but also because you want something more substantial & quicker + the idea that it might take ages makes you sad. But I can definitely speak from experience when I say even if you end up collapsing in a gibbering wreck who has to be carried home from the end of the road (:ohmy:) When the feeling subsides you will know that you did it & it will more than likely spur you on to do more & more - I've made more progress in the last year than I have the last 6 years by shifting my focus onto the things I can do rather than all the things I can't. Sounds patronisingly simple but its true.
One more step - Go on, I dare ya......

Good luck with it, Take care, CarpeDiem
xxxxxx

Hi 50cent84

I had acrophobia for over ten years where I couldn't even walk as far as the garden gate. Now I'm completely cured. So don't despair. It takes time and a lot of effort, but anyone can do it. The problem is that acrophbia as now become part of your normal daily life. - you have to slowerly reverse that. I don't have time to go into it much now, but I'll call back and post some info for you later, when I have more time.

Best wishes,
Tom

Hi

I used to be the same as you hun, i couldnt walk down the street, i could only go places in the car etc because of my agoraphobia but i just wanted you to know that you CAN and WILL get better so never give up!:)

I have suffered with Agoraphobia for 12 years and was trapped in my house for 2 years but things have improved for me lots over the last few months, its been real hard at times but it does get better.

The thing that helped me the most was to keep doing things over and over and over again, for eg, walking down the street, keep doing it everyday making sure everyday you walk a little futher, same with the supermarket, i hadnt been in a supermarket for 5 years, But i started with small steps by going in the doorway then the next day having a walk inside, then when i felt comfortable with that i purchased 1 item and just kept doing a little more everytime i went. What i am trying to say is, the more you do it, the more it will build up your confidence to the stage where you wont even think about walking down the street or supermarket shopping it will become just a natural thing to do.

please never give up there is light at the end of that tunnel !

Love and hugs
:hugs: :hugs:
Andrea
xxxxxat

Hi everyone. Im starting to (grudgingly) accept that you do have to push yourself a little bit further each time.I had been unable to go further than a few miles in the car as well and by working on it I've pushed my boundaries out to the point where I don't feel so trapped at home anymore.But I'm still having problems letting go of the what if's. When I travel past a certain point I worry that there is going to be a car crash behind me or the road will be blocked somehow and I won't be able to get back home.Now that has never happened in my entire life but my mind still invented it! I'd given anything to be normal too and not be so constantly frightened:sofa: