Tips from anyone who have overcome agoraphobia or anything similar.

[ericmitchell223]

I'm not too sure if what I have is agoraphobia but its basically a fear of becoming trapped/being in a situation which I can't control (Like being in an elevator or being told I had a terminal illness). I don't think I would mind being stuck in an elevator if someone said "your going to be stuck in here for three hours, and after that we'll let you out" its just that fear of uncertainty about not knowing if I'm ever going to escape. This could also be the reason behind my fear of terminal illnesses and death as its not death that scares me but just the fact that I have no Idea whats after it.

However the problem I'm facing at the moment is that when I try to expose myself to things that I fear such as elevators or going to the doctors, I get the feeling that when I go into that elevator or to the doctors I will gt stuck forever or be told that I have a terminal Illness. I know that getting stuck in an elevator forever is unrealistic but I still get that feeling of 'It could happen' which is the thing that holds me back from doing anything that I feel could result in me dying or becoming trapped, and I really don't know how to push past that.

I would greatly appreciate any advice from anyone who has managed to overcome anything similar as I feel that I'm running out of options as I have been to quite a few therapists with little/no success.

[ricardo]

I wouldn't say you were agorahobic more suffering from general anxiety disorder and perhaps a particular phobia (elevators) which obviously increases your anxiety.

People with one off phobias tend to recover quite well if given the appropriate treatment, but others here on NMP might like to expand on your post.

[Davit]

To save a lot of typing I'm directing you to the thread "Words"