Claustrophobia

 

The fear of closed in spaces. This common complaint affects many people with various degrees of severity ranging from the uncomfortable to the unbearable. It can be a life long fear or it can develop through time through perceived negative experiences. Claustrophobia like most phobias can bring about the usual symptoms of panicky feelings, sweats and anxiety.

This fear has many forms such as fear of closed doors where a person can feel trapped with its closure. Fear of lifts is another common complaint where a sufferer believes they could become trapped. How bad these things are is unique to that person. Usually it is the imagination of the sufferer that exacerbates the problem by thinking it is going to happen all the time with the dread of having a panic attack. The fact that it happens again and again is due to the re-thinking of old memories of previous times when you felt uncomfortable and then imagining future scenarios of seeing yourself in some kind of negative imagined scenario, i.e. Imagining yourself acting in some ridiculously negative way, such as totally freaking out and making a fool of yourself in the most stupid ways imaginable.  

This might seem ludicrous but this is what people do to themselves in their own minds. Most people do not even realise that they are doing it to themselves, though. The more you do it, the worse you feel. Whenever we get something like a panic attack it is a signal from your body, which is telling you that something is wrong with the way you have been thinking.  These signals that we receive — whether it is a headache or palpitation — should not be ignored because if we do, they will become worse. Anxiety attacks are seriously disturbing to the sufferer with an even greater heightened anxiety level after each attack.  The sufferer dreads the next one and then avoids situations that they believe another one might occur.  

Hot flushes and shakes are the most common symptoms of claustrophobia where the person can become faint or believe they might pass out. Plenty of mental and physical relaxation is the key to solving this problem with thought re-training to finish it off. A change in thinking is needed then where the old thoughts need to be dismissed with some new ones in their place. Changing your thought patterns is essential to your success. The future behaviour reversal exercise contained in The Principles of Life book will help to create the necessary mindset for a new behaviour strategy to begin in place of the old one.

If you have or are suffering from panic attacks do not despair there is help. On a personal level if it is convenient you can also come to see me personally. Panic attacks are usually tricky and require a minimum of three sessions for successful resolution with further reinforcing of the therapy on the clients part. If seeing me personally is not possible or if money is an issue a full and detailed recovery plan is given in the principles of life book where the thought re-training technique is explained as well as some more mental relaxation exercises to bring about more emotional peace .

Contained inside the book are the strategies for overcoming claustrophobia and learning to neutralize the real cause.  Do not be put off by the simplicity of reading a book to help you as many people have found it very effective for them with a cessation of anxiety after using the many exercises contained.  Check out the book forward & introduction in this site for how it works.

I am a firm believer in the power of music in its ability to help in the reduction of anxiety.  I have found that certain types of music have a definite effect on our mood and our emotions.  Over the years I have tried and tested many audio CD’s.  Listed HERE are the ones I have found the most beneficial to myself and my clients in helping to reduce anxiety and panic attacks.