Agoraphobia...I need some coping techniques?
I have suffered with agoraphobia to some degree for half of my life. I was in an abusive marriage at 18 when the symptoms because extremely severe. I left my house 2 times a month for a few minutes each time and would pray all the way home that my apartment wasn't catching fire while I was away. The fear of my home burning while I am out has slowly become overwhelming and has been a constant fear. I have set up streaming webcams when I would visit with friends so I could watch the house. I call home to check the line from my cell constantly. I go out once every 2-3 weeks now and quickly end up racing home, staring the entire way at the sky above my home looking for smoke or fire. I have NO life. I need some coping techniques. How can I get myself back out into the world comfortably? I keep trying to understand WHY I do this, too. It seems as though the fear of fire is my "excuse" for enabling myself to stay home all the time. PLEASE HELP! Any ideas?
i want to know all about psychiatry,and being a psychiatrist.?
Answer:
i have OCD and one of my main symptoms isthe fire thing you describe. i have had it for as long as i can remember and when i was a child i used make my mom promise me that the house wouldnt catch on fire while i slept. it was horrible for her because she is a very honest person...but eventually promised so i could finally sleep.
to this day, i check my coffee pot,curling iron stove etc before leaving the house. but, ive been though treatment to get to the point that i only check once. i used to have trouble leaving the house for this reason. the fear is not of fire itself...its the POSSIBILITY of a fire starting. therefore its hard to overcome. possibilities are huge. most obsessional things like this have a kernel of truth to them. for instance...yes my house COULD start on fire while i was away....also....someone who is afraid to fly may be obseesed about crashing and dying...yes , the possibility exists...and that possibility is what takes over. the fact is that our minds have taken a tiny possibility and has made it so huge in our life that it affects our living.
there is help for you...TRUST ME! please talk to a someone about this and strongly consider meds and therapy. i know even getting to the doc will be an issue but.....do this:(this advice is the gist of therapy and can change your life).........tell youself "yes, while i am gone from the house...something bad could happen.....but today i am just going to TAKE THAT CHANCE!" .
grant yourself a specific amount of time of repreive from the obsession. for example..." i am worried about it...but for the next 10 minutes i wont worry...but i will delay that worry(for 10 minutes). delaying tactics work. stretch the delay time out a little bit at a time.maybe on the second day...give yourself a 15 minute delay time and walk around the block. do you understand what im saying? while you are walking around the block...just enjoy the air, and sky and listen to the birds.do not allow yourslef to look for smoke. you will have told yourself earlier that if the house catches on fire while im on a walk...then as soon as i walk into the driveway....i will deal with it and go to the neighbors house and call the fire dept.
you can do this. work on it everyday. and get to a doc as soon as you can. take that chance. you will be fine, i promise!
Is at hand something wrong beside me if I'm arranged to die--even though I'm 22?
You have an intense amount of fear in you. You need to stop being afraid. You need to make a choice in your life as to whether you want to live your life in fear all the time or are you going to suck it up and LIVE! You were put on this earth not to hide and rot but to LIVE! Try it sometime, you may be amazed.
http://www.phobics-awareness.org/agoraph...
http://www.stresscenter.com/resource/ago...
http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/agorap...
these sites should be of assistance. the first one has a forum where you can talk to others with the same problem who can offer better advice.
All the Best
How long does Valium rob to "see within?"?
When I first saw your title I thought, "Really, someone who has the same problem that I do?" The thing is, I'm not sure if you have the same fear or not. Agoraphobia is the fear of wide open spaces. I hate going outside, and it's especially bad because I go to a school in the middle of the desert, it's just a sea of sand all around the school, you can barely see any mountains on the East, and there is nothing as far as the eye can see the rest of the way around. What you are describing sounds more like pyrophobia. The fear of a safe place being destroyed by fire.
I can't really help you with how to deal with it, other than to check out the websites someone already listed. I will tell you that I know what it's like to have a fear that seems completely irrational. My friends go out into the desert all of the time, and what they find as a serene and quiet place of sanctuary because you can see no people, buildings, or mountains for miles just scares me to death. I won't hardly leave the college campus (it's not so bad when I'm home because I live in a fairly compact neighborhood), but I do go out once in a while. Of course, it takes quite a push to get me out of the van when we're in the desert...
i wil help u thru. contact me dogmicjoe@yahoo.com. i'm here to help you along the way. try going out with a discman. listen to music so the fear could subside. i know how it is to fear going out. try talking to ppl cuz being locked up only enhances the fear within. try holisticonline.com fro tips on how to deal with issues.
What happened to you during your life that involved fire? Did someone (abusive ex) threaten to burn your house down? Did you almost lose your house to fire when you were away from it? Coping techniques.... well you can try cope by getting fire insurance on your house. Making sure all the wiring is up to date, putting all of your important papers in a fire proof case/vault. But I suggest you go see a professional psychologist who deals with phobias. There are new techniques out there that can help you deal with this phobia. It has taken time for it to build, so it may take just as much time to recover from it. Find the trigger, but do it the right way.