I couldn't think of a better subject line so I hope it doesn't come across too negative. I've been experiencing agoraphobia / panic for a couple years on and off, but meds were masking it. I've recently gone completely off meds, quit drinking alcohol for the time being, and quit smoking. In the last two weeks, and specifically this last weekend, my panic disorder went from an annoyance to critical. I had a really bad experience away from home on Saturday, and I haven't been able to go outside at all since. I go out on my patio for a minute or two and have to come back in. I need to take my garbage out to the trash, which is almost a block away, and I can't even work myself up to that trip out the door. I just feel literally like I'm going to freak out and float away. Just sitting here thinking about it causes a panic attack, and I'm fighting through that now. I could go on...basically I'm at a critical point. My car just broke down and I have to walk or taxi everywhere, and now I can't get out of the house even several hundred feet. I found some other online resources and have been trying exposures here at home (I have experience with some CBT from social anxiety several years ago), and a friend just told me about this site, so I'm going to start going through the program. Thanks for listening and it's nice to meet everyone :)
I know people will laugh at what I have to say, but it's a source of panic for me and I haven't read about a lot of other people with these same thoughts. It's similar to fear of death and having a heart attack (which I don't experience), but it's more external to my body. I literally feel like I'm going to float away when I'm outside and in large rooms (basically anything higher than an 8 foot ceiling). I feel like gravity is going to let go of me at any time. In fact, just thinking about it as I'm sitting on the couch writing this, I can almost generate a panic attack if I don't work to distract myself and think of something else. I have flashbacks to a Big Bang Theory episode where one of the characters unknowingly eats a marijuana cookie, and freaks out that the earth is moving too fast. He quickly comes out of it if you've ever seen the episode, but that scene can cause me a panic attack now because of this feeling of floating away. I can relate to someone feeling like they're going to have a heart attack and die, so I'm wondering for one, if anyone has such a crazy thought as what I have, and even if not, how do you cope with similar fears of dying by legitimate means like a heart attack. I honestly don't know what's worse -- fear of something ridiculous (when has anyone ever defeated gravity in history?) or fear of an actual event like a heart attack. Luckily for me, I never experience chest pain or anything that could indicate a heart attack, but I know there have to be others that do. Maybe it's a similar fear, mine is just not based in any sort of reality at all. That actually makes it harder to combat in a way.
Thanks for the reply Ashland! I am struggling with this still but I have been trying to work through the program and have done several exposures. I have CBT experience with social anxiety so a lot of this is a refresher course but applied to much different things now. I've managed to go outside in a very limited manner -- so far just in my apartment complex. But it has helped a bit so far. I kind of got stuck in the last week and haven't made as much progress as I'd like but I'm trying to stick with it. I've been dealing with this in a limited form for about three years but I haven't been able to walk to the store in over three weeks. I just ordered a virtual reality headset because I was reading how it can be effective in treating agoraphobia. I'd be curious if anyone else has had luck with VR. I am going to use challenging environments such as the mountains and maybe large arenas and things because these are my biggest fears. My hope is that everyday situations will become easier if I can get comfortable with these more extreme scenarios that I can't really experience in actual reality.
Thanks for the tips Ashley! I have worked through the sections on exposures and challenging negative thoughts and I'm trying to do a couple challenge worksheets a day. It has improved a bit -- I was having panic attacks just sitting on the couch and anticipating unreal situations and that has improved. I still get panicky when I'm in situations or even watching TV when there is a situation shown that causes fear. It's been three weeks since I've been able to just walk outside to the store though. I guess it will just take some time to unlearn this fear.
I've been working through exposures and I understand challenging specific fears, even irrational ones. However I also just seem to have a fear that has no real basis. I guess it's fear of the unknown. I just feel fear but my thoughts aren't centered around anything specific. Does anyone have this problem and how do you challenge this?
Session Timeout Warning
It’s been a while since you were active on this site. Please extend your session below
You have been logged out due to inactivity.
Please sign back in.
We use cookies to help us learn about how our platform is used and how we can improve your experience. To
learn more please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
