Welcome George.
Agoraphobia is the umbrella that most if not all phobias fall under so it is what you look at rather than the specific phobia. Agoraphobia is actually a fear of not having control and a fear of outdoors is only a manifestation as is fear of speaking, spiders, bridges etc.
In almost all cases the root of the problem is not wanting to do something. Even if you are good at it. The cure is one of two things. Either accept this and don't do it, or convince yourself you really want to. That one might be tough. especially if it has got too easy and boring. Or if it is a necessary part of your life.
CBT is the process of changing thought patterns from negative to positive. Two word phrases that sound similar are actually very different and without facial expression can have two different meanings. They are "have to" and "want to"
One is positive and one negative. You have to be pretty dedicated to do something you have to in which case you probably are thinking want to. Where as it is a whole lot easier to do something if you want to.
Getting back to agoraphobia, "wanting to" gives you back control where "having to" takes it from you. And control is what this is about. If you are in control then none of the surrounding situations are. They in effect have no power and either will not happen or won't be noticed.
Sounds simple, well it is but believing it and believing in yourself enough to believe it is the hard part. You can do anything you want if you want to bad enough, you can even do things you have to if you really want to.
Mood, and attitude play a lot in how well you can do this. And they more often trigger the symptoms rather than the actual thought of what you are going to do.
Agoraphobia tends to manifest itself outdoors mostly because that is where you have the least control. If you think about it there are a lot of things we have no control over. Many are routine and accepted barely just so we have a modicum of control but they silently build over the years increasing the chances of Agoraphobia becoming a reality. Routine can build tolerance or it can make it worse. Boredom or anger are the two markers of which way it is going.
CBT is the changing of how you think and see things. How you do it is a personal choice. The forums are where we state what works for us. Not all things work for everyone. Propranolol will handle the symptoms but it won't handle the Agoraphobia.
Davit.
