Agoraphobia Cures

“Agoraphobia caused me to limit my life to such an extent that I became completely dependent, totally housebound and more and more anxious as my world shrank around me. I would spend weeks refusing to leave home or traveling very short distances accompanied by a person I trusted”

“Joe often avoids crowded places like shopping malls. He does not like traveling long distances in cars, buses or train, eating in restaurants and going to the movies. He is not afraid of those places, but once he gets there he gets extremely worried that he might develop uncomfortable feelings in his body like a fast beating heart or feelings of dizziness. He is very self-conscious about experiencing these symptoms in front of others and as a result, he often excludes himself from activities with friends.”

These are some of the experiences faced by the agoraphobia sufferer.

What is agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation where one might experience anxiety or panic and where escape from the situation might be difficult or embarrassing. They might feel anxious about being home alone, leaving home, or being in crowded place, such as on public transportation or in an elevator. To avoid the anxiety associated with these situations they refrain from putting themselves into such situations. Those suffering from agoraphobia often times ask friends to keep them in situations in which escape may be difficult or embarrassing.

Agoraphobia is a symptom of an anxiety disorder. Without anxiety this phobia simply CAN’T exist! Agoraphobia and social phobia are usually accompanied by other anxiety symptoms such as panic attacks, obsessions or generalized anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia causes the sufferer to experience high anxiety or panic attacks when they attempt to carry out normal tasks which involves being away from a person or place of safety.

How does agoraphobia form?

Agoraphobia forms when high anxiety causes the ‘what if’ thoughts which are intended to produce a risk analysis of our environment in order to identify a threat. So, in a room full of tigers, the mind asks a series of questions to decide the best course of action to take in order to either ‘fight’ or ‘retreat from’ danger. It is this ‘retreat from danger thought’ that causes agoraphobia.

As anxiety levels grow during anxiety disorders, symptoms become more apparent and the anxiety control center in the brain ‘reads’ these symptoms as ‘the threat in the room’. You don’t know that the mind is doing this because it is entirely ‘subconscious’. Once the threat has been identified, it then makes the decision whether to FIGHT or FLEE from the threat. Of course, you can’t flee from your symptoms, so instead, we go into ‘safety seeking mode’. This is what causes agoraphobia.

As we then move from place to place, your anxious mind constantly produces these risk assessments based on your CURRENT location. It ALWAYS finds your symptoms to be the threat in that new environment and then it says, “when I am here, I am threatened – so RETREAT”. The next time you try to go to that location, the mind has already formed an ‘anchor’ between it and danger and before you even get there, you feel anxious!

The Facts

About twice as many women than men report that they experience agoraphobia. Frequently, people report that the onset of their agoraphobia followed a stressful or traumatic event in their lives.

The most common age for agoraphobia to begin is when a person is in his/her mid to late 20′.

Agoraphobia Treatment

There are few agoraphobia treatments available through accessible practice, most include talking therapies and medication which often have very limited therapeutic affect; the proof stands to reason, if they worked, no one would still be suffering.

Medication

The medical model states that agoraphobia is based in changes in brain chemistry. Certain medications can be used to balance the brain’s chemicals and treat the phobia. Commonly used types of medication include SSRs, MAOIs, and benzodiazepines.

Each of these medications has a unique effect on brain chemistry. Each also carries a risk of side effects, which may vary according to your overall health and other prescription medications. Your psychiatrist or family doctor will work carefully with you to find the optimal prescription and dosage to meet your needs.

Therapy

Various types of talk therapy, from psychoanalysis to behavior therapy, have been demonstrated to be effective in treating agoraphobia. For many reasons, though, cognative-behavioral therapy is one of the most popular.

The approach that your therapist uses will be based on many factors including the severity of your agoraphobia, your personal preferences, and the therapist’s style. Because agoraphobia is complex, many therapists prefer to draw techniques from a variety of disciplines. This eclectic approach allows flexibility in your treatment plan.

Alternative Methods

Many agoraphobia sufferers find relief from a range of alternative therapies. Some of the most popular include hypnotherapy, guided visualization, homeopathy, and aromatherapy. It is important to note that few of these remedies have been rigorously studied under clinical conditions. Therefore, if you plan to use alternative methods to treat your agoraphobia, it is highly recommended that you consult both an expert in that remedy and a licensed mental health professional.

The Linden Method Program

Please understand this: agoraphobia is a symptom of an anxiety disorder. Without anxiety this phobia simply CAN’T exist! So, by eliminating the underlying anxiety disorder, agoraphobia can be eliminated 100%.

Anxiety, panic, phobias and other anxiety disorder symptoms can be eliminated 100% by addressing the root cause directly. The cause of all these conditions is a small organ called The Amygdala which controls the anxiety reaction. It is situated in the brain.

The Amygdala becomes ‘re-set’ when life circumstances cause it to release anxious responses repeatedly, it LEARNS to become inappropriately anxious – through repetition. This is called Operant Conditioning.

So, by eliminating this reaction in The Amygdala, anxiety can be reduced quickly and efficiently, permanently eliminating your agoraphobia.

A true agoraphobia treatment is accessible, seamless, targeted and structured. It is possible to remove agoraphobia completely and eliminate the underlying anxiety that causes it but this must be administered by qualified and experienced professionals.

YOU WILL NEVER REMOVE YOUR AGORAPHOBIA WITHOUT REMOVING THE UNDERLYING ANXIETY! IT’S A PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY!

The Amygdala is a small organ in the brain which is responsible for controlling and storing the anxiety response which causes agoraphobia (the anxiety control center). This ‘switch’ becomes stuck ON during anxiety disorders and it is this solely which is the cause of your anxiety and agoraphobia FACT!

The Linden Method can show you exactly what you need to do to eliminate your agoraphobia quickly, simply and permanently, by convincing the subconscious mind… The amygdala, that it is SAFE. Once it perceives SAFETY it will adjust your anxiety level back down to normal. They have used this same technique with many of their ex clients and it never fails to work!