Agoraphobia: A time for healing?

Looking back at my agoraphobia years, there was a very definite point where my recovery began. For quite a while, I thought that it was when I came across the tried, tested and extremely successful system that I used to say goodbye to this debilitating condition of over twenty years (more on that later). However, upon reflection, it began prior to that.

During those times, I consulted with a couple of homeopaths to see if they could help me overcome my fears of, primarily, traveling and subsequently, leaving my home. Now, I don’t know if it’s a part of the training that a homeopath undergoes, but both told me that there was a time for healing. No one else in the long line of therapist that I saw in this period said anything remotely to that effect, only these two very sweet ladies.

Upon hearing that, I assumed that they meant that there was some predetermined, God-given date in my lifetime when, and only when, healing could take place. However, unbeknown to me at that time, there is another definition for time, and that is “a suitable period”. Now, that’s much nearer the mark. Allow me to explain.

You see, right from my first panic attack and the immediate onset of my anxiety disorder, I deeply resented that fact that I had them in my life. I wasn’t a bad person. Why me?

I was also in denial, both to others and myself. I sincerely thought for many years that at some point I would have a really good night’s sleep and by the morning, it would have all faded away. Additionally, when asked by close friends about it, I would deny that there was any problem.

The next item on the list is the guilt that I felt due to my missed social engagements but when asked if I would like to attend some party or other, I just couldn’t say no, hoping that I would have had my “good night’s sleep” at some point before the get-together and everything would work out just fine. Another side to this one was that I'd put myself through hell by traveling to the party, so as not to let others down, if I felt that I could just about confront the journey.

And the last one was self-medicating with alcohol. It worked just fine at first but I soon had to drink more and more to drown out the anxiety. Eventually, I became very heavily depressed due to the daily amount that I was drinking.

Next stop, my doctor’s office. The first thing I noticed was that he knew what I was talking about with the depression, which made such a change to the other doctors that I’d tried explaining my travel phobia to. Now, if you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll be aware that I’m not a big fan of medication. There’s nothing wrong with them but they just aren’t my cup of tea, that’s all. However, by this point, I’d thrown in the towel and would have taken anything that he handed to me. What a surprise I got when he refused to put me on long term medication. He prescribed some vitamin supplements and told me to gradually reduce the booze.

The first thing that changed was that I stopped drinking alcohol altogether. The second was that I stopped saying “yes” to situations that would involve traveling and started to say “Maybe, but please don’t be disappointed if I don’t make it.” And, the third was that I accepted that I was ill and, if and when asked, I would be truthful with my answer.

Within a few weeks I started to feel better. The agoraphobia and anxiety were still there but a) I no longer felt stressed by having to force myself to go out solely for the benefit of others, b) I’d stopped hiding behind a cloud of alcohol, c) I no longer felt guilty about all the missed social engagements and d) I no longer felt resentful, I had this condition and I’d have to make the best of a bad situation.

Removing the guilt, stress and resentment from my day-to-day life made me feel a whole lot happier about myself and, indeed, paved the way for the next step, which was the elimination of the panic, anxiety and agoraphobia. So when did I start to recover from my agoraphobia? At the very point I stopped both hiding from it and kidding myself that I didn't have it.

And now to the system that I used to eliminate my panic, anxiety and agoraphobia once I’d got my life in order. The Linden Method came into my life just at the right moment and I’ve never looked back. My panic attacks were completely cured and my anxiety started slip away by the time I’d finished studying the materials which took just a few short hours. If you or your loved one endures anxiety/panic, anxiety/panic attacks and /or anxiety/panic disorder I know first-hand just how it feels and I simply couldn't recommend The Linden Method highly enough.