What is agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is the fear of being alone away from places that the person considers safe. The person fears that something will happen to him and he will not be able to escape or avoid the situation. It is one of the mental disorders more present in psychologists' consultation and it is estimated that it can affect a 4% of the population (more common in women).

Triggers

The triggering situations they can be very diverse:

• Open spaces (avenues, parks ...).
• Enclosed spaces (shops, cinemas, parking lots ...).
• Crowded spaces (concerts, demonstrations ...).
• Far away places (a hike up the mountain).
• Means of transport (highways, train, plane, boat ...).
• Small places (elevators, caves ...).
• Situations in which leaving would be frowned upon in the eyes of others, that is, for example, a professional meeting, a meal with people who do not know the problem ...).

Why is it produced?

It is not necessary that there has been a previous traumatic experience for agoraphobia to manifest. Just thinking that panic may appear in these situations can make the person collapsed, since everything imagined creates an internal experience and therefore a real emotional impact. The fundamental reasons that concern the person and make him avoid these situations are:

• Have a panic attack (the most common).
• Have a medical problem (a cardiovascular accident, loss of consciousness, etc.) and no one can assist you.
• Losing control (going crazy, looking weird ...).
• An embarrassing situation occurs (eg fear of incontinence or fear of falling in older people).

Consequences for the agoraphobic

Agoraphobia can affect various areas of the patient's life, from their social life to their work life, in the same way that there are various levels of severity. However, if the problem is not addressed fear tends to gain ground, so that the safety radius of the person is smaller and smaller and the places or situations to avoid increase. That's when the fear of fear.

Sooner or later, agoraphobia ends up also affecting the environment closest. Seeing the person's difficulties, loved ones are more caring and willing to help. This extra help implicitly confirms the dangerousness of the situations and the weakness of the person, which makes them even more vulnerable and, therefore, the problem feeds back.

In the sentimental field, by progressively increasing the dependence of the agoraphobic with respect to his partner, the love relationship runs the risk of becoming a mere care relationship (sick-nurse). It can also increase dependency on family of origin. The progressive loss of autonomy and consequent affectation of the self esteem of the person can generate an altered lifestyle for the whole family.

Tips to overcome fear

• The person with agoraphobia tries to solve their problem by avoiding the feared situations or asking for help from close people. These attempts at solutions they maintain and make the problem worse.
• Remember that being brave is not being afraid, but to dare to do things while feeling fear.
• Gradually expose yourself to fear both in real situations and through visualization techniques. Facing small doses of that "fear" you will be able to gradually develop your courage and grow personally. Psychological strengthening works like vaccines, if we introduce the virus "fear" in small doses, the immune system is strengthened, fight and heal. of what you would like to achieve.
• Connect with your life prior to the problem and recover those feelings.
• Understand what is behind your fears, what are they informing you of?
• Change the way you understand and perceive your fears, communicate with them. For example, you can set a schedule where you can give them free rein to unload the rest of the day, give them an affectionate name to stop seeing them as a threat, write them a farewell letter thanking them for "services rendered", and so on.
• You can push your limits and strengthen your personal security without fear. If all this overwhelms you,

• What characterizes agoraphobia is the fear of being alone, far from the places that the person considers safe, especially that something happens to him and he cannot escape or avoid the situation.
• Avoiding dreaded situations and asking for help from close people are two typical attempts at solutions, but they just keep and worsen the problem.
• You can push your limits and strengthen your personal security without fear. If all this exceeds us, it is advisable to consult a good psychotherapist.

Specialist in Clinical Psychology