Agoraphobia & Social Anxiety Support Group

textragic, Part of healing is not caring about what other people think. We who suffer worry too much about how we appear to others. Do what's going to help you to recover and don't give a sh** about what others think. It's your life and you are in control.

I also have the midwest anxiety/depression CBT series , Lucinda Bassett. My problem is I forget what they tell me on the tapes so I have to go back and listen again and again. I do find them helpful. I also got a script for valium from my pdoc for agitation. This seems to help me some when I go out.

Waggels,
The program is great and I too have to go back to the tapes or the book sometimes. Did you get the weekly cards that come with the program too. I put them on my fridge with each new week and refer back to them often. The biggest and most important tape is one of the earlier ones on positive thinking. That is the basis of the program. good luck to you.

I have agoraphobia, which has limited my ability to travel severely. Even though I can leave my house, go to work, see friends, etc., I know that I have a limitation that is so senseless and devastating. A couple of months ago I hired a friend to drive me on highways. I was doing better and then relapsed to square one. This is so discouraging. I will probably go back into CBT therapy at some point, but it didn't work the last time I tried.

I feel like agoraphobia took my dreams away and now I am struggling to live as fully and as FREELY as I can. I wish I could see the bright side of agoraphobia...like maybe it has challenged me to deal with fear.

Hi Caroline,
If you can go out and work and be with friends you are not that bad off. I don't want to minimize what you are going through, but I was like you at one point. I never gave into it completely and kept pushing myself out there. If you can do all you say you can do then you will be able to do more. I am free of panic with the exception of driving highways and bridges. I think I am coming to terms with that "weakness". In the whole picture is it really that big a deal? It's only important if we make it important. I'm sure you are a wonderful and intelligent person. Stop beating yourself up as I did for a long time. I've decided that depending on others to get me to some places where I can't go alone is not the end of my life and doesn't make me less of a whole person. Let's be thankful for what we have and what we can do. I'm here for you if you want to talk about it.
Elaine

nadine and dmc really hit the nail on the head but with my attacks comes IBS and then I'm really in trouble panicing and needeing the bathroom at the same time.Ive had this ffor 22yrs or more

you have a chemical disorder here of serotonin you can make this up by eating certain foods but on an everyday basis it wld give me the runs bad so am stuck and like ojewel i have DDD so its hard to walk much less get out tthe door but try it for awhile then put one foot out maybe a week make up the time yourself i have finally gotten my drivers license but can only drive five miles in all four directions but its a start.Thats the way i started took me 6 mos to get to the mail box but I live in the country sut started with my head and mademe breathe the air outside while holding on for dear life but then a foot and head and kept adding to it.Wld be nice to have our own group for this.

I am like you. I use to love driving now I don't like it. I am also terrified to go grocery shopping or out away from a certain parameter from my home.This is my second time with agoraphobia. I feel sad about it bec. I would much rather be out there in the world, trying new things, meeting new people, going on trips. But, I can't right now. I am in IN VIVO therapy so I hope it helps.

we nee a group where we can bring all this out in the open and get familar with each other and there illness, it wld be a great help to me other than coming to a support site and having to hear it over and over again we know we have it and it is from a chemical imbalance and some foods set off the outcomes if we cld go from there instead of keep going back and the DebyDavis is no longer in service but sounds like alot of us are capable of at least teaching what we know some of us may even have some college check around ask questions.

Lets start a group and take baby steps together?