Agrophobia

[Evie loves Sam]

Has anyone had experience with agrophobia?

It's a gift my ex gave me with his controlling, domineering, blocking every step forward to make sure I fail.

Just wondering about your experiences with agrophobia and if you have an tips to overcome?

 

[WinnieThePoohChris]

Hey, not with agoraphobia itself, with anything i think its important to take a step, no matter how big or small. Take a small step, give your self time to adjust, then try for another, maybe another day or time but every step you take is a step in the right direction.

 

[Evie loves Sam]

Problem with agrophobia is taking that first step I guess. It can take hours to take that one step. Even to do my jobs, it is taking hpurs before I can start. Its not simple motivation / procrastibation.

I'd rather stay on my couch or in bed then walk out that door or do that task. For fear of making a mistake or having to deal with conflict.

My dog pooped on the driveway of a house and the guy came bounding our and yelled at me. And while talking to an old lady neighbour about my dog weed on the lawn of the footpath and she yelled at me. My dog is old and they both noted that I always pick up poo, without fail.

Someone said to me, to lay everything out that I need the night before. But organisation is not the problem. I can lay everything out. Set a timer and still want to stay where it is safe and warm - couch or bed.

It's the people out there. There might be conflict. I might make a mistake. Or I might get tired or lost and not having the means or energy to get back.

I'm moving soon to a new town and I don't know where anything is or how to navigate around. Nothing is familiar and I only travel on public transport.

I also start a new job and have to travel across the country regularily. Which is my worst nightmare. So I need a fix so I can do this.

At least before, I was able to reach two familar places on a journey and that made it easier. Now its all unfamilar.

And I need to be more active.

Before, I was able to travel across the country to a campsite, without having made any bookings, just doing it on my way, with nothing but a backpack and my dog. My tent got stolen, and I had to find one on the way. And I had to navigate all over the place, even going the wrong direction and circling back. I got to the boarder of france and thought about just carrying on overseas. I was leaving to feel safe.

I turned back when I ran out of money, and when I got back home, the abuse then continued but also got worse. People could not understand that they needed to stop and be accountable. Then I was traumatised again.

 

[Sideways]

I'd rather stay on my couch or in bed then walk out that door or do that task. For fear of making a mistake or having to deal with conflict.

Yeah, I’ve been there. Got to the point where, functionally, I was apartment-bound for a long time. Didn’t live in a crash-hot area at the time either, which meant that when I did manage to venture out, it often didn’t go well!

The problem is that the more you don’t, the worse the fear gets. Phobias are anxiety, and graduated exposure can be incredibly effective. But keep yourself below being completely flooded - just chip away at it, based on where you are right now.

For me, that was starting with trips to the letter box and back. That was an achievement. Confronting, stressful, but manageable. So that’s where I started.

You can do this. Hopefully the move proves to be helpful:)

 

[Friday]

. For fear of making a mistake or having to deal with conflict.

That reads as anxiety, not irrational fear of open spaces… which (agoraphobia) in recent years has been overwhelmingly linked to inner ear infections being lazily misdiagnosed as a specific phobia.

Are you using the clinical definition of agoraphobia… or are you being all slang/colloquial… like getting PTSD from standing in line too long, or kicked in the shin, or being shortchanged… of not wanting to leave your safe space?

Because there are HUNDREDS of reasons people become housebound, and similar, only one of which is a true specific phobia… and most people diagnosed with the phobia? Actually just need a few weeks of antibiotics. Not years and years of pain & hardship. A significant portion of the rest? Have either an anxiety disorder, or a disorder with an anxiety component (like PTSD).

Not wanting to leave your safe space??? Can ALSO be an inner ear infection. Because you know it, and can therefore orient yourself IN space, instead of suffering vertigo, terror, panic, sweats, puking/pissing/shitting yourself, etc…. Which is what happens to people who’s inflamed cochlea don’t allow the little “rock” to move, telling you where you are in space, so you have to do it visually. And can only do so, in extremely familiar environments, ideally as low to the floor as possible.

 

[Evie loves Sam]

That reads as anxiety, not irrational fear of open spaces… which (agoraphobia) in recent years has been overwhelmingly linked to inner ear infections being lazily misdiagnosed as a specific phobia.

Are you using the clinical definition of agoraphobia… or are you being all slang/colloquial… like getting PTSD from standing in line too long, or kicked in the shin, or being shortchanged… of not wanting to leave your safe space?

Because there are HUNDREDS of reasons people become housebound, and similar, only one of which is a true specific phobia… and most people diagnosed with the phobia? Actually just need a few weeks of antibiotics. Not years and years of pain & hardship. A significant portion of the rest? Have either an anxiety disorder, or a disorder with an anxiety component (like PTSD).

Not wanting to leave your safe space??? Can ALSO be an inner ear infection. Because you know it, and can therefore orient yourself IN space, instead of suffering vertigo, terror, panic, sweats, puking/pissing/shitting yourself, etc…. Which is what happens to people who’s inflamed cochlea don’t allow the little “rock” to move, telling you where you are in space, so you have to do it visually. And can only do so, in extremely familiar environments, ideally as low to the floor as possible.

It was described as agrophobia (fear of leaving the house) but could be just anxiety. Agrophobia is based on anxiety. I can walk the dog to familar places after three to four hours of trying to get out the door, I do it. Before, one foot on the front step and back inside. My dog is my therapy.

Strangely a grind my teeth a lot which gives me haw pain, so I will check my ears, bit I am unlikely to get antibiotics.

I have vagal nerve hyperstimulation/ damage from the trauma. So I can pass out with stress worst case scenerio, wee myself best case scenerio. Meds makes me pass out too.

I haven't had a panic attack like my last one in a while. That was walking in the park and I felt the trees all moving intoards me as my ex verbally chastised me and gaslighted me. That was a propper panic attack. Thankfully, not had one of those in a long time.

 

[Friday]

It was described as agrophobia (fear of leaving the house)

Agoraphobia is fear of OPEN SPACES. ALL open spaces. INCLUDING in your own home (vaulted ceilings, staircases, elevator shafts -but not the boxes themselves unless the shaft is an unconscious association), etc. OPEN SPACES = Agoraphobia.

Same as arachnophobia is fear of spiders, triskadecaphobia fear of the number 13, acrophobia is fear of heights, etc.

Fear of difficult situations? Isn’t agoraphobia.

A specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger.

If you don’t want to leave your home due to RATIONAL fear? It’s not a phobia.
If you don’t want to leave your home due to IRRATIONAL fear? It MAY be a phobia (or dozens of other disorders & conditions; that have anxiety symptoms, delusions, hormonal imbalance, or brain damage).

Apologies on the grammarnazi-esque-ness… but as a mental health forum? You don’t get PTSD from a bird pooping on you, and being unable/incapable, or under extreme duress/distress, leaving your home? Isn’t unreasoning fear of open spaces. Which is a specific phobia / completely different disorder. With different causes & different treatments. (Unless it’s a misdiagnosed ear infection, which also has different causes & treatments).


^^^ If fear of conflict ties into your trauma history??? That’s most likely the avoidance symptom of PTSD. Rather than a phobia (being reasonable, rather than unreasonable). If fear of conflict ties into your stress levels? It’s more likely a COPING MECHANISM. Both of which have different workarounds; symptom v coping mechanism, if you’re looking at circumventing &/pr nixing it. Both of which? Are WILDLY different than the treatment of specific phobias, or ear infections.

 

[Evie loves Sam]

^^^ If fear of conflict ties into your trauma history??? That’s most likely the avoidance symptom of PTSD. Rather than a phobia (being reasonable, rather than unreasonable). If fear of conflict ties into your stress levels? It’s more likely a COPING MECHANISM. Both of which have different workarounds; symptom v coping mechanism, if you’re looking at circumventing &/pr nixing it. Both of which? Are WILDLY different than the treatment of specific phobias, or ear infections.

Thank you. I feel better for having read this, and wiser!

 

[Friday]

Thank you. I feel better for having read this, and wiser!

I walked across a minefield once… because I honestly just didn’t give a f*ck. DGAF. At all. Step where Isrep, unless I blow up. Then? Step in my goo, and make your own way. The people BEHIND ME? Weren’t agoraphobic. They had a completely reasonable, rational, fear… of being blown up by a mine… in this super pretty open space. As long as I… or whoever was in front AFTER I blew up… was fine? They’d be fine. As long as they stepped where I stepped. I’m fine. They are fine. I’m fine. They are fine. Were. Whatever. But there were a f*ckload of mines. It wasn’t unreasoning fear, it was a rational fear… that I was simply numb to in that moment. Tally ho! I’m not walking 20mi to skirt this f*cker. If I do? We won’t make it. So it was a quasi-rational decision, on my part. Quasi, because I honestly didn’t care if I died, but I DID care if others died. If we’d gone around? Everyone would have died. Going through? Meant maybe a few would, including me, first. No one did. But that’s just luck.

Every. Once. In. A. While? I get FLOORED by the fear of walking “right out into the open”. No minefield. No snipers. Thousands or others, already out there. That’s just my PTSD smooshing my past onto my present.

Usually attached to another “reason”? I. Do. Not. Budge. from where I’m at…. For MONTHS. I’m tired. It (whatever “it” is) is not worth it. Etc. I’m flat out like a lizard, drinking. Or am I”just” perfectly content in this 3x6 space. Not moving. That’s not a specific phobia. For me. That’s PTSD, trauma, depression, illness, injury, etc..

If you know what’s CAUSING it? You’ve got a skeleton key to sorting it.