Problems with agoraphobia

[cubeus19]

Hello everyone,

Please pray that my agoraphobia goes away. I've been struggling with this almost all my life. Has anyone here ever had problems with this? I'm the complete opposite of people who can't stand to be in tight spaces. I actually don't mind being in tight spaces myself. It feels almost like home. But I don't like being in wide open areas and especially outdoors. And if I am in a situation where I'm forced to lay down flat on my back outside (especially during the daytime) or in a big wide open room with a large ceiling, or standing outside and looking up at a long or tall like a large lighting pole or a street light I not only become extremely fearful but I almost lose my sense of balance or equalibrium. I also get the feeling like I'm carsick or going to throw up. It really bothers me because it kinda limits what I can do. I like to stay either close to home or at least be in a small building with a low ceiling. If you know of anything I could do to get over this or if you are confident that God will heal me of this, feel free to pray for me. Thank you for your time. God bless.

[B. W.]

Hello everyone,

Please pray that my agoraphobia goes away. I've been struggling with this almost all my life. Has anyone here ever had problems with this? I'm the complete opposite of people who can't stand to be in tight spaces. I actually don't mind being in tight spaces myself. It feels almost like home. But I don't like being in wide open areas and especially outdoors. And if I am in a situation where I'm forced to lay down flat on my back outside (especially during the daytime) or in a big wide open room with a large ceiling, or standing outside and looking up at a long or tall like a large lighting pole or a street light I not only become extremely fearful but I almost lose my sense of balance or equalibrium. I also get the feeling like I'm carsick or going to throw up. It really bothers me because it kinda limits what I can do. I like to stay either close to home or at least be in a small building with a low ceiling. If you know of anything I could do to get over this or if you are confident that God will heal me of this, feel free to pray for me. Thank you for your time. God bless.

'

Will do but first, when you were little was there a strong wind and some sort of storm that frightened you very badly?
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[cubeus19]

Good question, I don't know if it was something like that. I know growing up I did used to be very scared of bad weather. But as far as that directly causing the agoraphobia I'm not sure it could be that or some other tramatic early childhood experience. It could have even started on the day I was born and where the doctors pick you up by your heels and hold you upside down to get you to cry so they know you are alive. Something like that could have set it off. But either way that's a very good point.

[zoegirl]

absolutely will pray

[DannyM]

Ceubus, if you'll permit the intrusion - and, please, don't answer if you wish not to... Do you suffer from any form of depression, or perhaps something related with anxiety?

[B. W.]

Good question, I don't know if it was something like that. I know growing up I did used to be very scared of bad weather. But as far as that directly causing the agoraphobia I'm not sure it could be that or some other tramatic early childhood experience. It could have even started on the day I was born and where the doctors pick you up by your heels and hold you upside down to get you to cry so they know you are alive. Something like that could have set it off. But either way that's a very good point.

Did you live in an area where there were Tornados or Hurricanes? Or a flood your parents knew about?

Also when you are outside - what does you insides feel like?

I am asking these things to refine what to pray about and focus on that...
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[cubeus19]

Ceubus, if you'll permit the intrusion - and, please, don't answer if you wish not to... Do you suffer from any form of depression, or perhaps something related with anxiety?

Yes indeed, I do have problems with depression and anxiety. But in this day and age I think just about everyone does.

[cubeus19]

Good question, I don't know if it was something like that. I know growing up I did used to be very scared of bad weather. But as far as that directly causing the agoraphobia I'm not sure it could be that or some other tramatic early childhood experience. It could have even started on the day I was born and where the doctors pick you up by your heels and hold you upside down to get you to cry so they know you are alive. Something like that could have set it off. But either way that's a very good point.

Did you live in an area where there were Tornados or Hurricanes? Or a flood your parents knew about?

Also when you are outside - what does you insides feel like?

I am asking these things to refine what to pray about and focus on that...
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Thankfully I don't live in a area where you see tornados and hurricans. It does flood sometimes but not often, nothing major. And sometimes when I'm outside if I get scared or start to feel the agoraphobia come on I tend to feel my insides tighten up.

[DannyM]

Ceubus, if you'll permit the intrusion - and, please, don't answer if you wish not to... Do you suffer from any form of depression, or perhaps something related with anxiety?

Yes indeed, I do have problems with depression and anxiety. But in this day and age I think just about everyone does.

No. I think you may be playing down the seriousness of these conditions. But I'm not going to get into a debate about it on here, nor do I wish to give you some plastic diagnosis over the internet. But I'd like to try and make sure that you are receiving support for your depression and anxiety. If you do have such a condition - and indeed it is a condition which can play a large part in contributing to agoraphobia, then there is good help out there to combat all this.

I'm praying for you.

[B. W.]

...Thankfully I don't live in a area where you see tornados and hurricanes. It does flood sometimes but not often, nothing major. And sometimes when I'm outside if I get scared or start to feel the agoraphobia come on I tend to feel my insides tighten up.

Okay then, please take DannyM's advise as well too. The reason I asked about storms, is how someone I knew developed agoraphobia. They felt, a Loss of control and unable to measure up to their parents perfectionism. She lost one of her parents. She felt like she could never measure up to what others saw, thought, or felt about her. Therefore, outside, when people are are around, she felt they were judging her. Thunder Storms caused her to run in terror and reminded her of the mental abuse she suffered as a child from her parents perfectionism and forced control. It came down to this: During a violent storm, when she was just a tike, she was scared of the thunder and wind, her parents would not hold her or comfort her but instead told her to basically toughen up. This devastated her. After this, her parents made demand upon her and demanded perfection. She developed a fear of never able to measure up to others despite being first in her class in all things. That is but one example of this disorder. There are many causes, yours may be different. If there is anything in common, let me know so we can better pray for you. Also, are you in college or had gone to college and taken public speaking? The lady I mentioned had no trouble with that, unless it was outside, where she felt her parents gaze (as she described it).

Good Bless and will be praying for you and listen to what DannyM mentioned as well too!
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[cubeus19]

I guess something else I need to mention that I goes along with my agoraphobia or at least I think does. I tend to have a lot of trouble trying to socialize with people or at least away from the internet. And from what I've read social anxiety and agoraphobia seem to go hand in hand. I guess with as bad as society has got in the past few years I think just about everyone has a good excuse to say they suffer from social anxiety but I don't know. I don't know if I have this just because of a general fear of society or if it's just a symptom of whatever it is I have.

[DannyM]

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[DannyM]

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[DannyM]

Hi, Cubeus,

What I am seeing is you are not grasping the seriosness of depression/anxiety related illnesses. You seem to be under the impression that "everybody" suffers from one or the other or both. Let me tell you that depression is not the result of somebody having had a bad day, or of somebody's football team losing, or of somebody recognising the state the world is in. Many people who say they have depression are not depressed at all, and many - like, I fear, you - are sceptical that they have a problem at all because they think it is so widespread and non-threatening that they'd rather not cause a fuss. Again, I'm not diagnosing, nor am I judging. I am concerned because I see you apparently playing down your own situation, and I'd rather you seek support for yourself and not try to wave away your anxieties and depression by tallying them with the false idea that everyone suffers from either one or both.

Please, seek a consultation for yourself.

[cubeus19]

Hey Danny, that's a great answer and it would work in just about any day and time except today. And I mean that in the sense that if I go to a doctor and get put on some kind of medication and our economy crashes (which it looks like it is going to do any day now) I would be forced to step off of the medicine and end up going through horrible withdraw. And from what I've heard, withdraw from antidepressants could be every bit as bad as withdrawing from any kind of street drugs. So if this was 1991 or 2001 instead of 2011 that would be possible, but right now with the way things are looking I may need to give that more careful thought.