Agoraphobia sufferers have plenty of different therapies that they can choose from to help them get over their condition. Conventional medical alternatives are medication and psychotherapy or there are complementary and self help therapies.
The most effective form of psychotherapy for agoraphobia treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). The reason CBT works for treating phobias is because it helps to reduce the negative thoughts and behaviours that trigger the anxiety.
There are some great panic attacks self help guides that you can purchase online that have been used successfully by thousands of people to overcome agoraphobia. By teaching you to be in control of your anxiety these self help programs will help you eliminate panic attacks. With repeated exposure to anxious situations and using these techniques you will overcome your agoraphobia.
You could try a self help therapy called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). This is rather like acupuncture that works on the emotions by tapping certain points of the body with your fingertips. The theory behind it is that it removes the emotional stress that has accumulated that causes panic and anxiety.
Exposure Therapy is another therapy that can help people with agoraphobia. Relaxation techniques are taught and the person imagines themselves in situations that would cause them to feel anxious. They can then practice the relaxation techniques and learn to control their anxiety. They will then need to apply the same techniques by exposing themselves to real life situations.
Agoraphobia sufferers can also be helped with the aid of hypnotherapy. With hypnosis you either have the option of visiting a professional hypnotherapist or you can listen to recorded hypnotherapy sessions either on CD, DVD or MP3 downloads. If you shop around you will find hypnosis recordings for all types of phobias and anxiety including agoraphobia.
Herbal remedies for anxiety and flower essences are safe natural remedies that can relieve anxiety in stressful situations. You can buy herbal products already formulated for panic and anxiety. These will most often contain some combination of Lavender, Passion Flower or Valerian. Most health stores sell a Bach Flower Essence called “Rescue Remedy” which is great for restoring calm if you start to feel anxious.
Medication is the alternative to natural therapies. Anxiety and panic disorder such as agoraphobia are treated with sedatives and anti-depressants. Unfortunately these are likely to cause unpleasant side effects such as drowsiness. Medication only attempts to treat the symptoms of anxiety and not the cause. Unless the root cause of the problem is treated then there is not going to be a long term cure.
It may be difficult for an agoraphobia sufferer to seek help if it’s not possible for them to leave their home; but there is much that can be done. There are so many things that you can do to help yourself from within your own home thanks to the internet. Most of the self help programs and hypnosis recordings can be downloaded straight onto your computer.
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