People with agoraphobia email me statements like the following on a regular basis: "I know recovery from agoraphobia is possible, I am just not sure it is possible for me because my case is worse than most.
" "I have had agoraphobia for over 20 years now, I am afraid I've had it so long I will never get better.
" It's common for people with agoraphobia to think in these ways, believing they have one of the worst cases and that recovery is less likely for them.
This is because agoraphobia is a living hell for most everyone who suffers from it, which makes it seem like there is little hope.
The symptoms of agoraphobia can be so intense, it's easy to believe that people who recover must have had "lighter" cases.
This type of thinking is a major obstacle to recovery, and is not grounded in truth.
There is no hopeless case of agoraphobia and much of your recovery will depend on the belief that you can get better.
I am here to assure you beyond shadow of a doubt, that you CAN recover from agoraphobia and live a normal life again, no matter how bad you have it, and no matter how hopeless you feel, for whatever reason.
I can say this with certainty for two reasons.
First, if there was such thing as a hopeless case of agoraphobia, then I was one of them.
For a while, I, too, fell into believing that I had it worse than everyone else and would never get better.
My case was definitely as bad as agoraphobia can get.
At one point, I was actually confined to my bedroom most of the day.
I got to where I stayed in bed under the covers as much as I could, and I didn't really feel safe there.
I still hyperventilated a lot of the time, and constantly scanned my body for any little twinge, worrying about the possibility of having a major health problem.
At times I was afraid to come out and eat dinner with my family.
The lights at the dinner table seemed so bright.
My hands would shake when I tried to handle a fork, and if I was able to get food into my mouth, I was so tense I could hardly swallow.
I've spent entire days and nights feeling like I couldn't breathe, pacing around the house, gasping for air, feeling like I might suffocate.
But the good news is, I completely recovered and today I lead a normal life.
I can fly or drive anywhere I want, and own my own business (I am a grant writing and grant program evaluation consultant).
The second reason I know recovery is possible, even in the worst cases is...
I've seen others recover from agoraphobia who were initially convinced they had unrecoverable cases.
These are people I've either worked with over the Internet or in the support group I lead here in my home town.
I've even seen my own mom recover from agoraphobia, so if you are worried you might be genetically programmed to have agoraphobia, I can tell you from personal experience that not even genetics can stop you from recovering.
Which leads me to the last thing I wanted to tell you, which is - if I what I'm telling you isn't true, I would not be wasting my free time after work on the Internet giving people false hope.
What motivates me to spend the time helping others on the Internet is that I am 100% confident that agoraphobia is treatable, no matter how bad the symptoms are.
I know how to recover from agoraphobia and I want to help you do it.
One of the first steps in recovery from agoraphobia is to be convinced of the possibility.
Please know there is hope for YOU to get better, no matter what situation you find yourself in.