Dealing with Agoraphobia is challenging because of the anxiety associated with leaving the home or going outside of locations that feel safe.
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Agoraphobia can be overcome by challenging the fears and learning to believe that you are safe, even in places that used to trigger severe reactions such as panic attacks. This relaxation exercise is in two parts. You are now listening to part one, which includes the background information and a relaxation exercise you can use to train yourself to feel more relaxed and calm. This exercise will be most effective if you practice part one several times over a week or two, until you are able to relax by using the relaxation technique described, and then begin part two. Part two includes five stages you can follow to deal with specific fears that you have identified.
You may want to make a list of feared things, and rank them from the easiest (least scary) to the hardest (most scary). Start with the easiest fear on the list, and use this scenario for this relaxation exercise until you no longer are afraid. When you master the first item on the list, you can go through the five stages of this relaxation exercise with the next item on the list. Continue overcoming each fear until you get all the way to the end of your list. When you are able to relax and do the hardest thing on your list, you will have defeated the agoraphobia!
Part two of this dealing with agoraphobia relaxation script can help you to gradually overcome agoraphobia by practicing in five stages. When you get to a point where you need a break, it’s okay to stop the exercise and just relax. Each time you use this relaxation exercise, you can go a little bit further, until eventually you are able to do the exercise all the way to the end. You may need to do stage one over and over before you proceed to stage two, and that’s okay. Proceed at your own pace.
Make sure you have face-to-face support such as a counselor, doctor, or therapist, and check in often for encouragement and help to deal with agoraphobia. Listen to your body and take breaks when you need to, but (provided you have the okay from a physician to go ahead), know that anxiety will not hurt you. Even if you feel anxious or panicky when you confront the agoraphobia, it is okay. It is perfectly normal to have anxiety when facing agoraphobia. In fact, it is probably not possible to overcome agoraphobia without going through some anxiety. But the anxiety will diminish as you practice - it gets easier!
Once you have practiced part one and have trained yourself to relax, you are ready to begin the five-step exercise in part two. Remember: start at stage one, and when you have mastered that stage, continue to stage two. When you have mastered stage two, you can proceed to stage three...and so on. You may need to do a given stage several times before adding the next step. At each stage you will be asked to rate your level of anxiety in the present moment. You are ready to proceed to the next stage when your anxiety is between zero and three.
Listen as far as you want to, and make sure to end with relaxation. Then turn off the recording until next time. You may need to go back and just do one or two stages, even if you did more stages the last time. That’s okay. Once you get to stage five, you will probably need to practice all five stages several times before you will completely eliminate agoraphobia. This can take weeks or months - just make sure to go at your own pace.
Now let’s practice the relaxation exercise. Progressive muscle relaxation and anchoring can help you learn an easy way to relax instantly.
[See the anchoring relaxation script]
The first stage of dealing with agoraphobia and overcoming fear and anxiety is to relax. Get comfortable. Take five deep breaths. Breathe in...one...two...three...breathe out...one...two...three...four...
In...one...two...three...out...one...two...three...four...
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
In...and out...
Now touch your anchor spot to bring on an automatic relaxation response. Relax...
Stage two of dealing with agoraphobia. Let’s
imagine an item from your fear list. Remember to start with the easiest
one on the list that you have not yet mastered. Picture the place or
thing in your mind that has caused anxiety for you in the past.
Imagine
the situation...passively in your mind. You are not there. You are
completely safe right now. As you breathe calmly and deeply, focus your
attention on the place, thing, or situation that you used to fear.
Create all the details in your mind. How does it look? Smell? Feel?
Sound? Create a complete picture, and see it in detail in your mind.
Note
how you are feeling right now. Rate your anxiety in this exact moment -
with zero being no anxiety at all, and ten being total panic.
And now just relax. Let go of any images, thoughts, and emotions you may have...and focus just on relaxation for a few moments.
Take five deep breaths. Breathe in...one...two...three...breathe out...one...two...three...four...
In...one...two...three...out...one...two...three...four...
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
In...and out...
Now touch your anchor spot to bring on an automatic relaxation response. Relax...
Imagine
again the feared place, thing, or situation. Picture yourself in the
situation. Imagine going to the feared places and doing the things you
used to fear.
Picture every detail. See yourself there...see
yourself being successful in that environment. You are calm and
relaxed...completely free of fear...
Imagine each step of getting
out and doing the feared thing. Picture in complete detail what it
would be like to be calm and relaxed in that environment. Actually see
yourself there...getting out into the world...going to the place you
were afraid of...
Note how you are feeling right now. Rate your
anxiety in this exact moment - with zero being no anxiety at all, and
ten being total panic.
And now just relax. Let go of any images, thoughts, and emotions you may have...and focus just on relaxation for a few moments.
Take five deep breaths. Breathe in...one...two...three...breathe out...one...two...three...four...
In...one...two...three...out...one...two...three...four...
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
In...and out...
Now touch your anchor spot to bring on an automatic relaxation response. Relax...
Just completely relax and let go...calm...peaceful...relaxed.
In
this stage of dealing with agoraphobia, you will face the anxiety and increase it. Concentrate on making yourself anxious. Think about the
feared thing from your list, and take note of how anxious you are
feeling on a scale of zero (no anxiety) to ten (total panic). If your
anxiety is less than 5 out of 10, think about the next item on your fear
list. Keep thinking about scarier and scarier items from your list
until your anxiety is at least at 7 out of 10.
Increase your
anxiety as much as possible. Get it all the way to 10. Think about
exactly what a scary situation would be like, and see yourself there.
Picture all the details, and make yourself as anxious as you possibly
can.
Imagine going to the busiest place you can think of. Imagine
putting yourself in a feared situation and feeling anxious there. Get
your anxiety as high as you can.
Can you get your anxiety to a
ten? Keep your anxiety as high as possible. Keep it there. Don’t let
yourself relax now. Just keep encouraging the anxiety and keep it as
high as you can.
(Pause)
Note how you are feeling right
now. Rate your anxiety in this exact moment - with zero being no anxiety
at all, and ten being total panic.
Notice that you were
probably not able to get your anxiety to a ten, and you were not able to
keep the anxiety from subsiding. Even if you did make yourself quite
anxious, notice that you are okay, and that the anxiety did not hurt
you. See that you have the skills to handle the things on your list of
feared items.
And now just relax. Let go of any images, thoughts, and emotions you may have...and focus just on relaxation for a few moments.
Take five deep breaths. Breathe in...one...two...three...breathe out...one...two...three...four...
In...one...two...three...out...one...two...three...four...
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
In...and out...
Now touch your anchor spot to bring on an automatic relaxation response. Relax...
The final stage of dealing with agoraphobia is actually doing a feared thing.
Now
it is time to take action on one of the items from your fear list.
Choose the item that you pictured in stage one. Now it is time to do
that thing.
You have the skills to manage any anxiety that
arises. You have imagined this task, and you have dealt with anxiety
successfully. Now you can face the feared situation, and you will get
through it.
As you face the thing you used to fear, take the
time to look around and notice details of your surroundings. Feel the
ground beneath your feet. Feel the air moving in and out through your
nose as you breathe.
Take a calm breath, and exhale completely,
allowing your muscles to relax as you breathe out. Lower your shoulders,
and wiggle your fingers. Relax your hands...and relax your jaw.
You
are handling this situation, and you are okay. The more you do this
activity, the easier it gets. You are defeating agoraphobia.
Touch your anchor spot and take a few calm breaths to relax.
Continue to get through the situation you used to fear.
You are overcoming agoraphobia. Good job!
Note
how you are feeling right now. Rate your anxiety in this exact moment -
with zero being no anxiety at all, and ten being total panic.
And now just relax. Let go of any images, thoughts, and emotions you may have...and focus just on relaxation for a few moments.
Take five deep breaths. Breathe in...one...two...three...breathe out...one...two...three...four...
In...one...two...three...out...one...two...three...four...
In...
Out...
In...
Out...
In...and out...
Now touch your anchor spot to bring on an automatic relaxation response. Relax...
You
have completed this dealing with agoraphobia relaxation exercise. Do
these steps as many times as you need to in order to be able to face
each item on your fear hierarchy without anxiety. When you have mastered
one item and are able to go into that situation without feeling too
anxious, you are ready to work on the next item on your list. Eventually
you will overcome agoraphobia completely and will be able to do every
task on your list while feeling calm.
Take a moment to reflect
on your experience and acknowledge your success. Keep the feelings of
calm and accomplishment with you as resume your usual activities.
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