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Tools for Claustrophobia

First of all, forget about trying to analyse the cause - it is not particularly relevant to getting rid of the condition. Then approach the issue systematically.

You need to believe in yourself and your ability to free yourself from the claustrophobia response. Remind yourself frequently that it is a learned response - one that you accidentally ‘picked up' - and that what has been learned can be un-learned. 

(1) Tools to use when not in claustrophobic situations 

Examine how you usually ‘do' the claustrophobia behaviour. Yes, I know you don't do it deliberately but you do do it - even though the process occurs automatically. It is your brain, your body, and your emotions that are involved in this.

A typical fear-cycle

Once the trigger is encountered you rapidly go through a series of steps. These vary from person to person but will typically involve an escalating cycle such as: think of or see trigger - remember past moments of being uncomfortable in similar situations, begin awfulising self-talk, imagine a disaster movie of what is likely to happen, feel awful, wonder if people are noticing your distress, imagine what they might think and do if you lost control, etc. Then you probably re-run this sequence a number of times faster and faster - and feel terrible. And it all happens automatically!

The mechanics of your fear-cycle

Remember you are studying the ‘mechanics' of your fear. You are examining how and not why you do it.

It usually involves lots of fearful anticipating - thinking ahead about all the awful things that could or might occur! What if I got a panic attack and couldn't get out of this room quickly - I might lose control completely etc. So you talk to yourself about what might happen and/or mentally visualise such events.

This self talk and imaging then activates the body's fear-handling process - the ‘fight or flight response' - and you're on your way to feeling really uncomfortable.

Have you noticed how you do it? Great! You are on your way to eradicating the response. (Keep reminding yourself that it is just a learned response and not an illness.)

Pin-point the trigger(s)

The next step is easy because you're probably an expert in this area. How do you know when to start the claustrophobic mechanism?

To be claustrophobic you have to ‘know' when to have the fear. There has to be a trigger that alerts your mind-body that it is time to start the feelings and thoughts. The trigger can be approaching a threatening situation or can even be thinking about a past or forthcoming situation involving a lack of escape route.

So, for you, what is the first thing you see or hear before the whole series of physical and mental mechanisms kick in? (Do remember, it is not what do you first feel - the feeling is just the result of the rapid self-talk and visualising activity.)

The question is what you see or hear that results in the fearful feeling! Is it the sight of the crowded lift? Or the moment when the cabin staff start pushing the door of the plane closed? Or when the meeting room goes silent just before the speaker begins?

Most people will have more than one trigger. One person I worked had a whole list - dozens of them. If you do have quite a few simply pick the trigger you most commonly encounter.

Arrange the triggers in a sequence

You have now established the manner in which your fear cycle starts and then spirals upwards into a panic. You have also established the various triggers and arranged these in order of intensity.

Desensitise yourself

Next begin using this ‘hierarchy' of triggers to desensitise yourself to these situations. This means using a method called Systematic Desensitisation to eradicate your fearful response to the situations that cause you fear.

It is called ‘systematic' because you do it in a very methodical manner. You first work on the least threatening situation. Then, and only when you can remain in this situation with full comfort, you move to the next most threatening. Only when you are fully at ease with this situation you go on to the next one.

Systematic Desensitisation is s-l-o-w

Very slow. But it is thorough and it does work. And when you think how long you have had the phobia and how much difficulty it causes you - well, what's the hurry if you can get rid of it ‘systematically'? These is a full explanation of this method here.

Patiently un-learn your way to freedom

Once they know they can get rid of the condition many people spoil their chances of success through impatience. They want to get rid of all of their fears NOW!

Even with the assistance of a skilled professional it is likely to take a number of sessions to eradicate the claustrophobic response if you have had it for some time. After all, you've been ‘practising' for months or years.

So allow a realistic amount of time - a few hours with the assistance of a professional and up to a couple of months if you are doing it yourself and doing a little practise every day.

And, once again, what's your hurry? Either way you're just a short few steps away from freedom!

Believe in yourself!

Finally, as I mentioned on the first page on claustrophobia, it is critically important that you do believe you can overcome this. There really is no point in trying things! You must decide that you can and you will eradicate this fear from your life and begin living a normal life again. Just trying techniques or doing the rounds of therapists is wasting your time and possibly your money. This requires full commitment - full dedication.

Believing it means you can literally visualise a realistic end-result - of you living normally and feeling quite at ease in the situations that currently cause you anxiety. Begin creating this image today - and use it as a beacon to draw you forward through the normal ups and the downs of releasing yourself from a phobic habit. 

(Incidentally, because it is so slow, Systematic Desensitisation is not the method I would use when working with someone. But it is ideal if you are working on your own without professional assistance. If you are looking for professional assistance there are many types of therapy for claustrophobia. And I would suggest that you begin by seeking a therapist who, in addition to her or his professional qualifications, has at least Master Practitioner Certification in NLP. The NLP + therapy method can be quick.)

(2) Tools and tips for emergencies

These are some ‘symptom management' methods to use while you are progressing with your desensitisation. The range of symptoms is extensive so it is only possible to give a few general tips and techniques here. 

Breathing

If you tend to get breathless or to hold your breath develop some skill in using breathing methods to calm yourself and feel more in charge of your mood.

NLP therapy or coaching for phobias

Check out the answers to questions on Claustrophobia here

 

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Claustrophobia: Practical tips