Agoraphobia Support Group

Hello brothers and sisters with the affliction - Brother Hal here. I'm going to post regular entries in this forum that I hope will be of help. I'm 68 and overcame panic disorder and agoraphobia 20 years ago. I'm not a "know-it-all" but I have learned a lot about how to deal with "it". I started having panic attacks at 10 and was agoraphobic by age 19. I went from sometimes having to spend the whole day in the bathroom for safety to several years ago driving across Nevada alone. The most important thing to know is you can be free again and each of you will do it in your own way. So - read everything you can on the subject and talk to as many people as you can because somewhere you'll find the key. Best book I've read "Life Unlocked" by Dr. Pillay. I benefited greatly by organizing a peer support group. Here's how: run a little item in your paper giving your phone number, saying you want to start an agoraphobia support group and see what happens. You may be able to meet in the public library or find a room in a church or even meet at the home of the person least able to get out. There is also a conference call group set up through this forum. Education is vital to recovery.

Work every day on recovery and keep a journal to record names of books, people to contact, positive mantras, goals, etc. All your activities should be based on increasing your self confidence and self respect. I suggest only working on traveling when you're feeling fairly calm. When I became completely free I was feeling good about myself and my life, but still couldn't break through that travel thing; about 15 or 20 miles out of town I'd start freaking out and you know the rest. One day an incredibly intuitive friend of mine showed up at my house and said, "Let's go to Butte." I climbed into the driver's seat and off we went, 60 miles from Helena, and when I blasted through that barrier about 20 miles out I was free forever. If you can discover a way to minimize or eliminate anticipatory anxiety you can make great gains. I'm free to answer any and all questions. Hal

Hi brother Hal!

I am so glad to read that you have freed yourself of this terrible condition. I always like to hear that there is hope. After years of dealing with all this, sometimes I forget. I agree with you that recovery is an active thing. We must learn all we can, gather information from all sources. I hope to hear more from you!

Anna

Hal you are a great inspiration to all of us and I really look forward to reading your regular posts from you.

absolute inspiration. It is so great to hear recovery stories. You don't know how much that means that you shared that with us. Thank you

Thanks so much for this!! Can't wait to hear more about your recovery. Awesome job!!

Thanks Hal. We can use all the help we can get. I too believe we all can recover from this oneday. I look forward to reading many more of your posts in the future.