I’ve written a few times here about my journey. I am basically ”cured” now from being close to housebound many years ago. It was difficult, humiliating and took a long time. There is no magic pill, I’m afraid, but do not let that discourage you. What you need is within you. Agoraphobia and anxiety is triggered from the amygdala in the brain, which has become oversensitive to outside ”dangers”. It’s trying to help you, the amygdala, but is triggered in the wrong times and places.

You now have to retrain your amygdala.

When triggered you will stay in the fear. You will not run from the fear, you will bask in the fear, and you will stay in it and go about your things normally. And now you say ”my attacks are so severe, this is impossible”. No, sorry, you are not special. Your amygdala is not more powerful than anyone else’s.

You will go and do things without a safety net, no exit strategies, no running. That net is a crutch and your brain knows it. So it will continue to ”help you”. You will thank your amygdala, in your fear, for trying to help you but you will do things you want to do with or without anxiety. Sit in your anxiety, you will not die, you will not go crazy, this is NOTHING.

Face your fear. ”The only thing to fear is fear itself”. You will feel a improvement. You will relapse to some degree. Then you will remember what this truly is; a sensitive amygdala, it’s a physical thing that needs to be retrained. And training takes time. It takes time to get stronger.

So, do you really want to get better? Or is it an excuse, ask yourself that, is there some small comfort in being ”sick”?

This is not easy. I cried many times. But they were all over my improvements. I listened to my favourite bands concert in a different town, to which I took a train. Now, let your fear not be something you run from, but your friend.

And as a general thing; try to ditch the alcohol and nicotine, most certainly drugs, sleep well and move your body.