Online Therapy for Agoraphobia. How to Get Help for Agoraphobia Online.
Agoraphobia also encompasses feelings of fear and anxiety in situations where help would not be available or escape would be difficult should something happen.
It also comprises the avoidance of social interaction due to the fear of being embarrassed.
Those with agoraphobia can experience distress a vast number for situations, many of which have a disabling impact of the ability to do what is needed on a day to day basis. For example, when using public transport, elevators, being on a ferry or boat, visiting a shopping centre or attending the cinema, concerts or sporting events. Online counseling for agoraphobia can help.
More severe examples of agoraphobia can lead to the same feelings of terror in queues, being in a crowded street or open space without others around.
Agoraphobia therefore relates to a person disproportionally assigning danger to a situation with inhibits their ability to function either because of a physical reaction in those situations or because of avoidance behaviour.
Agoraphobia can be due to genetics but can also result from expose to a situation and can be short term, for example after a traumatic event such as car crash.
This is a perfectly normal response to such an experience and many can overcome such fears over a short period of time, perhaps 6 months, by themselves, although therapy may still help in reducing this duration or as a method of prevention against other possible reactions.
However, it is when these fears start becoming more long term that professional help is strongly recommended.
Agoraphobia has been a recognised condition for quite some time, and its prevalence is more common than most people would expect.
In fact, many with acute forms of the condition may have modified their behaviour so that it doesn’t impact their life to a degree that others would notice. However, this does not mean there is no impact.
For example, a person may decline a job because it is on a high floor of a building that they would have otherwise loved to take.
Due to its long time recognition, treatment options are well-developed and researched and so outcomes of therapeutic interventions are good. As such, agoraphobia treatment online has been able to integrate these treatment options effectively to their online approach.
Online Therapy for Agoraphobia Options
CBT
The most common agoraphobia treatment online involves cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT looks to identify undesirable patterns of thought and behaviour and establish an individual’s specific triggers and their causes.
Experienced and qualified therapists, like those at Psychologyhelp.com, help guide you safely through previous experiences in your life whilst assigning tasks designed and proven to aid people in overcoming the fear and anxiety that results in agoraphobia.
CBT courses can be completed in a little as 8 weeks, so relieve from what is holding you back is closer than you may think. However, this does depend on the intensity of the intervention. Lower intensity courses can take up to 20 weeks.
The good thing about CBT courses is that delivering them in an online environment confers no disadvantage to delivery in more traditional settings, so there is no reason to think of online options as any less effective.
Relaxation Techniques
Whilst understanding how to correctly use relaxation techniques is useful for everyone, it can be especially useful for those who experience anxiety based issues.
Therapists like those at psychologyhelp.com, can teach techniques through agoraphobia help online to help you develop the skills needed to implement these techniques in your life.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a treatment usually only used in cases where CBT has been attempted by the not resulted in desired outcomes or where agoraphobia has developed as a result of trauma. Such therapy requires clients to have access to a computer as it cannot be performed over the phone due to the techniques and materials involved.
Support groups
An important part of most therapies for clients is understanding they are not alone in their experiences.
Video conference calls and online forums are two of the more popular methods of agoraphobia help online through which group based support can be provided effectively. Sharing experiences and things that helped them.
Not only can this help with identifying options a person may not have considered, but by having others who are going through similar experiences can be a considerable motivating factor to start or continue with therapy when having a bad day or week.
Is there an app for that?
As with a lot of things these days, there is indeed an app for helping those experiencing agoraphobia.
These apps will generally be based on the interventions outlined above and can be useful.
However, it must be noted that app are a one size fits all approach to a problems that can vary quite considerably from person to person.
A therapist led approach, as you will find at psychologyhelp.com, means your therapy can be tailored to you specifically meaning the likelihood of a successful outcome are increased.
I’ve started so I’ll finish
It is important that any treatment program undertaken is fully completed. Often people experience noticeable improvements in feelings of panic, anxiety and fear before the end of a program.
However, it is important that the behaviours and thought patterns that initially caused these are fully addressed so that the chances of relapse are reduced as much as possible.
And don’t forget
As with all online based therapy, the inherent advantages remain available for those seeking help with online therapy for agoraphobia as with any other therapy type.
There is no need to worry about transport and the associated costs to get somewhere as well as finding the time, as a traditional therapy session including travel could easily take up to or more hours.
You can keep the fact you are attending therapy as discreet as you like. Sessions can take place at home, in your car or during your lunch break at work.
There is no reason online therapy for agoraphobia cannot work for you. Free yourself and contact us today. Freedom could just be a few weeks away.
You can be the best you. Whatever your age or circumstance, we here at psychology help.com are always available, whenever you are ready.
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