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Real Life Desensitization - how to widen your boundaries.

© Jennifer Salt

Real life desensitization is a useful tool for agoraphobics to start expanding their boundaries. It doesn't matter if one is housebound, or if one feels they can't drive as far as the next town. Whatever stage one is at with agoraphobia, if 'safe' boundaries are affecting quality of life, the situation can be improved with desensitization.

Agoraphobia is a fear based on anxiety, or the experience of anxiety in certain situations. One begins to avoid due to how they feel in those places, whether it is general anxiousness or if panic attacks occur. As agoraphobia is a fear, it needs to be treated as such. If one had a phobia of spiders, to help them overcome the fear you wouldn't begin by putting them in a room full of them. This system would probably only reinforce their fear. You would begin by perhaps showing them a picture of a spider. Once they are comfortable with that, you might then move them onto playing with a toy spider, and so on and so forth. This progressive system is to gradually expose the phobic to the situation, only moving on once they are comfortable with the previous step. In this way the fear can be controlled in a non-threatening and gentle way that aids recovery, not a step back,

Real life desensitization for agoraphobics is a similar way to overcome fears. To begin desensitization it is often helpful to write a list of situations in which you fear being in. Beginning with what would bring the least anxiety, and moving towards the situation one most fears. Write down this big list. For example, for a house bound person, the least anxiety-provoking situation might be to go to the letterbox. This might bring a little anxiety, but not so much as to cause a full-blown panic attack. Your last situation might be to go on a holiday interstate. Begin with the first situation.

Desensitization is to be done in the smallest steps possible, so for starters, one may go to out to the letterbox and stay there for 5 minutes. If the situation brings about a little fear, but not a large amount, this is the right place to start. While at the letterbox, practice some relaxation techniques or even have some one home while you do it if it makes you feel more comfortable. Then move on to staying out there for 10 minutes, then 15 and so on. Only moving on, or increasing in time, when you feel quite comfortable with the first step. Your first step may even involve having someone stand with you. This is o.k. Then progressively move on to them being inside, then while you are home alone. Once being out at the letterbox feels comfortable then move onto walking to the next house, perhaps with someone first, then on your own, then increase the time spent then until you feel you are ready to move on to two houses. Naturally people are at different stages with their agoraphobia, from being house or even room bound to being anxious about driving to the next suburb, or next town. Whichever situation, you can improve it if you cut down your tasks into small enough steps. Steps that you can begin to build your confidence with. Desensitization to begin with, is a time consuming task, however you will find that once you tackle your first few tasks, the rest will come a lot easier.