The Five Realizations.

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Jun 2, 2000

With my own experience of agoraphobia there have been some truths that I have had to realize in order to begin recovery. Some of these realizations were hard lessons, but without them I would not have improved. Here I'll explain to you these realizations and why I feel they are important in order for a full recovery.

Agoraphobia is a medical condition. Now, I know, I can hear you laughing from here. But throughout my disorder I may have known this, but I didn't treat my agoraphobia as such. The real lesson here is that that it's important to seek professional advice and to realize that you may need help to overcome this disorder. I know people who have recovered from types of self-help, but even these people had learnt such skills from books, web pages, tapes or meditation classes. Agoraphobics can commonly feel that you should be able to think your way out of, or to control agoraphobia mentally. Unfortunately this isn't the case; you often need help. Sometimes asking for help can be the first step in finding the recovery tool suitable to you. Asking for help is also neither a sign nor an action of weakness. It can take an enormous amount of strength to reach out. It is a sign of strength.

I won't wake up one morning and I will be cured. Again, I thought I knew this, but my actions didn't reflect this. How active are you about your recovery? Recovery can take some hard work. Try to set time everyday or every week to try and overcome your fears, try to do relaxation techniques, eat well and look after yourself physically. These are all basic things that can have large impact on the severity of agoraphobia. It can be difficult sometimes to find the time to practice techniques such as desensitization, but even an hour a week can make an improvement. If you don't take action in the form of asking for help or through practicing helpful techniques you wont recover.

I am the same person I have always been. Reminding yourself that you are not just your illness can alleviate depression and feelings of grief. When I was completely housebound I felt intense grief about the loss of myself, the freedoms I once had and who I felt I had now become. The truth is that I have always been me. Yes, I have agoraphobia, yes I lost freedoms and friends, but I was still me. I needed to learn that I am not entirely defined by agoraphobia. I needed to find other ways to express myself and to see positive parts in my life.

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