Fear of motion restriction, closed areas and planes

You might consider seeing a therapist that specializes in Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is one of the most effective treatments for claustrophobia and usually lasts between 5-10 sessions. The therapist will work with helping you readjust your thinking about fearful situations. There is a lot of empirical evidence on this modality as being extremely effective with high success rates.

I have the exact same problem. I panic if I know I can’t leave a place or situation. i.e. a MRI, plane, dentist chair, elevator, jail cell, etc. I used to get panic attacks if I was stuck at a red light! It’s very debilitating.
I have PTSD from childhood abuse. I think these fears stem from a felling of not being in control.

Thank you, I will try that.

Dear Ginger,
Yes, I am trying to get out of this but I can't. It seems that my energy to tolerate things is getting weaker over time. I think I was better able to face these issues years ago and now every year seems to weaken me more. I will try to go to therapy again and see if a different physician can help me. Until I resolve these issues, I am unable to step into a dental clinic except for cleaning and unable to take elevators packed with people, I figured out a way for the plane ride - my worst time is the first hour after the door is closed, however, sometimes the air-conditioning doesn't kick in the plane until after it departs and I panic. If the plane sits on the tarmac, I start to get strange thoughts and want to jump off. I sometimes dream about such issues and I wake up in panic mode. Everything with a potential risk could make me hesitant to step in. It seems that no way out of this.

I wish I could stop this panic from building up inside me. I lose control when it happens and my heart rate could go up to 150.

Thank you for offering me some hope!

@patient2024 I have had many of the same experiences as you described. My own history began with panic attacks that I now realize were related to my marriage. As the problems persisted and became worse over time I developed more phobias. This is what can happen with phobias. They can generalize to other situations and arenas which is what you describe and what I experienced.

There are different ways to address this. I will share what worked for me. I worked with a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant that targeted anxiety. This was in the 1990's so there were not as many good options as exist now. The antidepressant (desipramine) did work for me so I was able to enter more and more situations without fear and avoidance. In retrospect had I found a therapist who specialized in panic disorder and phobias I would have made more progress. I did work with two different therapists at the time and the therapy was ineffective. The reason? They did not target and help me learn to tolerate and accept the anxiety and teach me skills to get through it. I finally did that on my own but it was difficult.

My recommendation to you is to find a therapist who specializes in panic disorder and in phobias. Ask questions at your first sessions on how the therapist will approach your emotions and your experiences. You will talk during your sessions but you should also be assigned homework to help you to address the situations that are frightening to you. If you are willing and interested you could also try one of the newer antidepressants that are approved for anxiety.

Does this help? What would you like to do next?

Thank you, Helen. Ok, I will look around for a physician who specializes in my fears. I am not in the US and the options around me are not many. I'll give it a shot with the hope this can be treated. I need to find a solution because I need to go to the dentist soon, i have some other issues that require medical care and maybe surgery and I am unable to take the step simply of thinking of what can go wrong. I also feel physicians nowadays are getting to be more insensitive to patients. They don't listen well and discount your fears before you even finish the sentence! Again, I will look around and will let you know. Thank you.

@patient2024 You might ask your GP for a referral to a mental health therapist (not generally a physician) who specializes in your fears. If you feel comfortable sharing with your friends you might also ask friends if they know of someone - the "word of mouth" referral. Is telehealth available? If you don't have many mental health therapists near you then meeting with a therapist virtually (on line) could be a good option. I will recommend that you stay away from the for profit companies such as BetterHelp.com. Better Help advertises all over the place in the U.S. and I know of studies that show that Better Help does not follow ethical rules and policies for patients or for the therapists they contract with.

If you are in Canada, here is a good resource to find a therapist. Psychology Today may also have information for other countries.

Psychology Today, Find a Therapist:

-- https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca

Yes will you let me know how I can help and what you find out?

A possible breakthrough...
Since my post-May 10, I had a two-segment flight to and from Europe (in tight planes) - I prepared mentally for the trips: requested an Isle seat back of the plane close to the tail, prepared immediately focused tasks on my phone, and laptop immediately as I got seated in the plane to get myself distracted. Before I boarded I slept well that night, I brought my favorite snakes and immediately started to consume it once I got in. The result is success which is to pass the first hour after entering the plane. I repeated this every time I boarded and no panic episodes at all were there. Now with my other dental panics and sleep issues still unresolved at least part of the problem is untangled. Thought I report this to you all. Thank you for listening to me.