Agoraphobia: sophrology to the rescue of social anxiety

If agoraphobia is often seen by the general public as fear of people, it is actually much more extensive: fear of uncontrollable situations, places where it can be difficult to extricate oneself. A real handicap every day for people who suffer from it. How can sophrology help these people trapped in their fear to find an ordinary life?

It is a fact, 7% of the population would be affected by agoraphobia, and mainly women. On a more or less large scale, anxiety linked to situations seen as complex can hamper the daily life of those who suffer from it by leading them to constantly avoid risks.

So usual tasks like shopping, taking the metro, seeing friends or even going to work become an obstacle course.

At the origin of agoraphobia

In the case of agoraphobia, certain sources of discomfort, such as inflammatory bowel disease or Parkinson’s disease, are sometimes linked to the fear of ending up in bad moods. But sometimes neither illness nor trauma predisposes the agoraphobic to fear these situations. Whether its origin is known or not, this disorder causes discomfort or even depression in the person who suffers from it. So how does sophrology offer to support agoraphobes to return to normal life?

Understand what fear triggers in you

The common element in agoraphobes is the fear of losing control. And it is by projecting oneself in a dreaded scenario, that a chain reaction is created: accelerating heart rate, gasping breathing, sweating, dizziness. Until sometimes causing a panic attack.

However, in sophrology the accent is put on its capacity to modulate what occurs first in oneself: to channel its thoughts, to appease the too intense emotions, to blur the unpleasant bodily feelings and even to activate positive feelings like serenity , strength and determination.

Relearn your mind to project yourself positively

But sophrology does not stop there. Like mental training, it helps the agoraphobic to imagine the future in a positive and serene way. Thus, guided by the voice of the sophrologist, a person who dreads the crowd will imagine for example walking serenely in a park and paying attention to the positive elements which surround him (song of the birds, heat of the sun, feeling of the grass under fingers). Over the sessions, the sophrologist will work on the imaginary projections to evoke the dreaded environment.

By mentally preparing to deal with the situation in a positive way and by relying on his personal resources, the agoraphobe causes his brain to deactivate its alerts and its resistances. Once the sophrology follow-up is over, the person will be able to practice the method and prepare to really live the previously feared situation, at their own pace.