To ask for help with my travel anxiety/agoraphobia

[worrywilma]

Has anyone ever overcome their travel anxiety?

Long story short, I have a panic disorder and suffered agoraphobia for a few year around 15 years ago. I can now travel around 20 miles from home before panic sets in.

I've been all over the world, before this disorder took over my life, when I was younger.

I'd love to go to Spain just for a few days to feel the sun on my face and the sand under my feet.

I can't take diazepam unfortunately.

Has anyone has anything similar or have any ideas on what I can do to help?

Thank you 🙏🏻

Self refer to talking therapies. CBT has a great evidence base when it comes to the treatment of phobias

I had similar but I couldn’t spend a night away from home. To the point, I had a uni house I was paying hundreds of pounds a month for but had never stayed in. What helped me was getting a car and knowing I could come home at night if I needed to. I absolutely hate the idea of being unable to sleep away from home and not being able to get back. It made me SO panicky. I still feel it sometimes now but I always just reassure myself that if I needed to then I could get home whenever I needed to. Do you know what you’re anxious about in being away from home?

My sons suffers from panic disorder. He does CBT and takes medication and was able to return and finish his degree and has traveled frequently, so I’d suggest either or both of those if you haven’t already tried them. They were life changing for him.

The medication is Cymbalta (duloxetine) and he’s previously done ok for awhile on Sertraline.

He has only used benzos in extreme cases/until his daily medicine worked efficiently.

I suffer from travel anxiety. I've always got a bit anxious about being away from home and would go on holiday and find excuses to go home early if I was in the UK. I got over it for a while and would just be unsettled before I went and fine while I was away, I have travelled all over the world. But it raised its head again when I travelled to the far east and I was being sick, unable to sleep for weeks before we won't it was awful and I was hoping DH would cancel the trip.

We went and I was ok once I got in the swing of things. But after lockdown DD had booked a trip for just myself and her and the anxiety came back with a vengeance, each time the trip got cancelled because of COVID I felt relieved! Then when the trip was about to happen I woke on the morning of the flight and was paralysed with fear I just couldn't go. I felt awful and such a bad person for letting DD down, we were able to claim on the insurance but I felt like such a failure.

I have had a couple holidays since and I was reasonably OK beforehand but we didn't fly, we have cruised from Southampton and cutting out the stress of the airport (which I hate) helped. U think a lot of my anxiety comes from my DH he doesn't help with booking or arranging the trips, relies on me to do Visas, paperwork, check in etc and it puts so much pressure on me and its become a huge source of anxiety for me. He won't even organise bookings for outings or meals! He just wants to relax, whereas I can't as I'm constantly checking and double checking everything. I feel if there is an issue while away I'd be on my own trying to find a solution

I think if you can work out like I have what causes your anxiety you will be half way towards being able to fix it.

Have you tried hypnosis. I did it for anxiety and was fired after 2 sessions!

I had anxiety and fear about something - solution focused hypnotherapy has been excellent. I have face-to-face sessions but many hypnotherapists do sessions over zoom or something.

Thanks for the tips and your experiences so far.

I've been reading the DARE response book and trying to go a bit further but it's so bloody difficult!