Is being locked in a room, flying or going up in an elevator one of your biggest phobias? You may be claustrophobic. Zoom on this disease which affects between 4 and 5% of the population and which can become very disabling on a daily basis.
Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a panic fear of confined spaces, closed places and, more broadly, confinement. The etymology of the word claustrophobia comes from Latin cloister, from cloistering (cloistering, locking up) and from the Greek phobos, which means fear, fear. In his work entitled Phobias: Causes and Treatments, Erin Gersley believes that humans are genetically predisposed to fear. And today it’s estimated that 4 to 5% of the population suffers from claustrophobia. A phobia which can unfortunately be very disabling on a daily basis.
How do I know if I am claustrophobic?
But does one become claustrophobic overnight? The causes of claustrophobia are unique to each. Generally, claustrophobia can be a consequence of traumatic experience experienced during childhood, although symptoms can appear at any time in a person's life. It can also be the result of an experience of containment traumatic. But whatever its origin, claustrophobia is in fact a dysfunction of the emotional brain which acts directly on stress and anxiety.
Claustrophobic people usually develop a fear panic take an elevator, be locked in a small room, or even take public transportation. When faced with a situation experienced as being anxiety-provoking, the claustrophobic is often frightened by the idea of running out of air. A fear manifested by different symptoms:
- Palpitations, heartbeat, or increased heart rate
- Feeling short of breath or choking
- Feeling dizzy or fainting
- Sweating, hot flash, chest gene
- Muscle signs: tetany, contractures or cramps
How to treat claustrophobia?
An anxiety disorder like claustrophobia is not a mental illness and can therefore be fully cured. The first thing to do is to learn to accept his phobia. Most claustrophobes will do everything to avoid the situations they fear and fear. However, by behaving in this way, they only reinforce their phobia. There are techniques for taming your fear of confined spaces, such as behavioral and cognitive therapies, or even relaxation. Today they are the ones that bring the best results.
- Cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT)
The cognitive and behavioral therapies generally give very good results on phobias and are effective in the treatment of claustrophobia. The aim of this therapy is to expose the person to anxiety-provoking situations for him. Being confronted with the phobogenic object in a regular and progressive way, rather than avoiding it, indeed makes it possible to make disappear the phobia. During the treatment, the therapist will ask the patient to put himself in a situation to learn to manage his fear.
EMDR means "Eye movement desenstization and reprocessing", which translates to "desensitization and reprocessing by eye movements". Mostly known in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, EMDR, which uses eye movement such as hypnosis in particular, is used to drive out phobias. This technique has been advocated since 2013 by the World Health Organization as a technique capable of helping patients to alleviate traumatic memories by relieving them of the negative emotions associated with them.
- Drug treatments
For the most severe cases, claustrophobia is treated by medication. Drug treatments may indeed be prescribed temporarily, such as anxiolytics where the antidepressants, which will be used to relieve anxiety. Initially limited to depression, the indications for certain antidepressants have recently extended to anxiety disorders. Commonly called "tranquilizers", they relieve anxiety claustrophobic. Be careful, these drugs act effectively on the immediate symptoms, but can quickly lead to psychological and physical dependence, then overconsumption.
To treat claustrophobia, sessions of relaxation can also be offered. These are often based on techniques of yoga which require real work on breathing. Breathing is the element worked because it allows the patient to better manage stressful situations and better control his emotions. Essential oils with calming and relaxing properties can also help relieve anxiety attacks. Neroli essential oil is for example recognized for its anti-stress, antidepressant and balancing properties. It calms anxiety, anxiety, hyperactivity, insomnia and nervous tension.