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Old 09-22-2018, 05:48 PM   #1
Suff
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Claustrophobia

When home, I leave the doors to my Florida room open, even though it doubles my electric bill.

I can barely fly anymore. When I do, I buy row 1 , seat 1. I cannot sit more than 3 or 4 rows deep on a plane.

I'm driving a big car because I can't sit in a sports car or small car.

I can't be in rooms with no windows or with locked doors.

The older I've gotten the worse its got. Occasionally I'll have a dream of being buried alive.

Its always in my mind not to be trapped anywhere. I'm always aware of my surroundings.

The only reason I mention it, is the women who they want to testify in DC also has it bad. One of the reason's getting her to DC was complicated , was that she can not fly due to her Claustrophobia. So she is driving cross country.

I completely understand. I also have compassion for her and anybody else who has this little mental bug. Its omni-present in my life.

Not about her or the politics. Actually hearing it made me feel better that I'm not alone with this problem.

Last edited by Suff; 09-22-2018 at 05:51 PM.
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Old 09-22-2018, 06:11 PM   #2
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Claustrophobia is a form of anxiety disorder, in which an irrational fear of having no escape or being closed-in can lead to a panic attack. Just wait until she gets to D.C. She'll be followed like prey all over the city.
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Old 09-22-2018, 10:47 PM   #3
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If this worsens, possibly consider talking to your physician about the medication, Paxil. It is excellent for the treatment of this type of phobia. One that can be paralyzing. It relaxes the anxiety, also, associated with a myriad of obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

You don't want to ever get to the place you are experiencing a full blown panic attack, which many liken to the feeling of a heart attack.

Take good care!
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Old 09-23-2018, 07:52 AM   #4
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I have it also but a mild case, that I manage myself without anyone knowing that I don't tell about it.


When I was a kid I lost at hide and seek almost immediately as I would not hide in confined spaces, like hiding under beds or in closets. You won't get me in a small car or in a back seat under any circumstances. I can stay in a small room without windows as long as it has fresh circulating air. If too many people get in an elevator I will get off.



I think the worst recent experience was taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tram a dozen years ago, 12 minutes of hell, 80 people shoved in an 18 foot circle.
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Old 09-23-2018, 10:51 AM   #5
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I'm a certified hypnotherapist, although I actually practice self-hypnosis. (And hypo-certs are a joke anyway.)

There are a lot of amazing hypnotic treatment programs for phobias and non-physical addictions.

The plan for phobias is generally to regress one back to before whatever trauma caused the phobia, then step forward to figure out the root cause, and then address it.

Amazingly, some can actually be reasoned away or lessened, but most take deeper work.

Special note: I am not the guy to help with this. As I said above, my specialty is self-hypnosis.
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Old 09-23-2018, 12:06 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz View Post
I'm a certified hypnotherapist, although I actually practice self-hypnosis. (And hypo-certs are a joke anyway.)

There are a lot of amazing hypnotic treatment programs for phobias and non-physical addictions.

The plan for phobias is generally to regress one back to before whatever trauma caused the phobia, then step forward to figure out the root cause, and then address it.

Amazingly, some can actually be reasoned away or lessened, but most take deeper work.

Special note: I am not the guy to help with this. As I said above, my specialty is self-hypnosis.
Only a joke away?
I met my wife at a hypnotherapy convention.
I told her - "Save the last trance for me!"

In all seriousness though, self-hypnosis- learning deep relaxation techniques are tremendous ways to cope with any phobia, even without digging for a root cause which may identify a false one anyways.
Deep relaxation or meditation changes the body's chemistry in marvellous ways. (Laughter also pumps out those helping chemicals as well!)
But it has to be done on a daily basis, the same as any other exercise.
Undoubtedly meds like Ativan work. If one has to go on them, be sure to reduce the dosage over time and learn to deeply acquire the lost relaxation ability that we're born with.
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Old 09-23-2018, 04:44 PM   #7
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Thanks for the warm and thoughtful replies to my post.

My life is always a work in progress. I'm a veteran, (u can thank me for your freedom later) I'm hooked in with the VA. I'm on top of shit.

Doing Yoga, and back at the prayer and meditation.

I Quit drinking Whiskey and all alcohol! Can I get an Amen and a Hallelujah! If you're out there and you got the booze bug, but you're not drinking, then keep it up my brother.

My goal this week was to get off the diet coke. I was drinking 12 cans a day!

I did it. I have not had a diet coke in a week. But water still taste like medicine!

Last edited by Suff; 09-23-2018 at 04:46 PM.
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Old 09-23-2018, 04:49 PM   #8
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I'll give you TWO Amens and THREE Hallelujahs!!

Seriously, outstanding discipline...there are so many out there who will never be able to break free...
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Old 09-23-2018, 05:04 PM   #9
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Way to go!
More power to ya!
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Old 09-23-2018, 05:11 PM   #10
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Seriously, outstanding discipline...there are so many out there who will never be able to break free...
The diet coke grip is strong! One day at a time!
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Old 09-23-2018, 06:38 PM   #11
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Thanks for the warm and thoughtful replies to my post.

My life is always a work in progress. I'm a veteran, (u can thank me for your freedom later) I'm hooked in with the VA. I'm on top of shit.

Doing Yoga, and back at the prayer and meditation.

I Quit drinking Whiskey and all alcohol! Can I get an Amen and a Hallelujah! If you're out there and you got the booze bug, but you're not drinking, then keep it up my brother.

My goal this week was to get off the diet coke. I was drinking 12 cans a day!

I did it. I have not had a diet coke in a week. But water still taste like medicine!
Way to go!

That is a perfect example of what I referred to as a "minor" addiction. That is, not really physical, but habitual and social. For some people smoking can actually fall into that category as well.

I've been doing self-hypnosis since I was 18, but never really understood the power of it until about 6 years ago. For Father's Day, Beth asked me what I wanted and I said to (finally) get certified as a hypnotherapist.

She got the course material for me, I completed it. Not surprisingly, I probably knew 90% of it, and most of the missing stuff was changes in what was acceptable.

For example, "aversion therapy" was very big historically, but now is frowned upon. (Think of, "If you put a cigarette in your mouth it will literally taste and feel like dog crap.")

Now, my hypnosis is pretty solid, although it takes time to stay on top of my game. Sometimes I fall away and I do a "personal weekend hypno retreat" of sorts to get back on track.


What Really Made a Difference For Me
========================

Right after I came back to hypno - May, 2013 - I struggled to get suggestions to stick. Some would but others would fail miserably. I consulted several hypnotherapists for coaching.

About a year later, I was having quite a bit of shoulder pain. I was going to physical therapy, taking meds, using a TENS machine, but all in all, that dull, aching pain was always with me.

One evening, while I was watching TV, I fired off a post-hypnotic suggestion, along with a little finger-pressing routine. (For those who know the term, something like a "mudra.")

It was kind of like, "Pain is gone. 1-2-3-NOW!"

I'd fire it 3 or 4 times, and, suddenly, to my wondrous surprise, the pain was gone! The fact that it returned 10 minutes later did not phase me in the least because it had worked!

So, if I watched TV for (say) 90 minutes, I might have to fire off my painkilling suggestion 6 or 7 times, and every single time, without exception, it worked.

Over time the physical therapy worked, but whenever I got even a hint of pain, I could push it away with "Pain is gone. 1-2-3-NOW!"

There are limitations. I can lower my pain "score" (on a 1-10 scale) by about 3 points. IOW, I can't take a severe pain like 7 or 8 and make it go away, but I can lower it to an ache.

About a year later, it hit me that I could leverage my belief that the hypnosis was working to do other things. In fact, my personal self-hypnosis technique is entirely based upon the format [statement] 1-2-3-NOW!

Here's what I did with it initially...

1. I had an addiction to Snickers bars. Specifically, the big double bars with almonds. A typical weekend (Fri-Sun) included 7 or 8 of them!

2. I had a soda addiction. If we went to dinner, I would consume as many as 12 sodas!
I did ONE session with myself. About 30 minutes long. I was completely conscious in this session. First, I conditioned myself, by saying things like...
My hypnosis is strong.
** I have proved that by firing my pain relief mantra (which is what I called it) over 1,000 times in a row without failure.
** I am in a highly suggestible state.
Then I moved to the suggestion part by saying...
I don't want snickers bars.
I don't need Snickers bars.
I don't like Snickers bars.

One session, and then lots of reinforcement in the grocery store by repeating the above. In the beginning I was actually afraid to walk near a Snickers bar and would fire the suggestion from maybe 30 feet away. No joke

But it worked. A month later I killed the sodas.

About 15 months later I was reminded of what Howard Sartin said about addictions: "If addiction is one side of the coin, then abstinence is the other."

He was right.

I decided to test whether or not I had really broken the addiction by having a Snickers bar. It was great, and I really enjoyed it. But I had only one. Now I have maybe 2 or 3 Snickers bars a year (with almonds, of course).

Same with the sodas. I think I've had maybe 3 or 4 in 2018.

Hypnosis is amazing.


Dave
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Old 09-23-2018, 06:44 PM   #12
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I like Amtrak.

It is not that I am afraid of flying, but rather dislike the lines, TSA inspection, waiting for boarding, waiting on runway, waiting for luggage.... and most of the flight all I can see are clouds.
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Old 09-23-2018, 07:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Inner Dirt View Post
I have it also but a mild case, that I manage myself without anyone knowing that I don't tell about it.


When I was a kid I lost at hide and seek almost immediately as I would not hide in confined spaces, like hiding under beds or in closets. You won't get me in a small car or in a back seat under any circumstances. I can stay in a small room without windows as long as it has fresh circulating air. If too many people get in an elevator I will get off.



I think the worst recent experience was taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tram a dozen years ago, 12 minutes of hell, 80 people shoved in an 18 foot circle.
Thanks for sharing that. Only a few people in my life know about it. To look at me you'd never know whats going in my head.

On my flight back from Saratoga I had row 1 seat 1, aisle. The person in the window seat slid the window closed. It bothered me, I could feel my breathing get going or my heart rate? not sure, maybe my head?.. But I feel it. I just sit there, concentrate on chilling out. Nobody picks up on it, its in my head.

Last edited by Suff; 09-23-2018 at 07:17 PM.
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Old 09-23-2018, 08:31 PM   #14
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Thumbs up

I don't know you, however, I'm sure proud of you!!

Cutting out the booze and, too, the Diet Coke is outstanding. Many don't realize the damage that too much caffeine can do to one's heart. It is in so much of what we drink. One of my NYC friends landed in ICU/CCU for days and she spent 7 hours in the cath lab having ablation performed on all of the damaged areas of her heart. It was life changing, to say the least! She's in far better health today.

Amen and hallelujah, indeed!! You sound on top of all of these decisions.
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Old 09-23-2018, 10:35 PM   #15
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Now I know why after every video conference with Dave, I would strip naked, climb the tree in the front yard and throw fruit at my neighbors
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