The Fear Of Leaving Home: Online Therapy As An Effective Psychological Treatment
There are different types of anxiety and one of them is agoraphobia. What do I mean? Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of situations where the person feels that they may experience discomfort, and therefore tries to avoid them.. Or, situations in which he feels that it will be difficult to leave and that causes him stress and discomfort. Generally, it is also associated with situations where the person does not want to attract attention, due to their need to get out of that situation.
It may include the presence of panic attacks in these situations, although this is not necessary for this to occur. Many times, this type of anxiety has been defined as “the fear of fear,” because the person is afraid of experiencing again the sensations that he or she has felt.
All of this ends up leading the person to end up avoiding many places. such as: public transport, large events such as festivals, concerts, taking the car for long distances… and social situations where you could feel bad and have to leave by attracting attention or making excuses…
In all this context, online psychological help emerges as a valuable solution, offering support and treatment without the need to go to a physical consultation where many stimuli may appear that the person does not feel ready to face at that moment yet.
All of this causes a vicious cycle to occur in which fear and avoidance reinforce the feeling of inability, which in turn increases fear. In these aspects, early intervention and appropriate treatment are essential to break this cycle and allow people to regain their independence and quality of life.
What advantages does online psychological therapy have then?
Online psychological therapy offers a series of specific advantages for people who suffer from agoraphobia:
What would be the most appropriate therapy for agoraphobia?
There are several therapy modalities that can be effective in treating agoraphobia online:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
It is a more effective form of treatment. It focuses on giving the person mental strategies (changing thought patterns) that perpetuate fear, while giving them tools to face situations gradually, as the person feels that they have more confidence in themselves.
Exposure Therapy:
This technique involves gradual exposure to feared situations in a controlled environment, with the support of the therapist. This is done through “virtual reality” exercises, where the person is introduced in a simulated way into the situations they fear facing. In reality, these two types of therapy can be combined and give very good results as a whole if a series of steps are taken together.
Are there recommendations on how to carry out the therapy?
Yes, and they are the following:
At the end of all, online psychological help has become an essential tool in the treatment of agoraphobia since it provides a flexible, accessible and effective alternative in the treatment of anxiety, opening a door to improving the quality of life of the people who are suffering from this problem.
