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Successful Methods To Try For Claustrophobia Treatment

If you suffer from the fear of small spaces then there is claustrophobia treatment available. This is actually classified as a type of anxiety illness and about 5% of people around the world suffer from very severe claustrophobia. The main concern is that only a small percentage of those diagnosed with claustrophobia actually receive treatment.

Two key symptoms have been discovered for those that suffer from claustrophobia and they include the fear of being restricted or in a restrictive place and the fear of suffocation. Some such circumstances that can evoke this fear include being in a cellar, caves, tunnels, cars, locked rooms, elevators, crowded areas, small rooms and subway trains to name just a few situations. However some individuals may have a response when they are told to stay in one spot such as waiting online or getting their hair cut.

One of the most widely used treatments for claustrophobia is cognitive therapy and this method is actually used for the majority of all anxiety disorders. This is very effective particularly if the patient not only fears the situation but the result of being in that situation. The main step of cognitive therapy is to change the misconceptions associated with at fear. So instead of feeling anxious in small spaces you begin to feel calmer.

Another successful treatment is the use of in vivo exposure. In this the person is exposed to their fears in order to overcome them. To follow this treatment properly you have to start small and then progressively build up. So perhaps starting in an elevator and then ending with an MRI. In order to achieve success the patient needs a good support system but they can go about functioning properly.

Interceptive exposure is also used and this tries to decrease their claustrophobic reactions in a controlled environment. This is basically just much less intense then in vivo treatment. However this method was not found to have as high success rates as cognitive and invivo treatment. Most sufferers of claustrophobia can trace it back to a specific event.

This is similar to in vivo treatment but much less intense. You also can trace the claustrophobia back to its cause, normally a certain event, and use behavioral therapy to change your response.

To determine the severity of your claustrophobia a scale was developed in 1979 as 20 questions are currently used to diagnosis claustrophobia. These questions can also uncover your main symptoms so you can get the right treatment from the beginning.

Marcelo Quijanios is a research journalist. At the moment he is investigating a new method to relieve him of his phobias. The testimonials about this treatment are very promising and say to have helped a lot of people in the past.