Claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces: how to live and fight it

If the word “claustrophobia” makes you associate with the company of the same name, which was a pioneer in Russia, creating a network of interesting quests in reality, then you are in luck.
Those who took part in the quests “Narcosis”, “Iron Heart” and others received a lot of impressions, remembering the drive and adrenaline they experienced for a long time. But everything is much more serious if you suffer from a pathological fear of closed spaces - claustrophobia. For example, a person, being in a small room, feels a threat to life, danger, and is unable to expand the space and get out of here. He panics, feels suffocated, and is unable to stabilize his breathing. He begins to tremble, feel sick, his body is covered in perspiration, and his forehead is covered in cold sweat, his blood pressure rises, his heart jumps out of his chest. Agree, not the most pleasant state.

To get rid of this mental disorder, which can lead to self-destruction, you need to recognize it in time, understand the roots, and, with the help of specialists, successfully overcome it.

Fear of enclosed spaces as a phobia

Claustrophobia, like other pathologically increased manifestations of fear, develops in three stages:

1. The instinct of self-preservation. It is quite natural for a person to react to something dangerous or incomprehensible. He takes actions that are completely adequate to the current situation in order to save himself.
2. Fear. This reaction, unlike the first one, is not constructive. The individual falls into confusion, stupor, he does not know what to do, he is in confusion and even becomes insane. All this could be disastrous for him.
3. A phobia is an inadequate reaction to both possible and imaginary danger. This is hypertrophied fear, far from normal, pathology.

It should be understood that the fear of closed spaces in relation to claustrophobia means not only tight spaces, but also:

• traffic jam;
• solarium chamber;
• bio- and cryo chambers;
• shower and elevator cabin;
• land, air, sea transport, metro;
• places where people gather outside and inside (streets, squares, concert halls);
• any room of small or large size with closed doors and windows.

This, of course, is not a complete list of possible “dangers.” Claustrophobes try in every possible way to avoid such places, which greatly complicates their life and worsens its quality.

A 26-year-old girl came for an interview. Before this, on the phone, it was a pleasure to communicate with her: the conversation with her convinced me of her skills and high professionalism. The resume was great too. But when she appeared in the office, the applicant surprised me with melancholy in her eyes and inexpressible sadness. During the conversation, she sat with her back to the front door and constantly looked back at it - if it was open, the girl continued to calmly talk and answer questions.

But another employee entered the office and closed the door. When the girl, looking back for the umpteenth time, saw this, she immediately began to sweat and ran to the window, broke the glass and, grabbing the bars with her hands, began to shake it and call for help.

Another important detail is the physical state of the body; malaise can also become a reason for an attack of claustrophobia: in this case, a person is afraid of suddenly losing consciousness or getting sick.

Causes

The manifestation of elevator phobia can develop for completely different reasons. The main thing is to find out in time what exactly makes a person afraid and leads to a panic attack:

• Claustrophobia - the fear of elevators may be just one of the manifestations of claustrophobia, that is, the fear of closed spaces. The elevator is a closed cabin, so there may be a fear that it will be impossible to get out of it if necessary.
• Fear of a broken cable - numerous adventure films now and then show how, when the hero rides in an elevator, the cable holding the cabin breaks. However, it should be remembered that life is not like movies, so in practice, cable breaks occur very rarely, since all equipment is manufactured according to existing safety procedures and undergoes mandatory checks before use.
• Fear of being left without light. Usually it appears only in those who have already been stuck in a dark room without light, and therefore are afraid of being in a similar situation again. Nowadays, elevators are equipped in such a way that if they break down, the light will still remain on.
• The fear of being caught in an automatic elevator door is also common among those who have been trapped in public elevators. However, special sensors are now being inserted into elevators to prevent such cases from occurring.
• In addition, some people are afraid that if they enter an elevator with strangers, they may become a victim of an attack.

Why does a fear of enclosed spaces develop?

Experts cannot give an exact answer, since everything is very ambiguous. The human mind is so flexible that the instinct of self-preservation inherent in nature after any “shaking” traumatic events is hypertrophied and transformed into claustrophobia.

There is an established opinion that this psychopathological symptom develops in people whose birth was associated with any difficulties. This refers to complex, protracted labor, fetal hypoxia, and umbilical cord entanglement. A natural instinct in the struggle for survival in the mother’s womb, a closed space, has taken root in the subconscious of the newborn.

The reasons may also be children's fears: a child was stuck for a long time between the bars of a structure on a playground in the yard, or was afraid of something, being alone in a closed room.

In adults, the development of claustrophobia is facilitated by an accident that causes them to experience panic fear: the inability to leave the room due to a jammed lock, a fire, etc.

The psychological reasons for the development of this disease is a long stay alone, with a feeling of insecurity.

And, by the way, among those suffering from the very “popular” fear of closed spaces (6-7% in the world), there are much more women than men.

“What if the elevator gets stuck”: 6 ways to help your child overcome anxiety

Many children are afraid and afraid of something. This is fine. But sometimes fear develops into anxiety, which prevents you from living a peaceful life: going to school, communicating with friends, going out into nature and relaxing. How to help a child in such a situation is explained in the blog of the MYTH publishing house.

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Set a "worry time"

If your child seems to be constantly stressed about something, encourage him to set aside a special time (this could be as little as half an hour a day) to discuss his feelings. It is better that the child is not hungry or tired at this moment. Also, don't discuss your worries before bed, as this can make it difficult to fall asleep.

So that the child is not afraid to forget everything that tormented him during the day, make a special notebook for anxious thoughts - let it lie in a visible place so that it is easy to write in it at the right time. Or organize an impromptu mailbox for these purposes. By “unloading” his fears in this way, the child will gradually learn to concentrate less on them.

Don't devalue

The natural reaction when we hear another person complaining is to tell him: “Don’t worry!” But more often than not, this only devalues ​​the child’s experiences and makes him think even more about the problem. Your task is not to calm down, but to help you better control your emotions.

Distract

Once you have been as empathetic as possible, try to distract your child from excessive anxiety until it is “worry time.” You can do this in a variety of ways: count cars of a certain color together, make words from the inscriptions on shop windows, offer to cook something together. Physical activity helps a lot: hide and seek, catch-up, trampolining.

What claustrophobes say

People suffering from this pathology depend heavily on it, so they build their entire lives taking it into account. This state of affairs puts pressure on the psyche no less than the phobia itself, leading to breakdowns.

Tatyana, 27 years old : Wherever I enter, I always look around, looking for escape routes. Having found them, I make sure that they are free. If the door is closed, I start to get nervous, shortness of breath appears, and my heart beats like a hunted hare.

Andrey, 35 years old : I always walk up the stairs, I never use the elevator, no matter how high I have to climb. I reassure myself that this is useful! I also can’t go down the metro, and due to the use of exclusively ground routes, I’m often late.

Olga, 40 years old : Despite my age, I can’t stay alone at home or on the street, because I’m afraid of losing consciousness. One of my relatives always has to be with me, and my husband accompanies me to and from work.

Mikhail, 28 years old: I don’t use a personal car during rush hours because of traffic jams.

Larisa Ivanovna, 52 years old : I have had claustrophobia since childhood, but over the years it has become worse. In addition to the fear of being alone in a closed room and an elevator, there was added the fear of the subway, plane, vehicles, crowds, tight clothes, that I would not be able to take off a bracelet or ring, etc. I’m so afraid of being alone in my own apartment that in a panic attack I can run out into the street at any time of the day. But the worst thing is that if before I could somehow control such fear, now I can’t.

Claustrophobia cannot be triggered. Of course, there are times when it goes away on its own. Some individuals get rid of it on their own, but it is still wiser to turn to specialists.

The most common complaints in the presence of fear of traveling in transport

• Phobias are obsessive fears. Phobic anxiety
• Feeling afraid in open places or on the street
• Fear of leaving the house alone
• Fear of riding in public transport
• The need to avoid certain places or activities
• Fear of fainting

Treatment of disorders with manifestations of feelings of fear.

Today, the fear of traveling on a bus, trolleybus, metro and other types of public transport, as well as the fear of traveling in an elevator, where a person encounters a limited enclosed space and a large crowd of people in this limited space, is quite widespread.
Call us and we can figure it out correctly and help you get rid of your fear of transport!

Examples of complaints about a feeling of fear before traveling on a bus, subway, or elevator:

“I’m afraid to ride buses after I found out that the bus overturned. As soon as I have to travel, my condition worsens. I understand that

something is wrong with my psyche, I try to distract myself, switch gears, but more often than not I can’t do anything. I am fixated on my feelings and feel constant discomfort throughout my body, but nothing hurts, only tightness in the heart area and sometimes a stone on my chest, my heart beats very quietly, almost inaudibly, my cardiogram is normal, my lungs are fine, my hands often get cold, legs and feel internal trembling, discomfort in the stomach. I saw a psychologist, worked with him for a long time using different programs, methods, and tried hypnosis. The psychologist says that this is a fear of closed spaces. It lets go for a short period of time and then it all happens again...”

“Two years ago I was riding on the subway, and there was a desire to go to relieve myself, but not a strong one. I was in the subway for a long time; I didn’t want to get out. It ended with me almost peing myself in public, which I had always been able to tolerate normally before. Now I'm scared to even go into the subway. It can suddenly come up, and I can’t stand it. When I go to the toilet, the urine is still a little clear. I saw a urologist - no pathologies. I went to the venereologist - too, everything is fine. I tried to be treated by a neurologist - without any changes. Now I’ve been going to a psychologist-psychotherapist for a year now (such a specialization does not exist, we are talking about an ordinary psychologist - author’s note). We've already talked about everything in the world, but the problem remains. And the worst thing is that now I’m afraid to ride buses. As soon as I want to sit in it, I immediately feel like I’m going to wet myself.”

“I can’t ride in elevators! I always walk, it’s good that I don’t live so high, only on the 8th floor. And I very rarely go out to visit a friend; I have to go to the 22nd floor. Although I myself have never gotten stuck in an elevator, my fear of elevators is terrible. It all started when a friend of mine got stuck in an elevator and talked about it so vividly that my chest felt cold. I’m very afraid of cramped and closed spaces.”

Fear is a feeling of internal tension associated with the expectation of threatening events and actions. This is a protective reaction of higher nervous activity aimed at preserving life.

When the central nervous system malfunctions, various kinds of pathological reactions can form, causing feelings of fear, which are called “phobias” in official medicine. Basically, the formation of fears (phobias) of traveling in public transport and elevators, being in cramped enclosed spaces are associated with a high load on the human psyche in everyday life.

Phobias are obsessive and senseless fears, such as, for example, fear of heights, large streets, open or limited, visually closed spaces, crowds of people, fear of getting terminally ill

disease, fear of fears, and this can include

fear of traveling in elevators, buses, subways

and etc.

Obsessive fear, or phobia, is an intense and irresistible mental state that engulfs a person, despite the understanding of the meaninglessness of his fears and attempts to cope with them on his own.

Phobias, or obsessive fears, for example, the fear of riding the subway or other public transport, today are often defined as the presence of neurosis, but this is not always the case. It is impossible to immediately talk about its true origin just by the external manifestation of a mental disorder.

Phobia (fear), in any of its manifestations, is only a symptom, a small fraction, which indicates the presence of any mental disorder, and does not give clear indications that this mental disorder is neurosis, even if it is combined with so-called panic attacks , which, like a phobia, is a symptom.

If a psychotherapist encounters a symptom in the form of a phobia, his main task is to conduct a differential diagnosis in order to accurately determine the main source that causes this mental reaction - obsessive fear.

If we talk about the fear of traveling in public transport (bus, metro, trolleybus, tram) - fear of confined spaces, then this diagnostic index may be included in the context of such mental disorders as:

1. Various types of neuroses - Borderline mental state. These mental disorders most often include obsessive fears.

2. Anxiety disorders – Borderline mental state. As with neuroses, obsessive fear often manifests itself in this mental state.

3. Depression – Borderline mental state. Occurs in long-term and deep conditions.

4. Toxic brain damage - alcohol, drugs, toxins, other psychoactive substances.

5. Organic brain damage - trauma, infection, tumors, etc.

6. Endogenous mental diseases – Developing as a result of disturbances in the metabolic processes of the brain.

7. Acute psychotic states – psychoses.

In the overwhelming majority, all mental disorders are treatable, but for this you need to pay due attention to your mental health and consult a competent psychotherapist who will correctly assess the condition, identify the true causes, individually prescribe and conduct adequate complex therapy.

Diagnostics

Claustrophobia is special in that it is quite difficult to diagnose. This disorder is often ignored as a random one-time occurrence, or is mistaken for another disease. There are a number of criteria accepted in international practice that can help a highly professional psychotherapist or psychologist identify this particular pathology.

First of all, you need to create comfortable conditions for the patient, but in a closed room, and talk to him, carefully observing. In this case, the following signs of pathology are revealed:

• physical – sweating, trembling, tachycardia, cold extremities, breathing problems, headache;
• external – change in skin color, tremor, excitement, staggering gait, stupor.

There are special questionnaires that help identify the degree of anxiety. For example, the Spielberg-Khanin scale, showing the degree of personal and reactive anxiety. A score of 45 indicates that there is a risk of developing claustrophobia, and above 70 the patient’s condition is very serious.

The path leading to freedom

A magic pill that can instantly relieve the fear of closed spaces has not yet been invented, and it is unlikely that one will ever be created.

Let us reassure everyone: treatment of claustrophobia is quite successful and usually the prognosis is very good. But at the same time, the main condition for recovery is to admit that pathology exists and visit a psychotherapist in the near future.

The psychotherapist will help the patient understand the cause of fear through classical or group psychoanalysis. Only by realizing its source can you cure claustrophobia and not subsequently develop another fear on the same basis.

Now there are such methods of treating claustrophobia:

1. Like cures like. The safety of the object of concern is demonstrated to the patient by bringing them face to face. This is achieved in real ways, but more often – virtually. The patient is offered to play an exciting computer game in which the hero he controls fights in narrow streets, in dungeons, etc. As practice shows, this approach has an excellent effect on the patient’s condition.
2. Neurolinguistic programming. By pronouncing certain speech patterns, the patient calms down.
3. Hypnosis.
4. Medicines. Attacks of fear are treated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc. These drugs reduce anxiety, but are only auxiliary. You can use safe tranquilizers, bromine-containing drugs, valerian tincture - if there are no contraindications for this. As a rule, potent drugs are not used in treatment.

Fear of elevators: causes and methods of combating

If a person is afraid of passenger elevators, this can make his life very difficult. It’s not easy for those whose homes or offices are located on the upper floors. Preferring to climb the stairs is not an option, because it is tiring, time-consuming, although useful. Don't make excuses not to take the elevator. It is necessary to fight a phobia, as it has a bad effect on the psyche.

A person who is afraid to use a passenger elevator needs to understand the reasons for negative emotions and his fear. The choice of treatment method will depend only on this. Sometimes fear is associated with very long-standing events and it is difficult for a person to understand his emotions on his own. In this case, it is advisable to contact a specialist. With the help of hypnosis, you may be able to find the answers.

If the reason lies in the fact that you were once stuck in an elevator and are afraid of a repeat of the situation, think about what scared you at that moment. It will be helpful to write down the problems you encountered at the time and find a solution for each of them. For example, if you are afraid that the lights will turn off in a closed room, you should carry a small flashlight in your bag. You can also remind yourself that you have a cell phone nearby that you can always use to call for help. If the fear of elevators is associated with a fear of attack, it is recommended to travel alone or with people who do not know each other. In this case, the risk of becoming a victim is minimal.

Claustrophobia and, in particular, fear of elevators , can be accompanied by panic attacks. It is important to learn how to deal with this in order to get rid of fear. Deep breathing techniques and smiling are effective. Even if you smile purely mechanically, the panic begins to recede. Be sure to do this before your trip. Conversations are a good way to distract from fear: if you have friends nearby, be sure to talk to them. A short telephone conversation with someone will also help you cope with your phobia.

If you have mastered the quick fighting technique, proceed to further actions. Make it a habit to travel one or two floors by elevator and several by stairs. When it becomes easier, increase the time you spend in the elevator. Act consistently, don’t push yourself, and you will definitely achieve results.

If fear appears again, imagine your inner child. Think about how you can calm him down, what words will have an effect. Repeat calming phrases before the trip and immediately notice how fear gradually disappears.