Agoraphobia: Treatment with hypnosis

That one place? You'd rather not go there. One particular situation? If at all possible, get the hell out of there. Agoraphobia is a kind of umbrella term for people with fears of spaces or environments. It's also known as agoraphobia, but that doesn't quite capture the fear.

What is agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is a fear of certain situations or spaces. Some people with this fear find it stressful to go outside in general. Others prefer to avoid certain places, such as busy streets, squares, or enclosed spaces (like movie theaters, sports arenas, or similar venues).

It is a fear of open spaces.

It’s actually a bit like the opposite of claustrophobia, although that fear is also associated with agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia symptoms

There are a number of symptoms that can help you recognize agoraphobia. When you’re in public places, you may experience anxiety (stomachaches, sweating, trembling, rapid breathing). This can also make you feel sad and hopeless.

The situations where you can get these fears are often:

1. Public spaces.
2. Large plazas, halls or parking lots.
3. Small spaces, such as elevators.
4. Places where there are many people or where there is a crowd.
5. You feel anxious about traveling by public transportation or airplane.

Agoraphobia driving

Because people with agoraphobia prefer not to travel by public transportation, driving is often a solution. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, because even in a car, you can end up in places with lots of other people, such as in traffic jams, on bridges, through tunnels, or on the highway.

If you have agoraphobia, you may unfortunately also suffer from a fear of driving [1]. This is incredibly inconvenient, as it often limits where you can live to a very small area.

Overcoming Agoraphobia

So overcoming agoraphobia is very important to still get everything you want out of life, but how do you do it?

There are multiple treatments for agoraphobia. Generally, a gradual confrontation with the anxiety, in order to reduce sensitivity, is important in treatment. However, exposing yourself to the fear until it is no longer scary can take 80 (!) hours[2].

So that takes a very long time.

Fortunately, if you combine exposure with cognitive behavioral therapy, it does go a little faster and anxiety is reduced. But then you still need to perform 12 sessions[3].

Fortunately, we already know from previous studies and our own experience that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combines well with hypnosis and that results are achieved faster as a result.

Interestingly, research shows that people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome who have developed agoraphobia as a result benefit from a combination of CBT and hypnosis[4].

Hypnosis and agoraphobia

Hypnosis has also been used for decades to help people with agoraphobia. Generally, the focus is on strengthening the ego and using analytical hypnosis techniques[5].

Another case study suggests that hypnosis can also be used to make people less sensitive to the situations that trigger their fears[6].

And in 2023, there was actually a pilot study of a larger group of people with agoraphobia and the effectiveness of hypnotherapy. I already knew it works and scientists now officially agree with me and think more research should be done on it[7].

Agoraphobia cause

In those analytic hypnosis techniques, finding the cause and "correcting" the beliefs that arise as a result is important. In fact, many beliefs about danger originate in childhood.

Perhaps one of your parents warned you about crowded places or you yourself experienced something as a child that made a big impression on you that now causes agoraphobia.

You can identify the cause of a limiting belief using the regression technique. Students learn this technique during the training program at the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands. With regression, you go back to the very first moment you began experiencing agoraphobia. Perhaps the feeling wasn’t as intense then as it is now, but it was definitely there.

Then a hypnotherapist helps to reinterpret that moment so that the impeding belief is `repaired'[8]. This replaces the limiting belief that causes agoraphobia with one that actually helps you to go to public places.

Reframing certain events is incredibly important to help people realize that something was only scary because they were still a child. A similar situation as an adult is actually no big deal at all.

Empowering Ego

So another technique that helps people with agoraphobia is ego strengthening. You could say this is about improving z elf confidence. Finding the cause and encouraging helpful beliefs is already a good way to boost self-confidence, but there are many other techniques for this.

For example, the “magic mirror” is a favorite of ours in the training program. This technique stimulates the imagination so that people suddenly realize, without even suspecting it, that they themselves are amazing individuals. Someone who deserves to be happy, to be successful, and to go wherever they want with confidence.

Enhancing the ego also does more than improve self-confidence. It also improves one's inner strength.

Post-hypnotic suggestions can also be helpful. These are suggestions that influence a person’s subconscious after treatment. For example, a suggestion might be:

"After this session, you'll notice that life actually just gets better and you feel free and safe, even on the street. You will suddenly notice that you go to the supermarket very relaxed and that you find it very normal to go to the movies or a concert once to enjoy the art you see there. You will suddenly notice in a few weeks that you actually feel simply wonderful and that you are enjoying the beautiful weather."

Depending on one's problems and what situations trigger agoraphobia, a person may receive a very different post-hypnotic suggestion than this one that helps to strengthen the ego.

Once you’ve succeeded in summoning a strong sense of self-confidence, this feeling can also be anchored . This means that afterward, you can recall that strong feeling by making a small movement. For example, tapping your wrist lightly or squeezing your hands in a certain way can do this.

This can help after therapy at times when you normally suffer from agoraphobia, you retrieve this very strong feeling, so that going to the market, for example, is no longer scary at all.

Ideal.

Hypnotic confrontation with anxiety

Speaking of which, the market is actually also confronting fear.

People with agoraphobia often find it difficult to embark on treatment because they know they are given as "homework" to expose themselves to certain situations from time to time.

The interesting thing about the brain is that it doesn’t always distinguish clearly between reality and fantasy, and a hypnotherapist makes good use of that.

Because in the hypnotic state, you can visualize and retrieve feelings very well. You can use those visualizations to confront yourself with the fear, without actually being in such a fearful situation.

You may be suggested to imagine yourself standing at a busy train station and then give your anxiety a number. For example, 10 if you are really in total fear, or 1 if there is actually nothing more to worry about.

This can be requested from time to time during hypnotherapy, as it also gives an indication of how effective the techniques used by the therapist are.

At the same time, this can be used to experience how you yourself influence your anxiety response—how muscle tension intensifies anxiety and, in turn, influences your thoughts.

This is also why progressive relaxation is an important technique, so that people with anxiety learn that many anxiety symptoms arise because you unconsciously tighten all kinds of muscles in your body and because you start breathing faster. If you can control just that, it has a lot of impact on your thoughts and emotions.

Learning self-hypnosis against anxiety

Finally, someone with agoraphobia may be given homework in the form of self-hypnosis. This could be a standard recording with suggestions to combat anxiety, or the therapist may create a specific recording tailored to the individual’s particular form of agoraphobia.

You listen to that recording daily or three days a week to retain and reinforce the effects of treatment.

It can also help eliminate feelings of stress that arise throughout the day, giving anxiety no or very little chance to develop.

During therapy, a person can also learn to hypnotize themselves for times when needed.

Learning hypnosis to help people get rid of anxiety

Like me, do you want to help people stand in their power so they can live as carefree a life as possible? Then knowledge of hypnosis is invaluable.

Come join the free online masterclass to get started.

Or sign up right away for one of our events or training programs.

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