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Cognitive therapy for agoraphobia focuses on
identifying and correcting habitual, irrational thought
patterns. These faulty thought
patterns feed feelings of anxiety and fear, as well as cause
physical symptoms.
Common forms of
cognitive therapy used to treat agoraphobia include:
1) Thought replacing:
is referred to as "cognitive restructuring" by most
psychologists and is the most common form of cognitive
therapy used for agoraphobia. Thought replacement is basically just trading irrational, anxiety-producing thoughts for more rational
ones. The process is fairly simple and can be practiced
without a professional therapist. To practice thought
replacing, a person records his or her irrational thoughts by
writing them down as statements, replaces them with more
rational statements, and then rehearses the new, more
rational statements using self-talk or other methods.
Read more about
thought replacement for agoraphobia.
2)
Thought Stopping:
is an alternative to thought replacing that takes less
preparation. The technique of thought stopping is just what
it sounds like. Once a person learns to identify irrational
thinking, he or she may think or say the word, "stop"
or do some distracting activity like snapping a rubber band
on his or her wrist each
time an irrational thought arises. The main goal is to distract oneself from the irrational
thought in the moment, before it leads to anxiety or panic
or other agoraphobia symptoms.
3)
Focusing:
is another method to
stop irrational thinking before it leads to anxiety and
panic. In focusing, the person willfully focuses his or her
thoughts on something in the immediate environment when an irrational thought
arises. The more senses that are engaged, the more powerful
focusing is.
Other cognitive techniques offered by therapists to help
overcome symptoms of agoraphobia include:
Worst
Case Scenario Method: Overcoming anxiety by getting
comfortable with the worst thing that could happen.
Paradoxical Thinking:
Overcoming the fear of having a
panic attack by trying to have one on purpose and gaining
conscious control.
Visualization or Guided Imagery: Learning to visualize peaceful
or healing imagery to help reduce anxiety and other symptoms
of agoraphobia.
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