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Developing "Safe" People:
“Safe” people are people with whom a person with agoraphobia
is highly familiar and feels emotionally close. Safe people
are usually parents, spouses, children, or close friends or
relatives.
In the company of a safe person, most people with
agoraphobia can travel further away from home and are more
willing to enter feared places and situations. The presence
of a safe person makes otherwise unsafe places and
situations feel safer for someone with agoraphobia.
The reason that many people with agoraphobia report feeling
safer with a safe person is because they feel like someone
would be there to help in the case of a panic attack or
sudden emergency.
People with agoraphobia typically act as if the safe person
possesses abnormal powers to stop a panic attack or save
them from perceived dangers. In reality, safe people offer
someone with agoraphobia a source of emotional security
rather than any real safety.
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