Fear of Leaving One's Home: Agoraphobia

It might seem peculiar to think that some people fear leaving their homes. It's not the home that is in question but the fear of going into the world outside of the home. Sometimes it is described as a fear of being in open spaces or even social surroundings. Most of the time, however, fear of leaving one's home dominates.

Associated with the fear is anxiety. This pair, anxiety and fear, are not unusual partners. We've seen this close association before with fear being the emotion and anxiety being the expression of a psychological complex or a psychological instinct. Typical agoraphobia can lead with either anxiety or fear and follow with the other. For example, someone might feel anxious about losing a loved one or an upcoming decision that would change the norm of life. If the anxiety is strong enough, the associated fear will soon appear. In the face of both experiences, a person seeks a safe place in order to maintain some sense of comfort but the safety becomes a restriction and confinement, making life small. In other words, daily life becomes less and less important. Safety becomes the most important factor.

Often, the anxiety is so strong that bodily reactions, such as pain and difficulty breathing, occur. People fear that they will die if they leave their homes, their safe places, or enter into open spaces outside their personal environments. Dying, illness, destruction and any other negative beliefs become a major part of their personal experiences. So, it is easy to see how anxiety is associated with fear and how both possess a person.

Actually, the idea of possession applies quite well. Not possession by an illness but by the unconscious (the hidden psychology) of the person. The psychological instinctual anxiety or complex takes control of a person's identity and consciousness (awareness) with such a force that a person feels possessed. Again, this might seem strange to someone who never experienced the strength and power of this unconscious force but I can assure the reader that it is a serious and difficult way to live. When a person believes that leaving home to buy food, to meet with a friend, to visit a doctor, to attend a party, and so forth, is a major undertaking, it is due to the possession.

If you should experience even a small part of agoraphobia or know of someone suffering from it, then compassion and understanding cannot only be helpful but is a necessity.