Agoraphobia and Cognitive Therapy

If you suffer from agoraphobia and cognitive therapy is part of your treatment, you are on the path to recovery. In fact, it's even better for you if you had cognitive behavioral therapy.

You may be required to take medication, although this is not always the case. It will depend on how severe your agoraphobia is and if your doctor feels it's necessary.

Positive Thinking Is Very Important

Cognitive therapy teaches you to change your thoughts, to think differently, to think positively, to change your reasoning process as far as your agoraphobia and panic attacks are concerned.

This is a very useful learning tool. Up to this point, your agoraphobia is made worse because of your natural thinking pattern. Cognitive therapy teaches you to change this.

Sometimes, depending on each agoraphobia case, no medication will be required. Therapy on its own is enough. For others who have struggled in getting over agoraphobia, medication will help.

In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy with medication is generally very effective. With cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), there will be a great deal of involvement and activities.

This may put you off a little or scare you. But it has to be done and it's for the best. Basically, you'll have to 'do stuff' you wouldn't normally do presently, as an agoraphobe, prior to treatment.

You'll be given notes, forms to fill, certain assignments/homework as part of this therapy, all with the goal of getting back to how you used to be before agoraphobia disrupted your life.

Some improve quickly, others take longer, but the success rate is very high, so stay positive, because you too can do this. It's also very important to complete the full program and not to quit because you feel better.

Bad Days? Move Past Them

The last thing you want is a relapse. Focus on the big picture and don't worry if you have bad days. Bad days can happen. That doesn't mean "OH NO" all over again. Pick up and move again.

Agoraphobia and cognitive therapy do go hand in hand, as does cognitive behavioral therapy. You need to work to make it work, but it can be done. You will improve. You deserve to be happy again, don't you?