Causes of Claustrophobia
- Claustrophobia is caused by the mental association of being in enclosed spaces with a very unpleasant experience. This mental association is further strengthened with every experience of anxiety every time a person is an enclosed space. Thus begins a progressive cycle of anxiety developing to phobia. Later on, the anxiety may be unbearable and the patient finds herself having difficulty breathing and in panic, thereby feeling the need to escape.
- Experiences causing claustrophobia often involve being trapped in a very narrow place. For example, in childhood, a person could have been trapped inside a closet or somewhat similar narrow place (like a shed, or cellar etc.). As an adult, the person could have experienced being trapped in an elevator or a narrow room.
- Sooner or later, because of this association, the person is unable to go to places where there are lots of people for fear of being smothered; she is unable to travel via plane because this situation requires her to be in an enclosed space for several hours; if ever she's able to muster enough strength to go into a party she would always stand beside the door -- the nearest way out; she will avoid elevators. This could further lead to feelings of depression or anxiety.
- As claustrophobia is a learned behavior, it can also be "unlearned." There are several therapies developed for this purpose. One is behavioral therapy. This is treating claustrophobics by identifying the "triggers," or the elements in the experience that leads to anxiety. Once identified, these triggers are disassociated with the experience through visualization and positive thinking.
Another is neuro-linguistic programming. This treats claustrophobia by deconstructing how the person views reality. By opening avenues for different points of view, the experience of anxiety is disassociated with the condition of being in enclosed spaces. If not, then the anxiety could be "lessened." In some methods, the person is reintroduced to the "original" experience that triggered the anxiety so she can see the situation in a different light and maturely choose to react in a constructive way. Some say this is itself a kind of behavioral therapy; however, deconstructing a person's way of seeing things is a totally different approach, though they developed under the same lines.
Flooding is a type of therapy that involves the slow exposure of the person to the situation that triggers the attacks. The object is for the person to "get used" to the situation for the anxiety to become controllable. In some methods, the person is given meditation or relaxation techniques so that the negative feelings can dissipate. - There are several medicines or drugs in the market that are listed as "cures" to claustrophobia. They are medicines that soothe the anxiety caused by triggering experiences. However, considering that claustrophobia is a learned response to experience, they cannot be considered "cures," rather interventions because what they do is lessen the anxiety by relaxing the patient. They could not possibly disassociate the learned response from triggering experience.
