Agoraphobia: Anxiety Management Training

In this article, you will be asked to follow a few simple procedures to help you work your way through anxiety management training. Anxiety management training involves developing the three S’s, e.g. self-confidence, self-control, and self-management of your anxiety.

You will learn and use relaxation therapy and goal-rehearsal. These prerequisite skills are needed to help you take control of your anxiety disorder induced by Agoraphobia. We will also focus on emotions and cognitions as we ask you to let go of your anxiety and focus on positive behaviors.

To get started we ask you to consider visiting a busy place. This trigger should ignite some anxiety in you. That is OK. You may feel anxious and ready to rebel at this time. Yet, instead of feeling anxious and rebellious, we ask that you use an opposite behavior to replace the old behavior. That is we ask that you perform some self-relaxation techniques instead and allow yourself to focus on the calmness of mind that you create. Picture yourself in a peaceful environment. When irrational ideas come to mind argue, e.g. I will break into a panic attack if I go to a busy place. Replace it with: I will not break into a panic. Everything will be just fine. Concentrate on the peaceful and relaxing memories that you develop.

Practice the above technique 100 times this week or until you can replace old behaviors with new behaviors.

Now it is time to go into behavior rehearsal, which is a part of anxiety management training. This procedure is used to help you incorporate new behaviors and overcome Agoraphobia.

Behavior Rehearsal involves practicing new behaviors in the comfort of your own home.

Now you are going to use role-play techniques to confront your fears of dealing with other people. Find someone you can trust and feel comfortable with to help you through this procedure. Get a video camera so that you can record the results. Consider the least threatening situation or environment. Use your role-play techniques to rehearse your undesired skill. Ask your friend or party that you asked to help you with this procedure to provide you with feedback in particular of your weaknesses and strengths.

Once you find someone to help, ask him or her to play the role of you. You are the therapist and the other person is you playing your part. Use this technique to confront anyone you desire. When you confront the other person practicing using your new behavior as an authentic encounter.

Once you complete the step, play back your video so that you can review the dialogue with the other party helping you. Reverse the roles but follow the same procedures. Continue this technique until you have reached a point where you feel at ease with dealing with the other person.

Plan an intervention strategy to help you learn to manage your anxiety

1. Recognize your behavior and discover what you want to change about that behavior.
2. Identify the situation or environment that requires you to use your new skill.
3. Build a hierarchy, which incorporates both the least and most threatening from the situations and settings.
4. Practicing using your new skills.

Decide when you have use the new behavior to your satisfaction to replace the undesired behavior then move up to the next situation. Work your way up the hierarchy until you have taking control of your anxiety.