It traps me in my house days sometimes weeks at a time. I force myself to go out to my therapy sessions and to get groceries. The only other times that I go away from my safe place is if my children need me for something. I spent the last 3 years inside of my house without being to go out without being on high dose of Xanax to get me into any vehicle just to get the doctor which was two blocks away. I moved back to my home town thinking it would help me get out and socialize more and I was wrong. I have been able to go to the store compared to what I did before. I am hoping now that I am seeing my old therapist again that I will be able to get out and try to live a more active life. I have been told many times it takes small steps to get there but there are those that don't understand agoraphobia at all. They say we are faking it and they say we just don't want to travel for the holidays or go on vacations with other family members which is not true at all. I know agoraphobia can be hard to deal with because I tried to go and see my in-laws and I was like a cat in a car and I had to beg my husband to bring me back home while he took the kids to get their Christmas gifts one year and I sat in my living room and cried and kept saying that I was a worthless person because I could not make one simple trip away from the house.