First exposure therapy session

I did exposure therapy with myself today since my therapist recommended it to me for my agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders. I listened to a song that played during one of my traumatic events and it caused a lot of bad memories that in turn made my anxiety worse and I had shortness of breath.

I'm nervous about continuing this but also know that it is probably what needs to happen for me to feel better.

I'm sorry to hear that it was stressful. There is some discomfort to be expected as you begin to face things that you don't find welcoming.

I'm no expert on the subject, but having gone through something similar, have a few thoughts....

When I was doing anxiety work, and particularly going into spaces that would cause anxiety, there was a "mode" that I needed to get into, which was a mindset of acceptance. Let the thing come at you, observe it, and let it pass. Don't fight it, even though that might be your instinct. Did the therapist you are seeing give you any ideas or guidelines about that sort of thing?

If you're fighting the feelings and thoughts, you might end up making things worse- making yourself more anxious. I think it is important how you approach the exposure.

I did a quick search and found an article a doctor wrote about Dr. Weekes method. She talked a lot about "floating" through the anxiety when it comes up. The article might give you some ideas as to how to approach your exposure so it's not so traumatizing. And again, I highly, highly recommend checking out her book. One of the more critical parts of the book (for me) was that she explains how the nervous system works, and why you end up in the anxiety pattern. Just understanding that changed a lot about how I looked at anxiety and agoraphobia.

Claire Weekes: Float Through Anxiety

Thank you for your response and suggestion

I am no expert on the subject, but I had to do it. In January of 2016, they took out my right lung. Subsequently, I had 8 rounds of chemotherapy, Abraxane, and some other drugs. Then, I had 36 gamma therapy exposures, and it took a while to recover from that. Between then and now, my condition slowly improved. I

didn't want to leave the house. I was about as low as a snake's belly, with terrible anxiety. So, Doc E., who was kind enough to come to my home, suggested this approach. It's like from that movie, "What About Bob" ..... Baby-Steps. You go to the driveway, mailbox, and closest neighbor's house. Then, there is the big tamale, the church that sits on the other side of the gating 750 yards away.

It's tough, but it does work. It helped me get moving again for a while. Sorry, you have to deal with it. There does not seem to be much or any other way. Think of it this way, everyone here is with you every step of the way in spirit.