[Fleury29]

I've tried various things, but my phobia is not something that I think exposing myself to would work, I have cleithrophobia which is the fear of being trapped or confined. It isn't claustrophobia because I can quite happily sit in a closet all day long without any problems as long as I know I can get out. It often crops up in situations where I'm with a group at dinner and I'm on the back end of the bench and I'd have to ask 2 people to move so I could stand up. Or at concerts when there are hundreds of people around me, these kinds of situations. Or if I'm in a dentist chair or just can't move very much for awhile for some reason. How do I overcome this? I've tried and nothing has worked.

[Skeezyks]

Hello Fleury29: I don't know as I have any particularly great suggestions here. But I saw no one had replied to your post. So I thought I would. I imagine that what is going to be necessary here is for you to find a therapist who practices desensitization (exposure) therapy.

California therapist Kati Morton uploaded a video onto her YouTube channel recently where she talked about this type of therapy. And she emphasized that it's not something that should be done by just any therapist. It's important to find a T who actually has some particular expertise using the technique. Here's a link to the video:

I don't think my own problem has reached the extent of yours but I still think I get this. Anytime I go to a function at a large place with a huge crowd I am panicked and scoping out every possible avenue of escape. I choose seats in the back and on the aisle in case I need to leave early. IKEA is difficult as you can't get out the way you go in and the exit isn't obvious (ironic that I worked there for years).

It helps me to go to places with someone else. It helps to tell them my escape plans. It helps to formulate excuses to leave early in advance. I have a CBT worksheet on catastrophic thinking that is very useful to complete before I get into such situations. It is really helpful in figuring out a plan of action should the worst case scenario arise. But it is most helpful in realizing that scenario isn't very likely to happen.