[ShyTiger]

Hey deniro, i am very much the same as you, but i have agoraphobia so is part of that. Fear of fear. It sucks! It is something you can overcome thou. it just takes some work on your way of thinking. ie: realising that you are not in danger. breathing and relaxation. For me when im driving long distances its the fear of being trapped far from home. Not being able to escape. So now i have to keep reminding myself that it doesnt really matter where i am if i panic/dp it will be just as unpleasant where ever i am! And that i have to take things as they come and not automatically asume that i will panic /dp when out. Its something i have to work on consistently but when i do the rewards are worth it. Have a look at some agoraphobia it may give you some info that helps.

 

[Beth]

God yes.

I had to go on a plane when my dp/r was about at its worst, and it was very frightening. I think it was because when I started to panic I'd always want to be somewhere else, and so being able to at least move about made things a bit easier, and if I wanted to I knew I could get to a hospital. But on a plane there would've been no way to leave to get anywhere else. I was edgy the whole time, but I didn't actually have a full-blown panic attack or anything like that. I certainly didn't enjoy it though. It made me sad as well because I usually enjoy travelling so much, and I felt really pathetic to be freaking out about flying.

Of course there's also the constant noise, the crampedness, the stale air, the bright colours, the repeating patterns on the seat covers, the ground being far away, the absurdity of flying, the smallness of the things on the ground, and the loud wankers all around you. Flying could have been designed to worsen dp.

 

[mulder]

For me, the fear is about going a long way from home (like if I was to leave the city I live in), and also having to interact with other people on the way there. So, getting on a bus, is not unbearable because it only travels within the city, but it's still a slight worry as I have to interact with the bus driver, watch for my stop and so on. Getting on a train is not a nice thought, and flying is a nightmare because you've got to keep your wits about you when going through all the checks at the airport and stuff. When you feel like you are not functioning properly, and you can't connect with other human beings, it's just too much to cope with.