Safe People and Safe Places

People with agoraphobia tend to develop "safe" people and "safe places."

Developing safe people:

“Safe” people are people with whom the agoraphobic is highly familiar and feels emotionally close to. Safe people are usually parents, spouses, children, or close friends and relatives.

In the company of a safe person, most agoraphobics can travel further away from home and are more willing to enter feared places and situations. The presence of a safe person makes otherwise unsafe places and situations feel safer for someone with agoraphobia.

The reason that many people with agoraphobia report feeling safer with a safe person is because they feel like someone would be there to help in the case of a panic attack or sudden emergency. Agoraphobics typically act as if the safe person possesses abnormal powers to stop a panic attack or save them from perceived dangers. In reality, safe people offer someone with agoraphobia a source of emotional security rather than any real safety.

Developing safe places:

In the same way that agoraphobics develop safe people, they also develop “safe” places. These are places in which the agoraphobic feels psychologically comfortable. The most common safe place for someone with agoraphobia is his or her own home. Other common safe places are the homes of safe people, therapists’ offices, and other established refuges where the agoraphobic normally feels comfortable going.

There is no set amount of safe territory common to all people with agoraphobia. Some people are able to establish more safe places than others. While some may feel safe in a number of locations away from their home, others are confined solely to their homes, even others to certain rooms in their homes, and in extreme cases confined mainly to their beds.

Fear of being alone:

People with agoraphobia are usually afraid to be alone, even when they are in a safe place, because they are afraid there would be no one to help them in the case of a panic attack or real emergency.

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. He has an informational website on agoraphobia with a free newsletter. It is found on the web at www.agoraphobia.ws

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