The Agoraphobia Mindset: Catastrophic Thinking

Catastrophic thinking is a type of thinking done by many people with agoraphobia that contributes to the disorder.

Catastrophic thinking is blowing negative events or feelings way out of proportion. It is turning small mistakes or minor setbacks into major catastrophes through exaggerated thinking. The magnification of negative events on the part of someone with agoraphobia leads to a magnification of fear, anxiety, or panic experienced as a result.

Examples of catastrophic thinking:

You get turned down after auditioning for a part in a play and think, “This is so awful and embarrassing. I am a terrible actor and had no business even auditioning.”

You are having trouble understanding a math assignment in school and think, “I am such an idiot who cannot understand anything. I probably won’t make it through college or be able to get a good job.”

Catastrophic thinking frequently occurs during panic attacks when physical sensations are perceived as more dangerous than they really are. Here are some examples of this type of catastrophizing:

“My heart is beating so fast I will probably have a heart attack.”

“I feel like my throat is going to close up, I won’t be able to breathe, and I will pass out.”

“I can’t get my anxiety under control. These feelings will probably never stop.”

“I feel like I am going crazy and am afraid I might do something to hurt myself or someone else.”

“I think I am going to die.”

If you have agoraphobia and are thinking this way, there are some questions you might ask yourself to challenge catastrophic thinking:

1) Do I have any objective evidence that this will happen (or is true), or am I just jumping to a conclusion out of fear?

2) Could another person with the same experience but without agoraphobia come up with a different explanation of what happened?

3) How many times have I worried that this would happen, and how many times did it really happen?

4) What is a more rational statement I could make?

5) What is a statement I could make to someone else and be believed?

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

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia featuring a free newsletter can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws

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