ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the feelings that an agoraphobic person suffers, beneath it all, is the fear of losing control. This fear of loss of control is, in fact, at the root of many panic attacks from which a phobia develops. Agoraphobia is commonly understood as a fear of open spaces. Claustrophobia is commonly thought to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from agoraphobia. Social phobia is sometimes associated with a personal fear of blushing or shaking. Social phobia can also result from feelings of fear or inadequacy about giving a talk to a roomful of people, or from being asked to present at a seminar. Individuals who suffer obsessional compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to feel compelled to carry out particular rituals in order to feel able to leave home without a sense of overwhelming anxiety. This may present as self-imposed rituals.
