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Claustrophobia fear has many components.
Mostly we just think of good old small rooms, elevators, or MRI tubes. The symptoms elicited from these places are an anxiety disorder for tight spaces that can bring on fears of being trapped. But many people get the same anxiety, the same claustrophobia symptoms from a large place with many people. For example, a well known one is Times Square on New Years Eve. It’s a big area but with so many people there the claustrophobe can feel trapped and needs to escape. Similarly in a packed jumbo jet where you might have claustrophobia and a fear of flying.
Claustrophobia fear and Medical Devices
Personally, I hardly think this is a disorder. Does it seem normal to be OK with being rolled into an MRI tube so tight you feel your own hot breath blowing back into your face? Then they turn it on and its normal working sounds of jackhammers around you are so loud you need ear protection. Then, when you are just about to panic a voice says, OK, next round 45 minutes, don’t move! All this great human comfort and the inability to even move to scratch that horrible itch you have way down on your ankle. Claustrophobia fear is not a big deal, but you need to get over it to live in a modern society.
But we all need to overcome claustrophobia fear to use some of this great technology to our benefit. Maybe you’re claustrophobic in that slim sliver tube flying in the sky, or even an elevator. You might be able to go though life and avoid all these but someday you won’t be able to refuse the MRI you need. That doesn’t make you crazy or inferior to others. As we said above, being OK with confinement or cramped quarters is the odd behavior. Our Self Hypnosis for Claustrophobia program will help you. You should also read a great WebMD article on Claustrophobia.
