“YOU KNOW IT’S IRRATIONAL”
Ihave a fear of being trapped (cleithrophobia), which began one day when I had a panic attack after being stuck on a Tube between stations for a few minutes,” says Rochelle Bisson.
“Things snowballed from there, until I was completely avoiding all public transport. My commute to work in London was taking ages! It all became too much, making me ill and not only affecting my career but spreading to other areas too – I’d struggle to sit in the middle of a row at the theatre, for example.
“You know it’s irrational, but you can’t overcome it. The emotional effect combined with the practical side is really horrible pairing of circumstance. It was controlling a lot of my life.
“Various therapies had shown some improvement but then I tried a virtual reality technique for a BBC3 documentary. I did a lift simulation and a public transport simulation, with the therapist guiding me through via headphones.
“After the first session I got into a lift and we finished the third session by going on a Tube train one stop and then back again, so the therapy did have quite a drastic effect.
“Since then I have got in several lifts, I’ve been on the Tube on my own and I am building it up and improving slowly. It is not a miracle cure, but I have never tried anything that has worked that quickly and successfully.”
For help on dealing with phobias contact Mind: 0300 123 3393 WWW.MIND.ORG.UK