Hi all,
I am a 66 year old married female with chronic health issues incl. autoimmune thyroid disease w/hypothyroidism which is being controlled with thyroid medication, LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) and diet & lifestyle interventions (eg. avoiding known personal intolerances such as gluten/dairy/soy, etc.) My husband of 37+ years & I moved summer of 2019 from a city to a rural area and I do not drive but there is nowhere to walk to, the village is too far for me to walk and there are no parks nearby to walk in woods and relax in nature so you have to drive everywhere, a lack of foresight that is my own fault as I knew there used to be a greyhound bus that ran close by but did not know it was discontinued. My last vestige of independence disappeared once we moved here because I do not drive so I must rely entirely on my husband to take me anywhere so I can no longer go anywhere by myself anymore. I was already feeling the most isolated and trapped when current restrictions came down which only served to intensify these feelings of being trapped and not being able to get away. Then at some point, I was reading a book about women authors of horror and science fiction which normally is right up my alley but then I read a passage about a woman who got trapped in a cave and died there which suddenly greatly affected me even though I know it wasn’t real and wasn’t happening to me and yet I responded as though it were. Now anytime I see or read something similar, panic begins to rise and I feel the need to escape, even invading my sleep recently. 2 nights this week, I came right out of sleep at 3 or 4 a.m. feeling like I was trapped and needing to escape. Usually if I awaken, I take note of the time then roll over and fall back asleep again, but not these 2 recent episodes wherein I had to get up and leave the bedroom to read or watch TV and have a bite to eat. I am always hungry the moment I awake as I am prone to hypoglycemia.
Feelings of Being Trapped and Not Being Able to Get Away
What Now?
Read comments from others who are dealing with this phobia or share your own experiences below. Remember, you're not alone!
Nangobi says
Hi, I am 26 years old. I have been in a relationship for over eight years now. I have two kids, and I moved in with this guy in 2018, 7 years ago. I became so committed to this relationship as I saw everything in this person. He took full responsibility for me and provided for me, but it reached a point when he started seeing someone else, and they moved in together five years ago. I have always struggled with my mental health as I have a fear of leaving since I know I will have no one else by my side. Most of the time, I fail to sleep, only thinking of where I would start in case I decided to leave. I always feel trapped and see myself as hopeless, and sometimes think of the dead as being more at peace than I am.