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Agoraphobia
Relieving the Roots of Agoraphobia with Quick REMAP:
A Quick REMAP Case Example by Gene Burkhammer
Background:
I have been
treating Kim for about two years. She had several traumatic
events in her past resulting in many symptomatic responses,
including agoraphobia and a fear of going into places alone.
Her fear was maintained at a high level due to chronic pain
that began after the birth of her son, 15 years ago, when
she was in a coma and close to death. This constant
physical pain, plus ongoing stress and instability in her
life has made it difficult for her to make constructive
changes in her thinking and behavior.
I had been
waiting for a session in which there was no current crisis,
so that we could begin to treat her underlying traumatic
events. That moment finally came right after I took the
Quick REMAP professional training. It seemed fateful that,
after two years, there was finally a session where we could
start doing something constructive.
Event:
I asked her to
pick something to work on. She chose an incident directly
related to her agoraphobia. When she was 7 years old, she
had gone to Sea World with a school group. All she could
remember was focusing on one attraction, then turning around
and finding no one there. She was panic-stricken. As she
described the event, she then realized that this was the
start of her exaggerated fear of being alone in public
places.
Treatment:
I got her
permission to use Quick REMAP and gave a brief introduction
to what we would be doing. I have discussed with her
numerous times the need to do this type of work to help her
with her trauma. I was happy to know that she was finally
ready. I began by encouraging her to notice all of her
sensory experiences while recalling the event, and to let me
know if any thoughts or emotions came up while we were
proceeding.
Then, I asked
her to activate the Quick REMAP treatment points while she
focused on the aspects of the memory that bothered her. As
she rubbed the second treatment point (below the knee—St.
36), she recalled the crowd opening up and several of her
party finding her and then feeling safe.
Her memory of
this traumatic experience had always been painfully
selective (just focusing on the panic of being alone in an
unfamiliar place), until this time. It was obvious that her
increased objectivity coincided with the release of the
trauma.
Follow-up
Results:
I saw her one
week later and assessed the results from the Quick REMAP
treatment. Her words were very revealing: “I finally
feel that I’ve had a breakthrough.” “I now have hope of
getting better for the first time.” These
statements were from a person who has been in crisis mode
almost her entire life. For the first time, she sat across
from me without that "deer in the headlights" look. After
months of gently encouraging her to consider a part-time
job, she had decided on her own to do so this past week.
Needless to
say, Quick REMAP had a life-changing impact on Kim.
Audio file:
Hear Streaming Audio
of Gene Burkhammer discussing his use of Quick REMAP with
this case.
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