Dear Julie:

Welcome back.

You wrote above about your therapist: “She has made it clear how toxic my family are and that I did right walking away from them but she likens me to a traumatised child who has been abandoned and hurt time and time again and she said I continue to be hurt when I allow my mother or sisters to contact me or my children. Which she is probably right.”

My question: do you still have contact with your mother? If your answer is Yes; why are you still in contact with her?

You wrote: “I have made it clear (to your therapist) that I want to work on the agoraphobia not focus on PTSD and the past”

My comment: the agrophobia and PTSD symptoms and any other anxiety related symptom you are suffering from, all have the same root cause, so Agrophobia and PTSD are not separate issues that need to be worked on separately.

One more thing: regarding your anxiety increasing while in therapy: part of the therapy should be teaching you emotional regulation, that is ways to calm yourself; it is about gaining insight (which brings about anxiety) slowly and gradually enough so the anxiety doesn’t overwhelm you.

Waiting for your reply.

anita