Davit, there really wasn't trauma the first time that I had an attack in the shower. There was quite a bit of stress going on in my life at the time though.
Is the light switch in the bathroom or out. Helps if it is inside. Tell your mom that if you are in the bathroom and quiet not to interfere, When you get that edgy feeling in the shower, immediately after, shut off the light and try to hold that feeling. You want the dark so you do not have a distraction and it makes it easier to imagine you are still in the shower. As it fades try to hold on to it. By doing this you will have to bring up the trigger to keep it going. Do not be surprised if the trigger is not what you think. Save the coping skills till you either lose it or can't do it anymore.
I'm curious to know what the trigger is. What are you associating the shower with, what trauma happened at the same time as the first attack?
Hello everyone. I believe I have an interesting exposure to deal with and it's taking a shower. I'm agoraphobic about taking a shower because a little over a year ago was when I had my first really bad attack, and it was in the shower. Also a month ago when I had an attack(also a setback because I had been doing fine taking showers) it was in the shower. Usually exposure work is gradually exposing yourself to a situation and then staying in that situation for longer periods of time. Also usually done with a support person. Well, right now I live with my mom and taking a shower is a bit personal, so having her as a support person makes me a bit uncomfortable. And also, staying in the shower for longer than 20 minutes(at the most) to let my fear subside and accepting that I'm OK isn't really possible because then the hot water runs out. So I'm just looking for some ideas about how to go about doing this. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply if you have any suggestions.
