Agoraphobia

The author agreed to publish this book after pressure from friends and relatives. They were adamant that it would help a number of readers to think about agoraphobia from a different perspective. He rejects the word cure in favour of free and describes how he finally found a way to freedom by becoming a recluse. Paradoxically this led to an understanding of the nature of anxiety and eventually to re-joining the world as a free man. This radical step included rejecting the traditional approach of Behaviour Therapy used by so many professional workers. But it was the intervention of one such professional psychiatric social worker that led to a re-think of the problem. This same social worker dismissed the idea that agoraphobia was a mental illness. The author impresses upon the reader that the book should not be seen as a professional work, and offers no treatment therapies. It is simply a random collection of memories, anecdotes and personal experiences, and should be read on that basis.