Emotional Claustrophobia: Getting Over Your Fear of Being Engulfed by People or Situations

Emotional Claustrophia has taken on the challenge of explaining various experiences of 'suffocation' and similar fears in every day life by linking current experiences with past ones. Drawing on a wide variety of experiences, primarily but not exclusively with relationships, the author tries to show how and why these negative reactions occur and how her readers might address them. To the book's credit, the author touches on a very diverse group of situations which seem to share some common themes. Where she may fall down is in not exploring each area in sufficient depth. For example, she raises some tantalizing questions about relationships one might have had with controlling organizations but doesn't go far enough in explaining how these groups experiences might lead to claustrophobic reactions in later life. Where the book excels is in the way it advises the reader to record, write or 'journal' their experiences as a helpful recovery tool. Making sure to encourage readers to contact a mental health professional if necessary, the author gives good, easy to follow, concrete instructions on how to track your reactions to events, what to expect both emotionally and physically as you process your feelings, and ways in which you might better understand them.