Fear of crossing streets

Abnormal and persistent fear of crossing streets, highways and other thoroughfares; fear of thoroughfares themselves. Sufferers experience anxiety even though they realize that streets, highways and other thoroughfares pose no threat commensurate with their fear.

Fear of crossing streets is termed "agyrophobia," a word derived from the Greek "gyrus" (turning or whirling) and the Greek "phobos" (fear). The first letter, "a," is privative--that is, it creates a negative. Thus, an agyrophobiac shuns or avoids the whirl of traffic.

What is Agyrophobia?

Defined as "a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of streets or crossing the street", each year this surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress.

To add insult to an already distressing condition, most agyrophobia therapies take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear. We believe that not only is this totally unnecessary, it will often make the condition worse. And it is particularly cruel as agyrophobia can be eliminated with the right methods and just 24 hours of commitment by the phobic individual.

Known by a number of names - Agyrophobia, Fear of Streets, and Fear of Crossing the Street being the most common - the problem often significantly impacts the quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones and business associates. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread, although everyone experiences agyrophobia in their own way and may have different symptoms. Our treatment involves no drugs.

Though a variety of potent drugs are often prescribed for agyrophobia, side effects and/or withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Moreover, drugs do not "cure" agyrophobia or any other phobia. At best they temporarily suppress the symptoms through chemical interaction.

The good news is that the modern, fast, drug-free processes of The CTRN Phobia Clinic will train your mind to feel completely different about streets or crossing the street, eliminating the fear so it never haunts you again.

Consider the true cost of living with Agyrophobia.

If you are living with agyrophobia, what is the real cost to your health, your career or school, and to your family life? Avoiding the issue indefinitely would mean resigning yourself to living in fear, missing out on priceless life experiences big and small, living a life that is just a shadow of what it will be when the problem is gone.

For anyone earning a living, the financial toll of this phobia is incalculable. Living with fear means you can never concentrate fully and give your best. Lost opportunities. Poor performance or grades. Promotions that pass you by. agyrophobia will likely cost you tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime, let alone the cost to your health and quality of life. Now Agyrophobia can be gone for less than the price of a round-trip airline ticket.

What is the cause of Agyrophobia?

Like all fears and phobias, agyrophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking streets or crossing the street and emotional trauma. Whilst the original catalyst may have been a real-life scare of some kind, the condition can also be triggered by myriad, benign events like movies, TV, or perhaps seeing someone else experience trauma.

But so long as the negative association is powerful enough, the unconscious mind thinks: "Ahh, this whole thing is very dangerous. How do I keep myself from getting in this kind of situation again? I know, I'll attach terrible feelings to streets or crossing the street, that way I'll steer clear in future and so be safe." Just like that agyrophobia is born. Attaching emotions to situations is one of the primary ways that humans learn. Sometimes we just get the wiring wrong.

The actual phobia manifests itself in different ways. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli. Everyone has their own unique formula for when and how to feel bad.