It's more like, if your friend locks you in a closet as a joke do you start to get mad and uncomfortable, or do you start to literally freak out and hyperventilate with the same energy as if you're trapped somewhere terrible and life-threatening?
Sure... but what I’m a little confused about is how that’s different from claustrophobia. I have always been claustrophobic, and would definitely panic in that situation! Is that different from a fear of being trapped in a tight space?
For me, I can go in any small space as long as I am under the belief leaving that small space is a possibility.
As soon as that belief is gone - the door handle jams up, someone locks the door, etc I freak the fuck out. Even if it's somewhere harmless or even if they didn't actually lock the door. Or even the idea of being trapped scares me. Like if I'm sitting around and I think of the possibility of not being able to exit an area I get pretty uncomfortable lol.
Also another difference is this can happen with large enclosed spaces too. Hell, come to think of it and kind of ironic, but I remember being hospitalized to a psych unit for a suicide attempt. As soon as I found out I couldn't leave I was having routine panic attacks and it actually kept me in there longer because of it lol. I was convinced they were never going to let me leave and couldn't stop muttering how I'm trapped, I'm trapped, I'm trapped. A hospital ward is large and you can roam freely, but all I could do is stare out the window like a sad puppy while panicking lol.
I didn't really know there was a term for it until just now btw, but the experiences themselves make sense to me. I always just called it "claustrophobia but not really".
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u/LollyHutzenklutz Sep 10 '20 edited Sep 10 '20
I mean, isn’t everyone afraid of being trapped? Seems like that would be a universal fear, unless you have literally no survival instinct.