How do you deal with social anxiety? I don't think exposure therapy works. I get traumatized every time I go outside. I still remember a person I saw when I was on a walk through a quiet park years ago.

>>81939887 (OP)
Try EMDR. Helped for me. Usually you need something like that for CPTSD really try and work with a psychotherapist why you have it did you have some terrible life transitions or get beaten/SAed/traumatized. That helps a lot...also at a certain point you just have you face your discomfort and apply your mindfulness/crisis management.

That's how anxiety works...the more you condition to avoid the trigger the worse the severity. Like a cold pool...its slow and painful healing but you need to walk into the fire if you wanna heal.

>>81939887 (OP)
>I don't think exposure therapy works.
It's literally the only solution.

>>81939887 (OP)
Practice with cashiers and the like. If you need to move by someone, say excuse me, even if it isnt necessary. Just get yourself talking so you can realize that it's not a big deal. You know it, but you havent lived that reality yet. No one can help you except give you advice. You have to save yourself.

>>81939887 (OP)
if its that bad get on meds desu

>>81939887 (OP)
>>81940953
Yeah I think you need drugs. Combine drugs with exposure therapy. There was a study showing propranolol combined with exposure therapy was really effective.

>>81939926
>>81939944
I literally spent 2 years going out of my way and forcing myself to be as sociable as possible, with the 'fake it til you make it' mentality, but it absolutely didn't help in the slightest. It was incredibly exhausting, and now I'm worse off that I was in the past.