Hively Customer Satisfaction Survey
8627 people are happy with our customer service

Recurrent anxiety, fear of dying, and health issues

Corina Zanner-Entwistle's picture

Hi there,

I need some help with a client. He came to me suffering from anxiety. However, every time he makes some progress, he feels like he goes backwards again and feels like he will never be normal again.

He has a great fear of dying and leaving his family. At first, he had a twitch in his leg (pretty strong) and believed he could have MND/ALS. After talking to his physio, he thought, "Okay, it's just a stuck nerve." The next day, he started experiencing a burning sensation in his other leg and arm, so the fear was back. Eventually, he went to see a specialist (not for the first time), who confirmed there was no issue. The next day, he started experiencing throat pain and fear of flying due to previous bladder issues, so he is worried about being stuck on a plane and having no help. He needs to take a long flight in a month's time, although at the moment the throat issue is bothering him more. Doctor says nothing wrong.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Not sure where to go next with him.

Rebekah Hall's picture

Hi Corina,

Thank you for your question.

It sounds like your client would really benefit from the approaches used in our 'Sensorimotor OCD' or 'Overcome Hypochondria' scripts. Of course, we also have scripts that address 'Fear of Dying' and 'Fear of Flying', as well. But while reading your question, the Sensorimotor OCD one immediately popped into my head.

The other way to approach his fear of flying, I think, is to approach it as 'Bathroom Anxiety', since you said he worries about being stuck on a plane and (I assume) not being able to get to a toilet.

I hope this helps!

Best wishes,

Rebekah
Uncommon Care Team