A moment that changed me: I had a panic attack on public transport – and it led me to a horrifying secret
For a decade I lived with a fear so bad that I once tried to climb out of a tube carriage while it was in motion. Then a hypnotherapist told me to ask my parents one very important question In 2000, I had been living in London for just over a decade and working at EMI Records for five years. I had moved to Brixton from Surrey – where space and peace were generally abundant – in the late 80s, and…
For over ten years, I struggled with a debilitating fear that culminated in me attempting to escape from a moving underground carriage. This intense anxiety had been growing since I relocated from Surrey to Brixton in the late 1980s, as I increasingly felt overwhelmed by the crowded and confined spaces of public transportation. The situation worsened over time, resulting in a series of distressing panic attacks.
By July 2003, I found myself on my usual commute from Brixton to the South Bank, when I experienced a panic attack of such severity that I found myself attempting to climb out of the train doors. Fortunately, fellow passengers managed to restrain me until the train reached the next station. After this harrowing experience, I knew that I could no longer ignore the issue and sought help to address my growing mental health concerns.
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