The fear of traveling: A discussion and report of a case

Summary and Comment

The phobic reaction to travel is defined, discussed, and differentiated from true agoraphobia. It has a certain universality and has no symbolic meaning apart from its origin in separation anxiety, which is then reinforced by the experience of reality and by the projection of unconscious infantile sishes and fears. It is thus a concomintant of regression and, as such, is often associated with panphobic reactions. It can present a major problem in psychotherapy where permitting, supporting, or even encouraging regression, no matter how unwittingly, may at times arouse or reinforce certain deep-seated, universal fears of childhood that have been lying dormant. Here treatment, oddly enough, can interfere with its own goals. Unlike the case of true agoraphobia which is a psychoneurotic symptom that usually must be dealt with directly in therapy, the therapist should concern himself here with the regression, for reversal of this process should produce in most cases a clearing up of the phobic reaction to travel without any attention paid to it directly. A case is reported which demonstrates these points.