Look in the dictionary and it will tell you the definition of agoraphobia is "fear of the marketplace." Clinically speaking it is a condition that makes people afraid to leave home. There are different degrees of agoraphobia and so, many times people suffering from it are simply afraid to visit a few places.

Most times, agoraphobia starts with the patient being afraid to go to just one venue. Before long, he will fear visiting one more place. As time goes on, he becomes fearful of visiting somewhere else. Then, he will fear still another place. After this trend has developed for a while, he will find himself locked in his home.

Panic is the force that starts agoraphobia in its beginning stages and keeps alive in its latter stages. Agoraphobia and panic are inexorably intertwined. This is so because the "fear" in "fear of the marketplace" is actually a panic attack. It is panic attack, not just fear that cases a person to remain locked up at home.

Clearly, panic attack disorder is integral to agoraphobia. It is almost as if panic disorder is a subsidiary of agoraphobia. If panic attacks are absent, agoraphobia cannot be present either. Clearly, the cure to agoraphobia lies in curing panic attack syndrome.

The first panic attack most people have comes unexpectedly and suddenly. The sufferer of a panic attack will always seem to blame the place the attack occurred on the fact it did occur. So, logically, he will not want to return to this place.

Of course, it could be this will be the only panic attack this person will experience. If so, there will be no harm done. However, the problem is the sufferer is liable to have more panic attacks. As this happens he will accumulate more places he will no longer want to visit.

For some patients, it may not only be fear of places being developed. Sometimes it is an event that is blamed instead. .It doesn't matter what type of event it is, it is likely to become synonymous with the panic attack in the sufferer's mind. The event could be as high pressure as a job interview or as low key as Thanksgiving dinner at a relative's house. It makes no difference if it a place or an event the sufferer blames for the panic attack, all that matters is the sufferer of the attack will have developed another fear of something outside his house.

A panic attack brings with it many very disconcerting symptoms. They make the sufferer feel as if death is imminent. It is, of course, very difficult to accept such feelings. So if in the sufferer's mind, it is an event behind the unwanted symptoms, he will choose to not attend such events.

The way to work toward the cure for agoraphobia is to bring the patient back to the places he fears. Of course these visits should be very short at first. To successfully cure panic attacks involves the sufferer of them letting or actually encouraging these attacks to come to him. He must live through panic attacks without fighting with them. Panic attacks need our fear of them in order to overcome us. By our not providing this fear, we actually chase them away. After panic attacks have stopped returning there is no reason left for a person to be agoraphobic.

The author, Ed Lathrop has lived with and completely has made a total recovery Anxiety Disorder with Panic attack syndrome. Find out from his own experiences and other experts in the field how you can overcome panic and other anxiety types. Visit Stop Anxiety Panic and Natural Anxiety Cures.