For most of my life I suffered from claustrophobia. It could be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including small closets, packed amusement park rides, and elevators (small and confining or large and overcrowded).
I usually found ways to avoid tight quarters, and just lived with the limitation and fear of being confined. Over a year ago, though, in order to attend my branch church services, I had to use our elevator. I had never ridden in the aging and very small lift, and I can recall saying more than once over the years, “There’s no way I’m getting in that elevator!”
Although the elevator had been installed to help people who needed it, I still felt the same way. So instead of addressing this problem head-on with Christian Science treatment, I stayed home from church services and listened by phone or attended online.
