Need suggestions!
Hey all! I didn’t grow up camping, but started when I moved for college. I fell in love! I have worked as a backcountry guide in that time since then, and camp in my free time as well. A few years ago, I started randomly experiencing panic when in a tent. Not a slight panic, I mean full-blown think I’m going to die, considering EVAC panic. It is like claustrophobia meets insane inability to adjust to the dark, so I can’t actually see anything and just feel a visceral fear.
Most of the time I camp, I cowboy it and just sleep under the stars. But there are situations where I have to set up a tent obviously, and now the fear of the panic that might come just brings it on even more. Usually, if I step outside and breathe it helps a bit, but not always. I actually had to be taken out of the field at one point. I have stopped guiding because of this, and it HURTS my soul so much. I know a lot of it is just exposure and making myself realize that I am safe, but I’m wondering if anyone else has dealt with this and what helped them?
I would love to get back to guiding, but fear that this panic will happen. No one wants a guide experiencing panic. I have seen a therapist for it, and honestly there’s not much they’ve said that has helped. I do have meds to take in the event it gets bad, and I’ll take them on a private trip but I also don’t love taking sedatives in the backcountry and wouldn’t even think about taking them while guiding participants. Black out tents are a NO GO for me, but my tent isn’t a blackout one. It’s also a 2person that comfortably can fit 2 people and a large dog, so it’s fairly spacious.
TLDR: started experiencing terrible panic from tents, forcing me to stop guiding. Need any suggestions or recommendations for steps to get over it.