A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my experience with claustrophobia when rolling. I did a little online seeking and found that while truly bothersome, the anxiety I experience while under even moderate pressure is recognized and not uncommon.
I also found that many who suffer from some form of panic under pressure attribute their issues to their lack of fitness or conditioning. Apparently, while conditioning can be a factor in confronting or leading to the onset of panic while being controlled, the issue is somewhat larger than that and belongs in a broad category of "phobias." But phobias are treatable, and relate emotional or psychological responses to perceived threat. As such, the sufferer can learn to work with a phobia and overcome or at least adapt to it.
Good old googling led me to this article at Stephen Kesting's Grapplearts web site. The article, inspired by a letter from a reader, inspired a long chain of responsive comments. The comments, mostly anecdotal accounts from those experiencing and addressing panic while rolling, were extremely valuable to me in my attempt to accept and move through or past my phobia.
Just knowing others experience that sense of dread, and experience that overwhelming impulse to tap even when not in imminent danger, is comforting to me. And many of the anecdotal prescriptions contained in the comments contain reasonable approaches to addressing anxiety and worth a try.
I'm training MMA tonight and looking to box several rounds, but hopefully will attend one or more gi classes this weekend. And in doing so, I hope to further confront my current bout with grappling claustrophobia.
It gets easier with mat time, and if your experience is anything like mine, your game will improve dramatically as you learn to control the panic instinct.
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