scared of CBT/klonopin ween

Well its been quite sometime since i have been on here , i have suffered agoraphobia for going on 10 years now, i have been to many many doctors whom just prescribe pills instead of trying to fix the issue, so i turned to the University of Michigan, i will be starting CBT group therapies once a week for 1 1/2 hour per day for a total of well i dont know yet theres 3 levels of each course at 4+ weeks each depending on the person, but my concern is this my therapist/dr said once i start getting better then they are going to ween me off my klonopin i have been on for almost 9 years i know there are very severe side effects to klonopin withdrawal so i have this in my mind "im gonna get better from the treatments then im going to go through the ringer with withdrawals which will then lead back to becoming agoraphobic again" it seems like its going to just be a vicious cycle and i dont even know if i can be taken off my klonopin due to i have been on it so long, plus i dont even know if i will be able to sit in a room full of people with my agoraphobia considering mine is so severe it is sometimes hard for me to even leave my bedroom, i asked the Dr/CBT specialist "what if i cant handle it do i leave the therapy" she said "nope you sit down and we teach you how to not be afraid of it." that right there is scary enough for me to not even go because my panic attacks are super severe and usually land me in the hospital so im at a loss for words, i know the CBT will help me but right now the dr that told me i need CBT no longer will see me cause i have had adverse reactions to every med he has tried me on alongside the klonopin so i dont even have a dr to refill my klonopin until i do get to the point they want to ween me which will lead to cold turkey withdrawal not a taper, im lost/confused/scared all in one. any advice would be greatly appriciated. Thank You

I sure will, i think it will help ease my mind by hearing what others experience with their attacks, how they manage to get out and do things etc etc , the place is super nice inside , staff is super nice , and i love the honesty of the therapists ... Example: the therapist asks me what im most scared of when i panic i replied "dying" she said how many times have you died so far haha , i appreciate your confidence in me with the step i am taking , i just want to get better so i can start living again, i have had nothing but good experiences with U of M from my vestibular testing , to my sister when she had a stroke , to my nephew when he almost died at the age of 2 from an asthma attack, and from what i have seen the 2 times i have went just for a med review / and an intake i am excited to get started but scared i will freak out in front of everyone but i am not gonna think like that. Thank You for the support

Hi

Welcome back to the forum.

I am pleased you are due to start a group CBT programme as I know you will find that very helpful and the good thing about doing it in a group is that you will have others who will be in a similar situation to yourself so they will be able to relate to what you are going through and you can help support each other.

I have done group therapy and although it was rather scary the first few sessions I really settled into it and got a lot out of it.

With regards to weaning of your benzo as long as you do it slowly you should not have any problems and hopefully by then you will have learned some coping strategies through your CBT to help you manage your anxiety better.

Hibee