A London resident, who had been experiencing increasing anxiety and claustrophobia, particularly on public transport since the late 1980s, discovered the root cause of their panic attacks through hypnotherapy. In July 2003, during a daily commute between Brixton and the South Bank, a panic attack became so intense that they attempted to climb out of a moving Tube carriage, prompting intervention from other passengers.
Referred to a hypnotherapist by their GP the following year, the individual underwent regression hypnotherapy. After three months, the therapist inquired if they had ever been in a train crash. Initially denying it, the individual was asked to confirm with their parents.
Upon asking their parents, it was revealed that they had been involved in a train accident on 4 September 1965, at the age of four. While waiting to depart from a platform after a ferry journey from Dublin to Holyhead, their train was struck by another passenger train, throwing it backwards and trapping passengers inside. Although unharmed, the individual and their grandmother were squashed together amid rising panic and seriously injured passengers.
The parents stated they had tried to discuss the incident with their child afterwards, but stopped when the child would only scream and run away. This discovery provided clarity regarding over a decade of fear and panic, explaining difficulties with various forms of transport and situations where they felt trapped.