Claustrophobia Problem

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 06:25 PM

Took our new Apex 268BHS out this weekend and found out my wife's minor claustrophobia wasn't so minor. She had a very hard time sleeping in the master bedroom due to the enclosed area. We've had the unit one month and I'm even considering trading for a different model. My Apex has one door into the bedroom while other versions of it have two curtains on either side of the entertainment center. My dealer has been very understanding and is trying to find a solution short of trading. They are going to contact Forest River to see if it is okay to take the panel off so they could put up a curtain they we could leave open for my wife. What are y'all's thoughts? I'm going to attempt to attach a photo of my unit and one of its cousin. Thanks.

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 06:27 PM

Can't get the pictures to load for some reason

StephanieLynn · 08-21-2013, 06:49 PM

Does she have problems just being in the room? Or is it when she lays down? My Dh gets claustrophic in some situations. I'm actually surprised our trailer doesn't bother him.

Would sleeping with her head at the foot of the bed help? So the cabinets aren't hanging over her?

**wmtire** · 08-21-2013, 06:50 PM

Do you have a vent in the bedroom? Don't know if it would help, but you might could try to put like a clear lid over the vent that may help her not feel as hemmed in if she's lying there and can see out to the stars.

Be bright in the morning though.

Fan-tastic Vent Lid- Clear 1020-00

Obviously there is no way she is going to sleep in the bunkbeds.

l001952119 · 08-21-2013, 06:59 PM

I have a minor(?) amount of claustrophobia. I generally sleep in the livingroom and not on the inflatable mattress. Takes to much time to setup and store. Tried couch, but to short. That floor is looking better every claustrophobic night! Buy a mattress topper and throw on floor with a pillow and blankets. That should solve the problem. Having been in the military, I could be comfortable sleeping on a rock!

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 07:43 PM

My unit

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 07:44 PM

How I want it to look...

This is from another Apex unit.

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 07:48 PM

We've considered a skylight but she says its simply being "cornered in". I gave up the door side of the bed and slept on the dinette area which surprisingly was very comfortable with the foam topper. But we'd like to sleep together. Honestly I may get a little hinkey in her corner!

Brother Les · 08-21-2013, 09:35 PM

Hello Captain, surprisingly this does happen to many people and it will be fine after awhile..... The slope of the head board side makes it feel as if one if 'pinned in'. Our Hemisphere is huge compared to our last camper, but the bed room has that slope and it felt like sleeping in a collapsing cave... for a week. We have two sliding doors and the swivel tv and two windows.

Open up the room as much as you can in the minds eye. Open the windows and have the shades up at night (I know it may be a little noisy). Keep the door open and sleep (your wife by the door) with your heads by the tv side. Have the tv swiveled half open to 'see' into the front room or take it out if it is not too hard to 'open up' the bed room. Have a night light in the 'main room' to shine a little light into the bed room. Remove as much 'stuff' from the bed room as possible to make it seem/feel bigger.

It is mostly getting used to a 'new space and a new place'. It may help to sleep in the 'main' (open) area for awhile until the urge to sleep in a real bed hits everyone.

You have a very good set up and I would not recommend to change to another unit. A 'bigger' unit does not mean a very much 'bigger' bed room, only better quality doors/cabinets/storage/tv/ etc.

Captain Skippy · 08-21-2013, 10:23 PM

That's good advice Brother Les. Thanks.

Weezer · 08-21-2013, 11:32 PM

As someone who won't go to malls at Christmas (I want to stop, put my arms out, ball my hands in to fists and start spinning, demanding loudly that everyone stop invading my personal space) I feel her pain. Heck I can't remember when I went to a mall when it wasn't Christmas.

Before we bought our V-Lite we looked at several models with the sloping ceiling over the bed. QQ! I worried about that. DH reasoned that we wouldn't spend many waking hours in the bedroom anyway...still I had reservations.

One of the selling points on our TT was the walk through to the bathroom feature. With the bathroom door in the "V", off the bedroom, the BR seems larger.

Has she researched: Phobias and Visualization- How to Use Visualization for Phobias for Beginners

Yes, there's always the option of a very low dosage of anti anxiety to be used until she resolves this issue, but in her shoes I'd do that only as a last resort.

As someone else mentioned, the less clutter the better in the BR...even down to extra pillows removed not only from the bed but from the room.

With the storage cabinets over our bed, I would have sworn I was sleeping in a slight head down position. We put *half* a 2 inch topper under the upper half of the bed, even though levels placed on the slide floor, on the mattress pedestal, etc. all showed absolutely level. The half topper fixed the problem....even if it's only in my mind.

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