Sick?

I wish I could figure out what the crap is going on with me. Sometime in the past 2 or 3 years, I have developed a pretty fucking formidable anxiety disorder. Im not really medically diagnosed as such, but its the best way I can describe how I feel. Stuff makes me nervous. Really nervous. So nervous that I get physically ill. Ive tried make-shift breathing techniques and homeopathic drugs and they seem to work to a certain degree most of the time, but what Im really looking for is a treatment I can depend on. Something that will help me "get my life back", so to speak. Before this started happening to me, I was a very outgoing and socially active person. These days it almost kills me to have dinner at a restaurant with friends I've known for 10 years. This has lead to one result: I *rarely* step outside of my "comfort zone". This is a problem because, while most things I need to survive are in my comfort zone, the whole fucking rest of the world is not.
Today I had to step outside of my comfort zone for a work-related conference. I'd known about the conference for about a month prior, and I spent a good amount of that time trying to convince myself that I was not nervous about it, and that I would be absolutely fine. Of course, I also know I was completely full of shit. The thing that makes me most nervous these days is long periods of time spent in transit. Long drives, flights, bus or max rides, that kind of thing. Usually, though, I am afforded the luxury of traveling with someone I know and love very much (Pancho or my mother). This time, not so much. Today I had only my boss (whose thick accent I do find very comforting, oddly enough) and two co-workers. All very sweet people whom I like a lot, but they are definitely NOT Pancho or my mom. Our conference, lucky for me, was actually just in Wilsonville, which depending on traffic, can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to get to. Today I lucked out again and we made it in 15. Of course, I was on the verge of puking the entire time.
Now Im back from the conference, at my desk, returned to the "comfort zone" and I feel like a million dollars. I've got a belly full of delicious curry and a desk full of things to do; life is good. I just wish I didnt have so much initial grief and pain to get past these stupid things that get me so worked up. Is this too much for a girl to ask? I would like to be able to handle something as small as a 15 minute drive with co-workers, or something that should be a lot of fun like dinner with friends or a musical with my mom, without being a sick, nervous wreck the entire time. Also, I would *love* to avoid prescription drugs. They really scare me.
Currently I am considering therapy, and even hypnotherapy, but what I really WISH for is a miracle cure. Does anyone have one of those?