Therapy for Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
Panic attacks generally consist of a set of symptoms and are themselves considered a common symptom of other disorders such as Generalized Anxiety, PTSD, Social Anxiety, Specific Phobias, and Agoraphobia. But they can also happen on their own or in response to a specific stressor. They can consist of many different of symptoms, including, but not limited to:
- shortness of breath
- intense nervousness or even fear
- a feeling of not being your self
- fear of losing your mind, going crazy or dying
- pounding heart
- sweating
- numbness or tingling
- muscle tension
Panic attacks are much more treatable than most people think. Panic Control Treatment, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed for panic attacks, has been shown to be superior to medications in reducing or eliminating panic attacks. We use it because it is the very best option for treating panic attacks, having the most scientific support of any treatment available.
Research over many years has repeatedly shown that the cause of Panic Disorder is the fear of anxiety (and panic attacks) itself – and if we can learn to not fear anxiety, most people stop having panic attacks. If your panic attacks are caused by something else, like stress, PTSD, OCD, or depression, we end up treating that problem to stop your panic attacks. You are considered cured when you either stop having panic attacks, or they become so minor and so infrequent that anxiety becomes nothing more than an infrequent nuisance that no longer gets in the way of your life, that isn’t bad enough to scare you, and that you can recover from quickly before it gets out of control.
Agoraphobia is closely related to panic attacks. You can read more about Agoraphobia here.