Panic Attacks

What are Panic Attacks?

Panic attacks are intense experience of high physiological arousal and anxiety symptoms of fear of the worst happening where a person feels that they are either going to die, to lose control and make a fool of themselves, or go insane.

The key to panic attacks are that a negative thought about a worst case scenario that could happen in the future becomes imminent and the client reacts to this as if it were actually happening NOW, in the present and experiences the terror, nervousness, dread, and panic which comes from having their greatest fears appear to happen.

One of the greatest fears is that the intensity of negative emotion could continue 'forever' and would spiral into catastrophic results

CBT and Panic Attacks

As with all anxiety disorders CBT begins by helping clients to improve their coping repertoire by using techniques to reduce both the physical, emotional, and behavioural components of panic attacks. A panic diary is kept on a daily basis to monitor the how? What? Where? and when? which preceded the panic attack and 'what the thoughts going through their mind before they started to feel that way. All the components of the panic are graphed both in intensity and duration of the panic as well as their own coping strategies that were used.

An overall stress-reduction programme is implements to decrease 'vulnerability to harm' by breathing techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, and various adjunct therapists (aromatherapist, nutritionist, etc.) used in conjunction to CBT.

When the first stage of treatment is completed standard CBT is used to first identify the negative automatic thoughts which are around the themes associated with catastrophic outcomes and then challenge them by reality testing them and reinterpreting them in a more balanced way. The third part of the therapy works with schemas and core beliefs (previously known as the unconscious) to modify these absolute beliefs which function as prejudices in the areas of vulnerability to harm in relation to the self, others, and the world.

Panic Attacks Questionnaire
(Pdf)