The following is a self-help guide, but I can provide options for panic attack treatment at home and in my office if you need more. These symptoms are more common than many people realize. Given that a definition that describes precisely what is and what isn’t a panic attack is hard to pin down, estimates of the incidence and prevalence vary widely. However, one thing that can be inferred from the data is that many people will experience them sometime in their lives. Therapy for panic attacks can help! I offer cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder, as well as other types of therapy for panic attacks.
These symptoms can be unsettling and scary and can interfere with social, academic, and work functioning in two crucial ways: First, they can make a presentation at work, a social introduction, or a class presentation less effective and certainly less comfortable; Second, they can create overwhelming anticipatory anxiety afterward that creates an avoidance of any activities that are perceived as having the potential to cause another one. The good news is that treatment for panic attacks can be very powerful! Contact me or schedule a free consultation to discuss any of this anytime.
Panic Attack Treatment Works!
There is good news when it comes to treatment for panic attacks:
- These episodes are usually transitory – people often develop them at a certain life transition point or during general stress. Still, they often resolve as the transition passes or overall anxiety lessens.
- They are relatively easy to address within and outside the therapist’s office. In other words, they are symptoms you can work on yourself with a therapist.
- The fears and anxieties that come with these episodes are almost always unfounded or at least irrational. You may fear that your plane will crash, that people you are speaking in front of are judging you unfairly, or that you will crash your car if you have one, but none of these is likely to happen.
One focus of treatment for panic attacks revolves around cognitive-behavioral therapy to help you see the irrational or exaggerated fears you have that cause them or make you suffer from anticipatory anxiety about having one. You will quickly see how the disruption they cause is not nearly what you worry it will be, and the worries about having one are often much worse than the actual experience.
Therapy for panic attacks has a high rate of helping and often gives more general tips and advice that can help with other forms of anxiety. This post explores therapy for panic attacks from several angles.
Techniques Used in Therapy for Panic Attacks
So, how can you address all of this? Here is a start, with some information about what we can do in a session that focuses on treatment for panic attacks.
Panic Attack Treatment Quick Start
These episodes are worsened when we fight against them. Pushing back often makes them more intense or at least more anxiety-producing. But realizing they are common, will not hurt you, and will pass can help a lot. Think of being at the beach on a day when the waves are high. What causes relaxation and comfort: Jumping into the waves or riding them to shore?
Given all that, one technique we start with in therapy for panic attacks involves simply treating them like waves (or a strong breeze that occurs when walking or running, if you prefer). Go with it. Allow the anxiety to set in, know it is time-limited, and feel how it reduces in intensity. (Spoiler alert: While it may seem that you are merely waiting out the episode – a good thing in itself – you are also likely reducing its intensity by not mixing in any more anxiety.)
Consulting with a psychologist like me may be helpful if you haven’t been able to reduce the frequency and intensity on your own. We can tailor your approach to treatment for panic attacks to your specific needs and circumstances. In therapy for panic attacks, we use some of the following techniques and approaches:
1. Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder (CBT)
- Identifying and Challenging Negative Thoughts: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder helps clients identify irrational thoughts (like “I’m going to die” or “I’m losing control”) that may trigger or intensify symptoms. Replacing these with more balanced thoughts reduces anxiety.
- Exposure Therapy: This is a cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder in which clients are gradually exposed to situations or sensations that can trigger episodes, such as feeling dizzy or having a racing heart. Over time, this exposure helps reduce the fear response.
- Interoceptive Exposure: This treatment for panic attacks involves deliberately triggering mild physical sensations associated with these episodes (such as hyperventilating to cause dizziness), helping clients learn that these sensations are safe and manageable.
2. Mindfulness-Based Panic Attack Treatment
- Mindfulness Training: Mindfulness therapy teaches clients to observe their thoughts and sensations non-judgmentally and accept them without fear. This can be especially helpful for managing the physical sensations.
- Breathing and Grounding Techniques: Mindfulness exercises like deep breathing, grounding, and body scans help people center themselves, reducing physical and mental distress.
3. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Panic Attacks
- Acceptance of Symptoms: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for panic attacks helps people accept uncomfortable sensations and emotions rather than trying to avoid or escape them. The acceptance and commitment therapy approach reduces the power panic has over their lives.
- Values-Based Living: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for panic attacks encourages clients to focus on their personal values and to engage in meaningful activities, even when they feel anxious. This helps individuals move forward without letting symptoms dictate their actions.
4. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- Gradual Exposure to Feared Situations: In ERP panic attack treatment, clients are gradually exposed to situations that trigger things, learning to tolerate their anxiety without engaging in safety behaviors or avoidance.
- Building Resilience to Triggers: Through repeated exposure and response prevention, clients gain confidence and see that feared outcomes (like losing control) do not actually occur.
5. Psychoeducation and Self-Management Techniques
- Education on Anxiety: Understanding what happens in the body during an episode can be empowering, helping individuals realize that symptoms are uncomfortable but not dangerous.
- Coping Skills Training: Self-soothing techniques like deep breathing, muscle relaxation, visualization, and using positive affirmations help clients manage symptoms before they escalate.
6. Relapse Prevention
- Developing a Coping Plan: Many forms of therapy for panic attacks include a focus on long-term management, helping clients recognize early signs of anxiety, and applying learned techniques to prevent full-blown episodes.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Stress management, regular exercise, healthy eating, and consistent sleep routines can all reduce overall anxiety levels, helping prevent relapse.
Therapy for Panic Attacks and Homework
Beyond therapy for panic attacks, we make several suggestions related to symptoms, including:
- Lifestyle Changes: Healthy lifestyle changes can help. Regular exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding substances like caffeine and alcohol can all reduce anxiety.
- Support Groups: Joining a support group for individuals with similar symptoms can provide a sense of community and a platform to share experiences and coping strategies. This is a great adjunct to individual therapy for panic disorder.
- Stress Management: Learning to manage stress through time management, setting realistic goals, and practicing good self-care can help prevent them.
- Limit Stimulants: Reduce or eliminate stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, as they can exacerbate anxiety symptoms.
Panic Attack Treatment At Home
Whether you pursue structured treatment for panic attacks that psychologists like me provide or not, there are things you can do at home outside of sessions. Here are several techniques you can try at home to manage symptoms:
Pain Attack Treatment At Home Through Deep Breathing
Practice deep breathing exercises to help calm your body’s physiological response to anxiety. Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, and then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation as Panic Attack Treatment at Home
Tense and then relax each muscle group in your body, starting from your toes and working your way up to your head. This can help release tension and reduce feelings of anxiety.
Mindfulness, Affirmations, and Meditation
Engage in mindfulness practices or meditation to bring your focus to the present moment and reduce racing thoughts. There are many guided meditation apps or videos available that can assist with this. While you do this, repeat positive affirmations to yourself, such as “I am safe,” “This feeling will pass,” or “I can handle this.” Repeating these affirmations can help shift your mindset during an episode.
Grounding Techniques for Panic Disorder Treatment at Home
Use grounding techniques to bring your focus back to the present moment. This can include focusing on sensory experiences like touch, sight, sound, taste, or smell. Designate a specific area in your home where you feel calm and safe. Spend time in this space when you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
Reach Inward and Outward
Write down your thoughts and feelings during and after an episode. This can help you identify triggers and patterns and provide a sense of release. Also, stay connected with friends, family, or support groups who can offer understanding and encouragement during difficult times.
Remember, while these techniques for panic attack treatment at home can be helpful, they may not be sufficient. If you experience frequent or severe symptoms, you may want to seek more formal therapy.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for Panic Disorder is one of the most effective treatments. It focuses on identifying, understanding, and modifying the thoughts and behaviors that contribute to panic attacks and their physical symptoms. Here’s how cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder is typically used to treat panic disorder:
1. Panic Attack Treatment and Psychoeducation
- Learning about Panic Disorder: Understanding the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of panic attacks helps reduce fear and anxiety. Clients learn that these episodes are not harmful and that their uncomfortable symptoms are temporary and manageable.
- Anxiety Cycle Education: Clients learn how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors contribute to the maintenance of anxiety, which empowers them to break this cycle.
2. Cognitive Restructuring
- Identifying Negative Thought Patterns: Cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder helps individuals identify distorted or catastrophic thoughts that often trigger or intensify panic, like “I’m having a heart attack” or “I’m going to lose control.”
- Challenging and Reframing Thoughts: In cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder, I work with clients to challenge these unhelpful beliefs and replace them with more realistic, balanced thoughts. For example, instead of “I am going to faint,” a new thought might be, “This is uncomfortable but not dangerous, and I can handle it.”
3. Exposure Therapy for Panic Attacks
- Interoceptive Exposure: This treatment for panic attacks involves intentionally bringing on physical sensations similar to those of an episode (like increased heart rate or dizziness) in a controlled setting, helping clients learn that these sensations are not harmful.
- Situational Exposure: In exposure therapy for anxiety, clients gradually face situations they have avoided (like crowded places or public transportation) to reduce fear over time, building confidence that they can handle these experiences without distress.
- Graded Exposure: Exposure therapy for panic attacks is often done gradually, starting with less intimidating situations and progressing to more challenging ones as comfort increases.
4. Behavioral Panic Attack Treatment Techniques
- Relaxation Training: Techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness help manage physical symptoms of anxiety and promote calmness, and thus, they are used as adjunctive approaches in cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder.
- Activity Scheduling and Avoidance Reduction: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder helps individuals gradually re-engage in daily activities they may have been avoiding due to fear, encouraging a balanced, fulfilling lifestyle.
5. Relapse Prevention
- Planning for Future Triggers: As treatment for panic attacks progresses, clients develop a plan for managing future anxiety triggers or potential relapses, which is especially valuable in long-term maintenance.
- Self-Monitoring Skills: Clients learn to recognize early signs of anxiety, applying coping strategies proactively.
Through these steps, cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder helps individuals with panic disorder reduce the intensity and frequency of symptoms and live with greater confidence and less anxiety. Therapy is often structured over several sessions, and a significant improvement is usually noticeable within 12-20 sessions, though this can vary by individual.
Treatment for Panic Attacks in My Practice
I welcome inquiries about how therapy for panic attacks can help reduce the frequency and intensity of attacks. For example, cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder has a high rate of success. Often, people leave therapy with a toolkit that can help them should they recur, and sometimes, just having that toolkit alone helps reduce the chances. Feel free to try the techniques for panic attack treatment at home first, but I hope you’ll be in touch if they are not enough.
Reduce the Chance of Having One
You can also work on reducing the chances or severity of these symptoms, including visualizing, handling them well, and paying closer attention to what triggers them. For many people, the latter exercise proves essential—it can be hard to figure out what causes one, but if you can figure it out, you may be able to address that trigger.
Anticipatory Anxiety
Unfortunately, anticipatory anxiety becomes the central problem in many cases. While these incidents may be a transient problem, likely to resolve over time, worry about having one can persist for a long time. A person experiencing anticipatory anxiety may avoid many social situations or interrupt their career or academic path to ensure that any number of fears, including flying, speaking in front of others, and working under pressure, are not required.
When Should You Seek Panic Attack Treatment?
If, at some point, you find yourself avoiding certain activities due to your fear or despite your efforts to reduce the frequency and intensity, meeting with a therapist like me for treatment for panic attacks may help. You will do much of the work and likely see that work pay off. But we are there to suggest ideas, modify them as needed, give encouragement, and help you understand why they happen. We know what has worked for people with symptoms and triggers similar to yours!
Contact me or schedule a free consultation anytime. We can explore cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder and other methods, and I’d also be happy to give you some tips for your unique situation. I provide general treatment for panic attacks and specific services related to public speaking and airplane flying.
