Has Your Fear Of Panic Created More Panic?
Do you suffer from attacks of panic that make you think that you’re going to die, feel disconnected from the world around you or create an intense urge to escape? Does your heart race and pound fiercely, your chest tighten or your stomach feel pained or sick? Do the spells of panic feel like they last an eternity? Has the anticipation of panic attacks kept you from doing the things you want to be doing in life? Perhaps you are avoiding places or situations that you 
associate with the onset of anxiety. Or, maybe you’re avoiding any environment that you cannot control or you see as unsafe. Do you wish that you could find a way to stop your panic attacks and get your life back?
Living with a panic disorder can be isolating, debilitating and extremely frightening. You may feel like you’re going crazy or fear that other people view you as abnormal and your panicked behavior as scary. Everyday, you might feel a sense of impending doom as you constantly worry if, when and where your next panic attack will strike. This sense of dread and fear may have caused you to avoid certain places or situations or to isolate completely – even becoming a prisoner in your own home.
Many People Experience Panic And Intense Anxiety
Anxiety and panic disorders are two of the most common issues that therapists help people work through. Humans are wired to think, and sometimes emotionally charged thinking produces heightened anxiety and escalates into panic attacks. While it’s common to experience low-level anxiety or the occasional onset of panic – which can help you focus and perform more effectively in high stress situations – for some people, the fear of heightened anxiety or having a panic attack begins to take control of their lives. If you are highly anxious about the onset of panic and have begun avoiding activities that you used to regularly engage in, getting panic disorder treatment may be critical and can provide significant relief. Thankfully, while anxiety and panic disorders are quite common, they are also very treatable.
Panic Disorder Treatment Can Help You Ease Anxiety And Reclaim Your Life
The fear of panic manifests itself physiologically, in your thinking, in your feelings and in how you behave. This fear can consume your mind and body and impact all aspects of your life. The good news, however, is that you can learn how to tame anxious and fearful thoughts and help yourself so that panic does not arise.
In our sessions together, I can teach you breathing practices, meditative techniques, and additional skills to calm your mind and body. You will learn tailor-made strategies that you can practice in session and then apply in the real world. You can learn how to shift or redirect the energy and adrenaline in your body so it is channeled and utilized in functional ways that feel good rather than frightening. We can also identify and address any negative self-talk, self-defeating behaviors and self- limiting beliefs. With help, you can shift into more self-empowering, supportive and helpful thoughts and actions. You can incorporate these techniques into your daily life to experience overall relief, as well as apply them in moments of high stress or nervous situations. In time, you may find that these methods become a natural response to anxious feelings, and that feelings of heightened anxiety or panic occur less and less frequently and, eventually, hardly concern you at all.
Even if you’re feeling frightened, immobilized or hopeless right now, it is possible to calm your panicked, anxious thoughts and get your life back. I have provided panic disorder treatment to countless clients suffering from panic disorders who are now enjoying their lives, reengaging in activities they’ve always loved, and experiencing the confidence to try new things. You, too, can overcome your panic disorder and engage in life with confidence, calmness and joy.
But, you still may have questions or concerns…
Is medication necessary for panic disorder treatment?
While medication can help reduce panic and anxiety symptoms and, in certain contexts, it may be required and beneficial, it is always most effective when used in combination with therapy. However, medication is not always necessary for panic disorder treatment and, if prescribed, can take up to six weeks for anxiety reducing effects to kick in. Alternatively, therapy should produce relief before six weeks, and without any of the side effects of drugs. Medications are potent, can be physically addictive, may come with unwanted side effects, and mask—rather than treat – the causes of symptoms. As human beings, we are much more than a set of physiological 
symptoms; we think, we feel and we interact with other people. Panic is a confluence of many aspects of who we are and the lives we live. Part of panic disorder therapy is to identify, recognize and address the thoughts, feelings, body sensations and interpersonal elements in the process that produces panic. Once you identify and modify the elements that created panic, you can make room for new, more helpful processes. In therapy, you can also learn practical techniques and strategies to implement in the real world on a daily basis, as well as in moments of high stress or nervousness. These practical and effective solutions can provide both immediate and long-term results without the need for medication.
I’ve tried everything – even therapy – and nothing helps. How are you different?
Years of study, experience and counseling specific to panic disorders enables me to design and integrate a number of approaches, strategies and tools that can provide quick relief. I will coach you with realistic, concrete, practical techniques. I can also use a gentle exposure approach, which can help you confront your panic directly in a less traumatizing context. I will instruct you how to use various physiological techniques that can help you be aware of body sensations while diminishing your level of panic. These techniques significantly lessen, if not completely stop, panic attacks and related anxiety symptoms.
I’ve heard that panic disorder treatment is expensive and can take a lot of time.
First, I encourage you to ask yourself how much your panic disorder is holding you back. Is it causing you to suffer daily? Is it keeping you from living the life you want to live? If so, I invite you to imagine seeing yourself engaging with friends, family and work associates and doing the things that you love on a daily basis and to ask yourself what that is worth.
Second, my practical approach is different than many therapists. With me, clients experience results fairly quickly. The techniques I use and teach really work. Together, we can create an integrated approach, schedule and process that fits your specific needs, personality and situation.
I invite you to call me for a free phone consultation to discuss your unique situation and any questions you have about panic disorder treatment and my practice.