Common Panic Attack Therapies

December 16, 2009

Many people have found relief for panic attacks through therapy.  Because every person and their problem is not the same, the amount of time the therapy can take to be effective can vary a lot.  Sometimes you may need to wait a few months before you can start to notice any changes.

Patience is the most critical factor when commencing panic attack therapy.  One form of therapy may work for one person very fast, while another person might require more time, or even a mix of different therapy methods to improve their panic attacks.

Try to be open minded and avoid setting specific goals for recovery such as “I’m going to quit if I don’t see any results in one month.”  This is a sure way to frustrate yourself and make sure that you don’t see progress.  Give whatever therapy method you use a fair opportunity and give it time to show progress.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common and often successful method to relieve panic and anxiety problems.  CBT is used to help people begin to change their thought and behavior patterns.  If you are seeking anxiety or panic attack therapy methods, it is very probable that you will encounter this in some form.

When you begin CBT, you will likely design a plan with your doctor.  You might be given homework to be completed by yourself such as writing your individual goals that you will use to slowly expose yourself to scenarios that may cause anxiety or panic episodes for you.  You will likely be recording your thoughts and feelings in a journal as well as a means of looking back to measure your successes in your recovery.

Depending on your condition, you might also be given medication.  There are a good deal of medications for panic attacks out there that can be rather effective.  Medication, though is not a solution.  It just dials down your anxiety so that you can start to seek an effective recovery program.

Here are some recommended practices you may given as part of your panic attack therapy regimen.  Please ask your doctor though before you attempt any of these on your own.  These practices are intended to emulate some of the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks so that you can get used to feeling them knowing that you are in full control of the situation and gradually desensitize yourself from them.

First, you might try to hyperventilate for 30 seconds or so.  Most panic attacks begin with hyperventilation, so if you can begin to do this on your own, you may begin to feel more comfortable and stop a panic attack in the future.

Also try turning in circles to create a feeling of dizziness.  Dizziness is another common indicator of panic and anxiety attacks.

Run in place or begin an aerobic exercise program to raise your heart beat and get comfortable with that feeling.

Anxiety disorder therapy can be an effective method of treating anxiety disorders by gradually getting you accustomed to common physical symptoms of a panic episode.  Again, it may take some patience to experience measurable progress in your recovery so don’t give up on whatever program or form of therapy your doctor recommends.

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