Therapy for Panic Attacks and Anxiety
When the fear of panic becomes the problem
You’re not stuck this way. Your nervous system just learned to fear itself.
Stop trying so hard not to panic.
Panicking about panic just creates more panic.
The solution? Welcome it in.
You thought by now your panic attacks would’ve stopped. They’ve been happening for years. You’ve read the books, consumed all the videos, tried the different therapies, but you still brace for the whoosh of anxiety, hoping it doesn’t turn into a panic attack this time. Most of my clients come to me as high functioning adults who travel, work hard, and maintain a social life. But they aren’t enjoying it. How can they when their day could be ruined by a panic attack or an anxious thought that’s completely out of their control?
panic attack
: a brief episode of intense fear or dread that is of sudden onset and typically subsides within 30 minutes, usually occurs for no apparent reason but may sometimes be associated with an identifiable triggering stimulus (such as an existing phobia), and is accompanied by a sense of unreality and impending loss of control and by various debilitating physical symptoms (such as increased heart rate, chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath)
agoraphobia
: abnormal fear of being helpless in a situation from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing that is characterized initially often by panic or anticipatory anxiety and finally by the avoidance of open or public places
anxiety attack
: an episode of mild to severe worry, distress, or fear that may last for hours or days, is typically preceded by a period of gradually increasing levels of fear and worry (such as that associated with a perceived stressor or threat), and that has symptoms (such as increased heart rate and shortness of breath) similar to but often less intense than those associated with a panic attack
panic disorder
: recurrent unexpected panic attacks, exacerbated by fear of having more panic attacks
There’s always a lingering feeling that they don’t feel right or something bad is about to happen. They’re managing through the day, but they aren’t happy. Anxiety is always hanging around. They spend too much energy trying to keep it compressed so they can function at work or as a parent. They just want to let it go but they’re terrified of what the anxiety will do. They're stuck in what if scenarios, like “What if I have a panic attack and feel stuck this way forever? What if my mind stops racing, and I can’t handle how it feels?”
As a high functioning person with anxiety and panic attacks, you may relate to the following:
Feel stuck in your head
Something doesn’t feel right and you don’t feel like yourself
You find that you distract yourself to get through the anxious moment
Constant feeling of noticing yourself or a dreaded sensation of hyperawareness
Trying to fix the anxiety and figure out where its coming from
Anxious moments that last all day but may never manifest as a full panic attack
You don’t just experience anxiety. You’re fearful of it too. You may have a constant fear of what will happen if you feel the anxiety. You might feel a need to escape, always pacing or seeking reassurance. It's common for my clients to worry about how they will handle normal life situations when they feel so off and not like themselves. There’s always an edginess, like something is bad looming and they have to prepare to fight it off.
Common symptoms & experiences of high functioning anxious worriers:
Fear of physical symptoms- headaches, nausea, stomach aches. You may wonder, “What if I pass out or stop breathing or have an allergic reaction to something?”
Fear of losing all control or going crazy, such as standing up and screaming in public or feeling disconnected forever
Agoraphobia- fear you might be stuck somewhere in public and panic, such as in a store, at work, or in a social gathering
Fear of travel, such as driving, flying, or the subway. This may manifest more as a fear of how you feel and the panic that could arise while you’re in one of these situations, not the situation itself.
Fear of intrusive thoughts
My clients want to be free from their anxiety. They want to let go of their crutches and actually enjoy their day instead of just getting through it, but they aren’t sure how or if they have it in them.
Books, mediations, ground techniques and breathing exercises have all helped, but it's not enough. For years, the anxiety has taken the joy out of their lives. They wonder, “What am I missing?” Their brain is always creating a problem that doesn’t actually exist, going to the worst case scenario and how to fix it. Therapy may be for you if:
You can't shake the feeling of anxiety
Cant see yourself ever getting better
Feel like anxiety and panic attacks are a permanent part of you
Keep resisting the anxiety every time you feel it
Constantly fighting yourself and your emotions
You may be trying way too hard to feel good and fix yourself (Hint: anxiety goes away quicker when we just let it run its course!)
Have tried changing diets, exercising more, hypnotherapy, testing, medications, supplements, yet you here you are, still as anxious as before
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! But recovery from panic disorder isn’t necessarily defined by not having panic attacks anymore. Instead, recovery can be more about what you do when you have a panic attack. The goal here is to embrace your anxiety and panic with open arms, signaling that you are no longer fearing it by pushing it away. Then, panic attacks tend to reduce in frequency. So yes, recovery is definitely possible! Click here to read panic attack recovery stories from other people.
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Yes, medication is not required for recovery from panic attacks, but some people find it very useful to have in the process! I recommend you speak with a psychiatrist or your doctor about medication options or any questions or concerns you may have about taking medication.
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Panic attacks typically last around 30 minutes after hitting a peak and then coming down. Some attacks can be shorter or last longer than 30 minutes. Treatment and recovery from panic disorder depends on the person, but can sometimes take a few years for full recovery. This is because your brain is rewiring how it responds to fear which can take time. Recovery time also depends on how often you are exposing yourself to the panic attack and how often you practice changing your response to them.
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Stopping a panic attack requires you to do the exact opposite of what you’ve been doing: run towards it. Ask for more of it, fully surrendering to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Let the panic attack move through you, instead of pushing it away. This is what breaks the cycle of the fear and panic response. It can feel uncomfortable and counterproductive when you first try, so it can take practice. Read more about how to run towards your panic here.
Welcome to your new relationship with anxiety!
The initial response you may have when a panic attack starts is to run away from it. If you’re at the store, you run to your car or get home as soon as you can. If you can’t get home or to your “safe place” you may tighten all your muscles, trying to grit your way through it, hoping you can push it down and make it leave.
As a panic attack and anxiety sufferer myself, panic attacks can feel debilitating, especially if it feels like anything can trigger them. Or they can seem to come out of nowhere, even on a good day.
In reality, panic attacks and anxiety are safe, no matter how terrible they feel. The more you resist them, the stronger they get. This is because your resistance shows your body that panic is something dangerous that you must fight off. But you don’t need to fight off panic and anxiety, and the more you do the more intense it gets.
When working through panic attacks or the fear of them, we’ll work on CBT, ACT, and EMDR skills that help you to do the exact opposite: allow the anxiety in and even run towards it. I know it sound terrifying, but it can actually act as an off switch to your anxiety!
We’ll work on ways you can learn to treat your anxiety and panic as boring, because it is! Once you start treating your anxiety as boring, then it finally starts to leave you alone. Changing your reaction to your anxiety or panic attacks is the key here. There are so many creative ways to do this and it can even be fun! Once you start reacting indifferently or playfully towards your panic attacks, they start to lose their power.
Click here to read more about what panic attacks are and why they don’t have to be scary!
Healing from panic attacks doesn’t mean you never have them again. It means you get better at having them–because you simply don’t care if you do!
Working Together
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Working Together ~
During sessions together we’ll work towards dropping the fear and resistance to the anxiety, whether its thoughts, situations, or physical sensations. We’ll work to help you learn how to live alongside anxiety, so it loses its power, such as being able to hold an engaging conversation, do a presentation at work, or pick your kid up from school, even while feeling anxious. We’ll help you practice allowing the anxiety without having to fix it, analyze it, or figure out why it's there in the first place (this can actually cause more anxiety!) We’ll do this with evidence based therapy techniques, with the ultimate goal of leaning into anxiety so you no longer fear it.
Get to the bottom of anxiety about anxiety- and enjoy being fully present in life again.
How to get started:
Click here to schedule your free consultation, or send me an email at rrcounseling.info@gmail.com
Schedule your intake
Drop your resistance to anxiety and start living again!