Therapy for Panic Attacks in Reston, VA
Helping you to stop fearing the next panic attack
I work with adults with panic disorder who are having frequent, unpredictable panic attacks and are starting to shrink their lives down to avoid the next one — pulling back from work, relationships, driving, anywhere they feel trapped. They've probably ended up in the ER at some point. They've tried other approaches and nothing has touched the underlying fear. They're ready to actually do something different.
Break the cycle of panic attacks
Click below to schedule a consultation with Reston, Virginia panic disorder specialist Kate Moore (Regnier) to stop letting fear of discomfort make the choices for you.
Stop trying so hard not to panic.
Panicking about panic just creates more panic.
The solution? Welcome it in.
The situation, thought, or feeling isn’t dangerous, so why do we treat it like it is?
Once we start to treat them as safe, the real recovery begins. No more coping skills to just manage or get by.
Drop your resistance and learn to stop fighting it off once and for all.
Real recovery from these fears and phobias happens when we stop treating them like the bad guy.
Layers of Anxiety Before
The feeling, thought, or sensation
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I’m getting ready to fly and I have so much dread. My legs are shaking, I’m nauseous, and its hard to breath.
The scary story we tell ourselves
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This means I might be sick on the plane and I can’t let that happen. Or what if I pass out or have a panic attack and go crazy? What if I don’t feel better even after we land and I’m stuck like this the whole trip?
What we try to do to control it
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Worry about worse case scenario to try and prepare for it, grip the armrest, bring extra materials to distract myself, read reddit threads to see if anyone else feels this way and knows how to stop it. Or maybe just cancel the flight.
Layers of Anxiety After
The feeling, thought, or sensation
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I’m getting ready to fly and I feel dread. My legs are shaking, I’m nauseous, and it feels hard to breath.
The boring story we tell ourselves
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This means nothing and is just annoying. It will pass like it always does, and if it doesn’t, I know I can handle getting sick or having a panic attack on the plane. I’m a pro at it now!
What we try to do to control it
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Nothing. I know I can’t control it and trying to just makes it worse. I’m going to let the energy flow through my body as it pleases while I watch a movie or read my book. I won’t grip the armrest, distract myself, or google for reassurance.
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 used to travel, work, and maintain a social life. But now their anxiety has made them feel trapped. Anxiety has left them wonderinghow can they be happy again 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. Potential panic is always hanging around. They spend too much energy trying to keep it compressed so they can function during the day. They want to let it go but they’re terrified of what the panic 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 an adult who has panic attacks and fear the next one, you may relate to:
Feeling 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 panic
Constant feeling of noticing yourself or a dreaded sensation of hyperawareness
Trying to fix the panic 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 panic. You’re fearful of it too. You may have a constant fear of what will happen if you feel the panic sensations fully. 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 bad is looming and they have to prepare to fight it off.
Common symptoms & experiences of panic attack sufferers:
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
Situational phobias & fears
flying
driving
train rides
boat rides
grocery store/shopping
crowded places
being alone
doctor appointments
pho•bi•a
:an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.
Sensation phobias & fears
throwing up/getting sick
dizziness
headaches
choking sensation
stomach ache
racing/pounding/fluttering heart
pins and needles/tingling
feeling slightly different or off
hot flashes
Mental phobias & fears
going crazy
losing control
racing thoughts
intense scary thoughts
existential thoughts
derealization/depersonalization
dread and doom
what if thoughts
My clients want to be free from their panic. 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 can.
Books, mediations, ground techniques and breathing exercises have all helped, but it's not enough. For years, the panic has taken the joy out of their lives. 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/impending panic
Can’t see yourself ever getting better
Feel like anxiety and panic attacks are a permanent part of you
Keep resisting the panic 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: panic 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.
Click here to schedule a consultation and start working with Kate, an anxiety specialist in Reston, VA.
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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 panichere.
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Coping skills like deep breathing, grounding, cold water or mantras, are well meaning skills that help at times but they don’t get rid of panic for good. In therapy, we learn how to stop fearing our panic so we no longer need to those skills. If you’re trying any skills or tricks to get rid of how you’re feeling, then your showing your body that feeling panic is dangerous and needs to be fixed, further keeping you stuck in the panic cycle.
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Being less afraid of panic attacks starts with treating it that way. Regardless of how scared you feel inside, we know it’s a fake threat. Treat the anxiety like it’s boring, or how you would treat something that’s annoying but safe-shrug it off, relax your muscles as much as you can, you go do whatever you were doing before- WHILE FEELING ANXIOUS AND SCARED.
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A panic attack itself can’t make you go crazy nor kill you. It’s strong and uncomfortable energy, and letting it run through your system instead of interfering to try and get rid of it will actually help your body to re-regulate faster.
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.
Welcome to your new relationship with panic!
In reality, panic attacks are safe, no matter how terrible they feel. The more we resist them, the stronger they get. This is because our resistance shows our bodies that panic is something dangerous we must fight off. But we don’t need to fight off panic and the more we do the more intense it gets.
We’ll work on ways you can learn to treat your anxiety and panic as boring, because it is! Once you start treating your panic sensations as boring, then it finally starts to leave you alone. Changing the reaction to panic attacks is the key here. 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 panic, whether it’s 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 panic without having to fix it, analyze it, or figure out why it's there in the first place (this can actually cause more panic!) We’ll do this with evidence based therapy techniques, with the ultimate goal of leaning into panic so you no longer fear it. Click below to get started with an anxiety specialist.
Stop fearing another panic attack 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
Start sessions with Kate, an anxiety specialist, and start living again!