Therapy for Panic Disorder
Panic attacks can feel overwhelming and unpredictable. Therapy offers tools to change how you respond to fear and physical sensations.
Understanding Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks followed by persistent worry about having additional attacks or their consequences. A panic attack involves sudden onset of intense fear or discomfort that reaches peak intensity within minutes, often accompanied by physical symptoms that can feel life-threatening even when they're not.
What makes panic disorder particularly distressing is how the fear of panic attacks can become as limiting as the attacks themselves. Many people begin avoiding places or situations where panic has occurred, leading to increasing restriction of daily activities. The unpredictable nature of panic attacks can create a constant sense of vulnerability and hypervigilance about bodily sensations.
The cycle of panic often involves misinterpreting normal bodily sensations as dangerous, which triggers more intense physical responses, creating a feedback loop of escalating fear and symptoms. Breaking this cycle requires developing a fundamentally different relationship with the physiological sensations of panic.
What Panic Disorder Might Feel Like
Sudden waves of intense fear, racing heart, or shortness of breath
Fear of losing control, going crazy, or something terrible happening
Avoiding places or situations where panic has happened before
Constant monitoring of your body for signs of an impending attack
Feeling like you can't trust your own body or physical sensations
Restrictions on daily activities due to fear of panic occurring
Shame or embarrassment about having panic attacks
Exhaustion from being constantly on guard against panic
How Therapy Helps with Panic Disorder
Shift your relationship with panic sensations.
Rather than fighting or fearing the physical symptoms of panic, we help you develop a different way of relating to these sensations. This involves learning to see them as uncomfortable but not dangerous, and practicing staying present with what arises rather than being overwhelmed by it.
Develop capacity to stay present when symptoms arise.
We work together to build your ability to remain grounded and connected to the present moment even when panic sensations are occurring. This includes breathing techniques, body awareness practices, and mindfulness approaches that help you ride out the wave of panic without being swept away by it.
Foster long-term resilience through nervous system regulation.
Using techniques that support nervous system regulation, we help you develop skills for managing your physiological responses to stress and fear. This creates a foundation of stability that makes you less vulnerable to panic attacks over time.
Practice acceptance-based approaches to reduce reactivity.
The more you fight panic sensations, the more intense they often become. We explore acceptance-based strategies that help you stop adding additional fear to already difficult sensations, which naturally reduces their intensity and duration.
What to Expect in Panic Disorder Therapy
1. Initial sessions focus on safety and understanding your panic patterns.
We explore what triggers your panic attacks, how they manifest in your body, and what meanings you've assigned to these sensations. This assessment helps us understand your unique experience and design appropriate interventions.
2. Early treatment emphasizes grounding and nervous system regulation.
You'll learn practical skills for staying present during panic episodes and techniques for calming your nervous system. These tools provide immediate support while building capacity for deeper work.
3. As therapy progresses, you'll build skills for meeting panic with steadiness.
We practice staying present with gradually increasing levels of physiological arousal, helping you develop confidence in your ability to handle panic sensations without being overwhelmed. This might include controlled exposure to panic-like sensations in a safe, supported environment.
Throughout this process, we maintain careful attention to your window of tolerance, ensuring that all practice happens at a pace that feels manageable and builds confidence rather than creating more fear.
Why Choose CALM Therapy for Panic Disorder Treatment
- Focus on changing relationship to sensations rather than eliminating them. We don't work toward preventing all panic sensations but toward helping you relate to them differently. This approach creates genuine freedom because it doesn't depend on perfect control of your physiological responses.
- Integration of acceptance and nervous system regulation techniques. We combine mindfulness-based approaches with nervous system regulation strategies, helping you develop both the skills to stay present with difficult sensations and the capacity to support your body's natural calming responses.
- Emphasis on building long-term resilience. Rather than just managing panic attacks, we focus on developing overall resilience and capacity for handling stress and uncertainty. This foundation helps prevent future panic episodes while improving your overall quality of life.
- Private-pay model allows treatment flexibility. Our fee-for-service structure enables us to tailor treatment based on what you actually need, rather than what insurance protocols require. This means we can spend the time necessary for your unique situation, use the most effective approaches for panic disorder, and adjust our methods as your needs change.
Taking the Next Step
Recovery from panic disorder isn't about never feeling anxious or having physiological responses to stress. It's about developing the capacity to stay present with whatever arises and trusting in your ability to handle intense sensations without being overwhelmed by them. Ready to explore how therapy might help you build this capacity?
Schedule a Consultation