Panic Attacks

Panic attacks, also commonly referred to as anxiety attacks, can be a very scary experience. In fact, many first panic attacks are discovered once someone has gone to their doctor or the ER worrying that they had a heart attack. Panic attacks can actually feel like a heart attack to some people. Symptoms are shortness of breath, increased heart rate, pounding heart, feeling flushed, feeling a sense of dread or doom, narrowing of vision and shakiness. These symptoms can come on suddenly and often don’t last more than 20 minutes. However, that 20 minutes can feel very frightening as people wonder what is happening to them. Once you have experienced one panic attack it is common to experience another, which can in turn lead to fear of when or where you might experience subsequent panic attacks. This is when many people seek panic attack treatment.

Panic Attack Treatment Options

Often times panic attacks are a result of significant changes in one’s life, increasing stressors, inability to cope or a history of anxiety in general. Even though these anxiety attacks do not last long, they can be very scary and in turn debilitating to people who experience them. The good news is that panic attack treatment can help. There are specific panic attack treatment options geared towards eliminating panic attacks. The most commonly used is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT for anxiety attacks).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a panic attack treatment that focuses on how one’s thoughts are impacting their beliefs and in turn their feelings and their actions. Just as we see with anxiety treatment in general, the more we avoid these experiences that make us anxious the more likely we are to experience that very anxiety we are trying to get rid of. CBT teaches you how to deal with anxiety attacks by developing skills that will help you confront the anxiety, manage your thoughts and in turn have a less reactive emotional experience. CBT also implements some exposure type activities that might have you mimic symptoms of a panic attack in a safe, secure environment with your therapist, allowing you an opportunity to prove to yourself that you do have control of your symptoms.

Freedom Within Center has expert therapists that offer online therapy for panic attacks, as well as in-person sessions. Request an appointment today to get in touch with a therapist.