PANIC ATTACK TREATMENT
Are You Tired Of Suffering From Episodes Of Extreme Fear Or Anxiety?
Are you overwhelmed by sudden, intense feelings of panic and fear that seem to come out of nowhere? Or, have you noticed a connection between these attacks and certain activities or situations, such as driving or being in public? Do you feel as though these panic attacks are taking control of your life, causing you to stop “putting yourself out there” out of fear of experiencing these crippling attacks?
Perhaps you’ve stopped participating in activities you once enjoyed, like going out to the gym or catching a movie with friends.
Sometimes, your attacks may get so bad that you call in sick from work because you get anxious about what may happen if you leave the house. Or maybe you have visited your doctor because something feels so wrong, but they’ve found no issues with your heart or any illnesses.
Having a panic attack is a terrifying event. There’s no question that all you want is to regain control of your life and confidence, so you’ll be panic-free going forward.
There’s More To Panic Attacks Than Feeling Anxious
There are a plethora of ways a panic attack can manifest itself. Maybe you’re experiencing:
smothering sensation
choking feeling
numbness or tingling sensations
fear they are dying, fear that you’re going crazy
feelings of detachment
shaking
anxiety
fast heartbeat
sweating
shortness of breath
It may not feel like it now, but healthy emotional well-being is possible. With the help of an understanding and experienced therapist, you can learn how to manage panic disorders. At Sequoia Counseling Group, panic attacks are highly treatable.
Everyone Experiences Panic-Inducing Situations From Time To Time
We have all gone through situations that cause us to feel some level of fear or anxiety in our lifetime, for example, taking a wrong turn down a one-way street or giving a speech in front of a large audience. The anxiety felt in these instances is natural and short-lived. However, if you have a panic attack out of the blue while experiencing sensations like impending doom—something could be wrong.
Panic attacks are relatively common, with almost 11% of adults reporting at least one panic attack in the past year. According to research, approximately one million people seek treatment for panic disorder annually. (1)
Living In A Fast-Paced Society, Working High-Stress Jobs Can Cause Panic Attacks To Fester
We live in a society that praises long, grueling office hours, demanding deadlines, and pressure to perform, which often leads to burnout, chronic stress, and heightened anxiety. Persistent stress activates the body's "fight or flight" response, making potential panic attacks more likely.
Moreover, major life transitions, such as moving to a new place, having a child, starting a new job, or ending a relationship, can disrupt one's sense of stability and security. Uncertainty about the future and adapting to a huge change can trigger feelings of fear and panic.
Regardless of what brought on your panic disorder in the first place, panic disorder treatment can help you relax, feel safer, and more confident in your ability to lead a normal life without feeling fearful or anxious.
Panic Attack Treatment Can Help You Take Control Of Your Mind And Life
Therapy will allow you to have a safe and supportive environment to share your burdens, worries, or whatever else may be on your mind. You can feel confident that you will be heard and validated by a counselor who has experience dealing with panic attacks.
Through treatment, you will gain insight into what is driving your panic attacks and better understand how you can deal with them in a healthy way. Your counselor will then help you set up a plan of action so you can meet your goals and see the best results possible.
A Tailored Approach Toward Panic Attack Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy are two of the main modalities we use to treat panic attack disorder. We use several techniques to help treat panic attacks, including breathing retraining, progressive muscle relaxation, cognitive restructuring, disputation and imagined exposure training. We also focus on graduated exposure to activities that simulate physical sensations related to panic and, if needed, specific situations where panic may occur.
We will help you learn and implement these effective exercises you can use to address panic attack symptoms immediately.
Exposure therapy is a treatment that helps people face their fears. When we are afraid or scared of something, we commonly avoid those situations. While this avoidance helps short-term to reduce feelings of fear, it also longer term makes the fear more intense. Exposure therapy helps you extinguish the panic and fear in a safe and controlled way. Various forms of exposure therapy exist, such as in vivo exposure (direct exposure to a feared object), imagined exposure (vividly imagining encountering a feared situation or object), virtual reality exposure (utilized for certain phobias), and interoceptive exposure (a fancy phrase that means experiencing feared physical sensations such as increasing your heart rate through activities like running in place).
Exposure therapy can vary in its pace, tailored to each client's specific requirements:
Graded exposure creates a fear hierarchy, ranking feared situations by difficulty. Typically, progression starts with less challenging situations, advancing to moderately difficult ones, and then to highly challenging ones.
Systematic desensitization combines graded exposure with relaxation techniques and breathing exercises. This approach aids in learning to manage anxiety and develop relaxation skills.
Through panic attack treatment with Sequoia Counseling Group, you can experience significant improvements in your life—regaining the confidence, security, and safety you need to move forward toward a happy, healthy future.
You May Be Considering Panic Attack Treatment But Have More Questions…
I have been suffering from this for years. Can counseling still help?
Many people suffering from panic attacks wait many years before seeking professional help. In some cases, this may have resulted in them being much more isolated from public settings and feeling more alone and cut off from others. The good news is that treatment does work and is effective in alleviating symptoms. With therapy, our clients have learned to ease their fear and panic to live a life they never would have thought possible.
Do I have to take medication?
While some clients want to take or are already taking medication, the good news is that studies have shown talk therapy to be very effective on its own for treating panic attacks. We are indifferent when working with clients who choose to take medication or not, and we are happy to work with you to answer any questions you may have and come up with an approach that feels best for you.
Do I have to see my doctor before starting therapy for panic attacks?
We do ask all our clients who are suffering from panic attack symptoms to see a physician before starting treatment. This allows you and your counselor the assurance that there is nothing physically wrong and provides increased confidence to reduce worry when facing your anxiety and panic symptoms.
Panic Attack Treatment Can Help You Feel Calm And In Control
If you’re tired of struggling with a sense of panic, fear, and impending doom, therapy can help you face these problems head-on and manage them so you can live in confidence.
Please contact us to find out about how our approach to panic attack treatment can help you feel more secure about your life.