Panic attacks are an anxiety disorder that affects as many as 9% of the population, with statistics indicating that women are more likely to experience them. Their symptoms include unpleasant bodily sensations that can exacerbate anxiety and fear, creating a vicious cycle. Like many others, you probably feel like you're about to suffocate, have a heart attack, or experience other unpleasant physiological symptoms during panic attacks. Fortunately, panic attacks are not life-threatening. If you experience panic attacks, you likely experience a decrease in your quality of life. However, you can prevent further panic episodes by attending cognitive-behavioral therapy. Learn why this form of support is recommended for panic attacks.
How do the bothersome symptoms of panic attacks limit your life?
Symptoms of panic attacks include :.:
- strong agitation,
- muscle tremors,
- rapid breathing and hyperventilation,
- chest tightness,
- dizziness,
- nausea,
- increased sweating,
- hot flashes,
- faster heartbeat,
- problems with swallowing,
- limited mobility (inability to perform any movements).
Panic attacks and the accompanying physiological reactions can feel overwhelming, so you try to protect yourself from them. You don't want to experience something similar again, so you avoid triggers—people, places, situations, foods, and even smells. This strategy increasingly impoverishes your life, because panic attacks aren't so much caused by a specific person or place as by your beliefs. Similar thoughts and emotions can be triggered in other situations. At some point, the list of people and places you avoid starts to grow alarmingly long.
While avoidance may provide temporary relief and make you feel like you have regained control over your life, in the long run this strategy will worsen your panic disorder.
What is the treatment for panic attacks?
Treatment for panic attacks relies primarily on psychotherapy. Sometimes, someone's psychophysical condition prevents them from actively participating in the session. In such cases, anti-anxiety medications, prescribed by a psychiatrist, are initially administered. In the case of panic disorder (panic attacks), the treatment of choice according to NICE and APA recommendations is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). What speaks in its favor? Discover 5 benefits of CBT therapy!
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Attacks – 5 Reasons to Choose It
- The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of panic attacks has been confirmed in numerous scientific studies. The CBT trend is probably one of the best verified, because from the very beginning its creators wanted to make it similar to medical and natural-technical sciences, in which experimental evidence counts.
- Your maladaptive beliefs play a key role in the development of panic disorder. For example, if you believe other people are dangerous, you fear being in crowded places—shopping malls, buses, and concerts. Seeing crowds can trigger intense anxiety, accompanied by unpleasant bodily sensations and a desire to avoid interacting with large groups. Cognitive behavioral therapy assumes that thoughts influence your emotions, behaviors, physiological responses, and interpersonal relationships. By changing maladaptive beliefs to more realistic ones, you can achieve improvement in all of these areas. Anxiety will decrease, and you'll avoid a rapid heartbeat and hot flashes. You'll also begin to fully enjoy life by participating in the socio-cultural events that interest you.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy is extremely popular around the world because it is designed to be short-term. CBT will help you improve your functioning in your chosen area. This becomes possible when you replace maladaptive thoughts with their adaptive counterparts. CBT therapy typically involves a series of several sessions, lasting several months and, therefore, is affordable for a wider group of people. It also brings faster improvement and allows you to lead a fulfilling life.
- Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, unlike pharmacotherapy which works on an ad hoc basis, has been shown to reduce the risk of recurring panic attacks. It contributes to changing the key beliefs that underlie panic disorder.
- A cognitive-behavioral therapist uses cognitive behavioral therapy to treat panic attacks. :. an exposure technique that takes place in safe conditions. As a result, you gradually become more familiar with what you fear, which allows you to stop avoiding certain people, situations, and places, and allows you to lead a full and fulfilling life. Exposure also reduces panic attacks by allowing your brain to learn new response patterns. This is possible thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to create new connections between neurons in response to new experiences. The more often you follow a new neural pathway, the more it becomes entrenched. The less often you choose an old response, the more it weakens.
Panic attacks – summary
You can overcome panic disorder by attending psychotherapy, the cognitive-behavioral approach being particularly effective. It's based on changing core beliefs, which translates into changes in emotions, behaviors, and physiological responses. It also utilizes exposure techniques, which allow you to gain new experiences and reduce anxiety. It's never too late to fight for a better life free from limitations. Your brain maintains neuroplasticity throughout its life, allowing it to continually learn new response patterns. If you struggle with panic attacks, know that you're not alone. This problem affects many people around the world, and a psychotherapist who approaches your difficulties with empathy and understanding can help you overcome it.
If you want to make your life more fulfilling, make an appointment with one of our specialists, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapists.
Bibliography
- Beck J. S.; Terapia poznawczo-behawioralna; Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2012
- Maliszewska I.; O czym kłamią myśli; Wydawnictwo Feeria, 2023
- Padesky C. A.; Umysł ponad nastrojem; Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2004
- Pittman C. M., Karle E. M.; Zalękniony mózg; Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2018
- Wojnarowska M.; Dogadaj się z emocjami; Znak Koncept, 2024
- Ziopaja N.; Samopomocownik; Znak Koncept, 2022
*cover image by XDeviantartFan1999X from DeviantArt