Panic attacks are common–around 40% of Aussies will experience them at some point in their lives. Panic attacks include symptoms like a sense of overwhelming fear, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, feeling faint or dizzy, and feeling like you are dying or going mad.
For some people, panic attacks can become chronic–known as panic disorder, which affects around 5% of Aussies during their lifetime. Panic disorder is characterised by a fear of having more panic attacks, with sufferers making lifestyle changes to avoid triggering panic attacks.
A key feature of panic attacks is interoceptive fear–fear of our own internal bodily sensations. The body interprets symptoms such as a fast heart rate or shortness of breath as signalling some kind of danger or catastrophe, such as a heart attack. Sufferers then feel more afraid (and may avoid certain activities), which in turn causes more physical symptoms, which cause more fear. This becomes a vicious cycle that is difficult to work against.
How can panic be treated?
If this sounds like you, the good news is that help is available. The treatment of choice for panic disorder is interoceptive exposure, which is part of cognitive-behavioural therapy or CBT.
The goal of this treatment is to teach the body that bodily sensations are harmless and temporary and not a sign of something more dangerous. Exposure to feared bodily sensations (the feeling of panic) in a safe, supportive context, with tools and strategies to manage these feelings, helps to break the association between physical symptoms and extreme fear.
Over time, with repeated exposure, your body will “habituate” to this anxiety–that is, the sensations of fear will no longer trigger a panic response.
A trained therapist will be able to help guide you through this process. At AB Clinical Psychology, our clinicians are trained in treating panic disorder. If you’d like to know more, you can contact us on the phone number or email below, or click on the link to make an appointment.
