Understanding Panic Attacks
Panic attacks can feel terrifying. For some, panic attacks manifest through physical sensations such as difficulty breathing, dizziness, chest tightness, lightheadedness, or a sense of “buzzing” in one’s head. For others, panic attacks involve racing thoughts, surging feelings of fear or pronounced discomfort, or a “freeze” state in which one feels they cannot verbally or physically respond to the situation at hand. Oftentimes, the most terrifying aspect of panic attacks is not the actual incident of the attack, but the ever-present, pervasive fear one may occur. For those who suffer from recurrent panic attacks, the fear of having another attack can be debilitating, leading to avoidance behaviors and a restricted life. Such a fear can erode everyday moments or special occasions with a pernicious anxiety that a panic attack will derail the moment, leaving them feeling helpless and temporarily debilitated. Panic attacks may present in response to a specific situation or known trigger or seemingly unexpectedly without an identified cause. They can strike without warning, leaving you feeling helpless and out of control.
What most helps panic attacks?
Historically, a type of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) called prolonged exposure (PE), remained the gold standard therapy for panic attacks. It involves gradually and systematically exposing individuals to the feared situations or sensations that trigger their panic attacks. The goal is to reduce the fear response over time by allowing the individual to experience their anxiety in a controlled and safe environment. Exposure therapy involves directly engaging with the specific source of panic and anxiety by encountering the stressor through en vivo, or “real life” exposure, or by writing out and visualizing the fear(s) that induce(s) the panic attacks. For example, if someone has frequent panic attacks regarding the fear that her partner will leave, she can reduce this fear by exposing herself to this hypothetical possibility through visualization exercises of it occurring.
We all have to confront our proverbial “monsters” and sit with our pain to have meaningful lives. EMDR can be an effective way of gaining our lives back.
EMDR for Panic Attacks
Like prolonged exposure, EMDR also involves focus on the thoughts and fears that trigger panic attacks. EMDR is a type of therapy that was initially developed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but has since been found effective for a range of anxiety symptoms, including panic attacks. EMDR involves recalling distressing memories or future fears while engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements or tapping. This process helps to reprocess and integrate traumatic memories or future fears, reducing the emotional charge and the symptoms they produce.
“When a negative and distressing event, like a panic attack, occurs, it seems to get locked in the nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, and feelings. The eye movements we use in EMDR seem to unlock the nervous system and allow the brain to process the experience. Those eye movements may help to process the unconscious material. It is important to remember that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control.” Francine Shapiro
EMDR differs from prolonged exposure in also integrating bilateral stimulation, or alternatingly stimulating the left and right sides of the brain and body through eye movements or tapping. While prolonged exposure (PE) therapy may take 8-15 weeks on average to feel sufficient relief, effective relief for EMDR therapy may occur within as few as three sessions. This allows people to get their lives back faster and more fully.
In another study regarding EMDR and panic attacks, participants “reported a considerable decrease in the frequency of panic attacks, fear of experiencing a panic attack, general anxiety, thoughts concerning negative consequences of experiencing anxiety, fear of body sensations, depression, and other measures” within as few as five sessions.
Based on research such as this, EMDR presents as resulting in quicker, more effective reduction in anxiety and panic attacks, than engaging in more traditional methods like prolonged exposure. Contact the EMDR Center of Denver to schedule your free consultation today to learn more about how EMDR might help you.
Research supporting the effectiveness of EMDR in reducing panic attacks:
EMDR Therapy Protocol for Panic Disorders With or Without Agoraphobia
Preliminary Evidence for the Efficacy of EMDR in Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Jeanne Cross, LCSW, LAC
Jeanne Cross has more than ten years of experience working with adults. She is formally trained in EMDR and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) and specializes in helping people find relief from depression, anxiety, grief and loss, addiction, and trauma. She has both a License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) and License in Addiction Counseling (LAC). She graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master’s in Divinity from Duke University with esteemed honors including the Robert E Bryan Public Service Award and Bosch Award from UNC at Chapel Hill and the McMurray Richey Outstanding Student Award, Marsha Sterns Award, and Addie Davis Leadership Nominee from Duke University. Jeanne’s career has taken her everywhere from training a team of social workers in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) who assisted children removed from human trafficking in the Philippines to helping people find relief from depression, addiction, grief and loss, and anxiety in outpatient, residential, and hospital settings. She looks forward to working with you!