What To Do When You Feel a Panic Attack Coming Part 3: Facing the Demon

Exposures involve voluntarily bringing on a mild toleast one or two physical symptoms that trigger their
moderate level of anxiety In other words, exposurespanic cycle. Exposures show you how to experience
show you ways to face the demon, challenge himthese sensations in such a way that you finally stop
head on, and kill him once and for all.being triggered by them. After 1-2 months of
There are two keys to exposures:exposures, most patients find that coping techniques
1. They have to be voluntary (which means that youbegin to be effective (i.e. the shield actually starts
can't do them all the time, because you won't alwaysworking). Once patients are good at exposures, they
be in the mood)can often use them to actually stop a panic attack
2. If you imagine your anxiety from a 0-8 (with 0that is coming on. In other words, once the demon
being calm and 8 being a panic attack), you want toappears, they can turn the tables on the demon,
hit a 4 during any given exposure (because if you gochallenge it, and get it to run scared with it's tail
above a 4, the anxiety might get ahead of you andbetween it's legs. After several months of
no longer be voluntary and under your control).exposures, most of my patients become completely
Exposures are used to gain mastery over anypanic free (and can usually be taken off on any
phobia.They work for panic disorder because thepanic-related medications they have started).
core of panic disorder is usually phobia as well: AExposures are at the heart of Cognitive Behavioral
phobia to certain physical sensations. Whether it's aTherapy, and they are by far the most useful
racing heart, dizziness, nausea, a choking sensation, ortechniques for killing the Demon and gaining mastery
a certain pain, every panic disorder patient has atover panic once and for all.