[enngirl5]

I have a question that I've asked a few times on here before but I I'm having the same conundrum again. I have textbook panic disorder. I'm scared of having panic attacks and going crazy and usually what causes my panic attacks now is derealization. Originally I guess stress caused them. Now the cycle is stress, then derealization, then panic. So, I've started cbt. And it is helping a LOT. I'm learning to quit obsessing and how to deal with my worries.
The problem is, my therapist wants the next time I have a panic attack for me to just find a chair or something, sit there and let the panic happen. Don't try to distract myself. He wants me to feel the fear and realize that nothing terrible is going to happen as a result of my panic attack. But this goes against everything I have learned on this board. Everyone here seems to say distraction is the key to dealing with derealization. Don't think about it. But if I keep distracting myself, I'm never gonna get over my fear of panic attacks. The derealization is better but I still live a life scared of the next incident. So basically I have no idea what I should do. Fight or flight? It's driving me crazy because I don't know which direction to go in. ANY responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

 

[RedCaineForNova]

can someone give me examples of what they teach in cbt..i know what its for and what is taught but like some examples would be helpful.

 

[enigma]

Maybe what your therapist is proposing is similar in principle to the idea of focusing your full attention on an itch, wound, or any other form of bodily distress (as opposed to trying to ignore it) in order to drive the physical discomfort it produces away.

Only in this instance it's applied to the psyche rather than the body.

That's my best guess.

e

 

[enngirl5]

All that keeps going through my head is that once Janine said that she had a therapist that tried to make her "scare herself" as much as possible to face the fear and she said she got so messed up by that that she thought she was gonna have to be committed.

But I'm thinking this isn't exactly that same thing as what my therapist is suggesting. He's suggesting that I feel the fear and let it pass. Not necessarily conjuer up every frightening thought I have. Just when my anxiety starts, don't run from it, just let it happen.

Any thoughts?

 

[M A R S]

can someone give me examples of what they teach in cbt..i know what its for and what is taught but like some examples would be helpful.

I would like this info as well.

 

[enigma]

But I'm thinking this isn't exactly that same thing as what my therapist is suggesting. He's suggesting that I feel the fear and let it pass. Not necessarily conjuer up every frightening thought I have. Just when my anxiety starts, don't run from it, just let it happen.

It certainly doesn't sound like the same thing as intentionally inducing anxiety by ruminating on every idea that fills you with dread, so what your therapist has in mind probably is different from the head trip Janine went through.

e

 

[Sojourner]

What your therapist is talking about is "exposure therapy," in which you gradually confront the feared thing. It's the same therapy they use for phobia.

It is also the theory behind Claire Weekes' famous and oft-recommended book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves, which has been used and highly praised for the last half-century.

Let's put it this way. You're not a toddler; a toddler you can distract from something, and when you're "learning" to not be anxious or whatnot, you can successfully do the same for yourself. But eventually you have to face the fact that you often will not be able to distract yourself.

The truth is that panic will wash over you if you stop fighting it. The fighting of the panic is what causes it to not leave.

So your therapist is using Dr. Weekes' method, which today is called "exposure therapy." Whether you are ready for it is another question.

 

[enngirl5]

I think I'm ready for it, it just seems to go against what people here say about not facing the fear. For dp distraction is key. For panic facing it is the key. So which one should I do??

 

[Sojourner]

Like you, apparently, my DP was a product/coexistent of a panic attack. So, if I still had panic attacks, I would definitely work on seeing if I could learn to let the fear wash over me and then leave me.

If you can learn this in your therapy, it would be a skill that will serve you well for the rest of your life!

Once the DP sets in, that's the time for distraction, but if we can nip the panic attack in the bud, we will never see DP at all.

Go for it! If you like your therapist and you're doing well in other aspects of CBT, there's every reason to believe you can do this. If not, there will be another way -- and you can always try this again down the road. But I have a feeling this is going to work for you because of the very positive vibes I get about your feelings about your therapist and CBT so far.

Additional thought added a minute after I wrote the above: Before you sit yourself in that chair, get a large glass of water and drink it down right away -- all at once. This trick comes highly recommended by my sister the doctor.

 

[terri*]

EGirl,

When I was having panic attacks, I would tell my brother I felt as if I was going to pass out. He told just to go with it, that maybe I would like it better in the next world, if that was in fact where I went. I thought he was crazy and, truth be, it pissed me off.

What ended up happening is that I would go and sit in a chair when the spinning first started, and as the waves of anxiety washed over me, I kept breathing in a counted measure and finally learned how to let it happen. In time I learned how to realize when one was coming, just as people with migraines usually can feel their symptoms coming on.

I am hoping what the therapist is recommending will work for you and your panic attacks will come to an end. It is a relief to realize YOU are the one who has the POWER over them. Really, you do.

Best of luck to you.
t*