Panic Attack Therapists

Panic or ‘anxiety’ attacks are a heightened form of anxiety that affect one in ten people. Panic attacks often feel unpredictable and can get in the way of living the life you want to live. While the clinical picture of panic attacks can vary from person to person, they are characterized by the following symptoms:

  • Heart palpitations or increased heart rate

  • Sweating

  • Trembling/shaking

  • Shortness of breath or choking

  • Nausea

  • Stomach pain

  • Dizziness or lightheadedness

  • Tingling in the arms or legs

  • Feeling hot or cold

  • Derealization (feeling that things around you aren’t real)

  • Depersonalization (feeling like you are outside of your body)

  • Fear of dying and/or losing control

Despite only lasting minutes, panic attacks are very distressing. Individuals with recurrent panic attacks can develop a fear of having future episodes and may adjust their lives to avoid having additional ones (i.e. avoiding driving or quitting one's job). This is when panic attacks become panic disorder. In some cases, people with panic disorder can begin to feel hopeless and develop depression. They may also develop agoraphobia - a fear of being in public/crowded places without escape or a fear of leaving the house -  to decrease the frequency of panic attacks by avoiding people, places, or images that have triggered previous episodes. Left untreated, panic attacks can become very debilitating and impact our daily functioning at home, school, work, and social settings. 

Fortunately, panic attack episodes don’t happen “out of the blue” or as randomly as we think they do. In fact, panic attacks are very predictable because they are triggered by internal (inside of you) or external (outside of you) cues of perceived threats that may be conscious or unconscious. For example, driving on a highway may instantly remind you of a previous accident which may trigger a panic attack and may lead to avoidance of highways or cars altogether (conscious trigger). For some individuals, the trigger may be less obvious or harder to identify on their own and tend to be more symbolic such as symbols of disapproval or abandonment (unconscious trigger).

At Therapists of New York, your Panic Attack therapist will work with you to address your panic attacks. While there are many ways to treat panic attacks (based on your goals, values, and your therapist's unique style), our Panic Attack Therapists specialize in helping you become aware of your unique triggers and change your relationship to them. In practice, this may look like helping you explore the conscious and unconscious meanings of your panic symptoms and the deeper conflicts connected to the triggers, reducing your sensitivity to physical symptoms of panic, and providing skills to reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of your panic attacks in real time. 

Regardless of your therapist's particular approach, working with a trusted provider at Therapists of New York will give you the tools to take back control of your life and reimagine the life you want to live in a safe and supportive environment. 

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