Exposure Therapy – A Great Treatment For Anxiety and Panic Attacks

This may be surprising to some, but being exposed to situations that we as anxiety, panic attack sufferers and agoraphobia sufferers’ fear can help resolve one’s panic and anxiety. This is precisely what happens with exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that has the anxiety/panic sufferer go into a situation, that normally just thinks about, cause great anxiety. With Exposure Therapy, though, the process is completed in a controlled setting. In other words, the therapist will likely be with the client. Let’s look at an example of exposure therapy. Let’s say that you suffer from panic attacks and just the thought of going to the mall makes you incredibly anxious. What the therapist utilizing exposure therapy will likely do is accompany you to the mall and help you face your fears. When you are able to see that nothing will happen, anxiety caused by this situation decreases.  Again the exposure happens gradually. The first step might be simply getting in your car and driving to the mall. Then you might go into the mall for a short period of time. The next time you might stay a little longer, and so on and so forth. Now this may sound overly simplistic, but it can be a very effective technique for helping people recover from their anxiety and panic attacks. Someone not suffering from panic attacks may see this fear as irrational.  However, someone who suffers from panic attacks, though, the fear not only seems very real, but it can be very crippling.  It’s no surprise that sufferers of panic attacks often suffer from agoraphobia. If you don’t know what agoraphobia is, it simply refers to the notion of being scared and avoiding situations that one associates with anxiety and fear.  You can see how one might fear going to a mall and instead become accustomed to staying home where they’re able to avoid the things that scare them. The great news is that consistent exposure to these situations that cause intense fear can allow one to confront their fears instead of being controlled by them.   Once you control your fears, your daily activities can be carried out much more easily and efficiently. Many people are surprised at first how very efficiently they operate once they remove this daily fear from their lives.  Not only do things seem to go more smoothly more often, things seem that much more interesting.  Now you can take time to enjoy the present moment and “smell the roses” as the saying goes.

This may be surprising to some, but being exposed to situations that we as anxiety, panic attack sufferers and agoraphobia sufferers’ fear can help resolve one’s panic and anxiety.

This is precisely what happens with exposure therapy.

Exposure therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that has the anxiety/panic sufferer go into a situation, that normally just thinks about, cause great anxiety.

With Exposure Therapy, though, the process is completed in a controlled setting. In other words, the therapist will likely be with the client.

Let’s look at an example of exposure therapy.

Let’s say that you suffer from panic attacks and just the thought of going to the mall makes you incredibly anxious.

What the therapist utilizing exposure therapy will likely do is accompany you to the mall and help you face your fears.

When you are able to see that nothing will happen, anxiety caused by this situation decreases.  Again the exposure happens gradually.

The first step might be simply getting in your car and driving to the mall.

Then you might go into the mall for a short period of time.

The next time you might stay a little longer, and so on and so forth.

Now this may sound overly simplistic, but it can be a very effective technique for helping people recover from their anxiety and panic attacks.

Someone not suffering from panic attacks may see this fear as irrational.  However, someone who suffers from panic attacks, though, the fear not only seems very real, but it can be very crippling.  It’s no surprise that sufferers of panic attacks often suffer from agoraphobia.

If you don’t know what agoraphobia is, it simply refers to the notion of being scared and avoiding situations that one associates with anxiety and fear.  You can see how one might fear going to a mall and instead become accustomed to staying home where they’re able to avoid the things that scare them.

The great news is that consistent exposure to these situations that cause intense fear can allow one to confront their fears instead of being controlled by them.   Once you control your fears, your daily activities can be carried out much more easily and efficiently.

Many people are surprised at first how very efficiently they operate once they remove this daily fear from their lives.  Not only do things seem to go more smoothly more often, things seem that much more interesting.  Now you can take time to enjoy the present moment and “smell the roses” as the saying goes.