Panic Disorder therapists

About panic disorder

A panic attack is an intense, time-limited surge of physiological and emotional symptoms — racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest tightness, tingling in hands or face, a sense of unreality or impending doom — that peaks within minutes and gradually subsides. Panic attacks themselves are not dangerous. They feel like heart attacks (and the first one often sends people to the ER), but the body is not in actual physical danger during one. Panic disorder is the diagnostic name for the pattern of having repeated panic attacks combined with significant worry about having more.

The cruel logic of panic disorder is that the worry about having a panic attack is itself a major driver of more panic attacks. Avoidance kicks in — you stop going places where you've panicked before, then places that remind you of those places, then places where escape feels harder. The avoidance shrinks your life. In its more severe forms this becomes agoraphobia: a constellation of avoidance that can range from not driving on highways to not leaving the house.

The good news is panic disorder is among the most treatable anxiety conditions, with high response rates to specific therapy. The first-line treatment is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for panic, which has two main components: cognitive work on the catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations (the racing heart isn't a heart attack, it's adrenaline), and interoceptive exposure, where you deliberately produce the physical sensations of panic (spinning to feel dizzy, breathing through a straw to feel breathless) in a controlled setting until they stop triggering the panic response. This part of the treatment can feel counterintuitive but is highly effective.

For agoraphobia, gradual in vivo exposure — actually going to the places you've been avoiding, in incremental steps, often with the therapist accompanying you initially — is well-evidenced. ACT can supplement the work by addressing the values you're losing access to through avoidance.

Medication is sometimes part of the picture, particularly SSRIs for the underlying anxiety. Benzodiazepines for as-needed panic relief have a complicated profile — they work in the moment but can interfere with the learning that CBT requires, and many therapists prefer patients reduce or eliminate them during active treatment. That's a conversation between you, your therapist, and your prescriber.

If you've been to the ER for what turned out to be panic, you're in good company — it's one of the most common reasons for ER visits, and there's no shame in it. To find a therapist for panic disorder, browse the profiles below or submit the matching form.