Hi Eldon, yes I am currently undergoing CBT. I guess Im about 2/3 of
the way through it. In conjunction with an SSRI anti-depressant and
lifestyle changes, its really working very well for me.
There are generally two modes of CBT.
1) Attending a therapist/psychologist
2) self mastery training, which is like the course on this site, or there
are some great books out there. These are usually 9-12 week
programs where you practice exercises every day.
The most effective treatment is normally SSRIs in conjunction with CBT,
which should involve both and attendance component with a therpist
and extensive personal work (self mastery). Its a good idea to do both,
as firstly it cuts down the costs of seeing a therpaist - you might need
6 sessions instead of 20. Secondly, you learn to be reliant on yourself
and to help yourself get better - this can be a very rewarding
experience and give you the confidence you need. The last thing you
want is to become dependent on your therapist.
Exposure therpay is a bit scary at first. I was very aprehensive about
inducing hyperventilation, but now i have done it a couple of times and
feel control and confidence about it, and can see how it is interelated
with panic attacks, but also how it alone is separate to a PA.
I strongly recommend this form of treatment for Panic Disorder. It
does however involve a strong degree of self motivation and self
involvement to be truly effective.
