Category: panic profile

The Psychological Basis of Panic Disorder What Does My Personality Style Have to Do with Panic Attacks? The People Pleasing Personality Are you an over accommodator? Do you bend over backwards to make others happy? Do you constantly fear that other people will be mad at you? Do you avoid conflict and confrontation? Are you “always there” for others? Do you over identify with the…

Even though your physician has reassured you over and over again that you are in good physical health The Panic Symptom Checklist Do you wake up in the morning with heart pounding and shortness of breath and wonder, why am I feeling this way? Do you get lightheaded before you leave to go out and worry that you might faint at the wheel? Do you…

The Natural Progression of Underdiagnosed Panic Disorder * Susan, a 29 year old married nurse, was shopping in a nearby mall when all of a sudden, “Out of the Blue” She felt woozy. The dizzy spell and heat waves swept over her and she feared she would “faint on the spot.” When her lips, suddenly, turned numb and a tingling sensation spread over her arms…

People Pleaser Panic Attacks Are you wondering about how to accommodate the requests from family and friends to visit and schedule time together during the holiday season?  You are not alone.  Thousands of panic attack sufferers spend considerable time planning and coordinating schedules with both family and friends to make sure everyone is happy.  The fear of hurting a loved one’s feeling and prompting disapproval…

Your Panic Profile and the Three Factor Model Factor One: Your Physical feelings “Out of the Blue” Suddenly “Out of the Blue” you get hit with a wave of heart pounding, dizziness, shortness of breath, weakness and rubbery legs, there not-there feeling, disorientation, head pressure, chest pressure, blurred vision, hot and cold flashes, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, a lump in the…

As a panic disorder specialist, I take an active responsibility in helping my patients feel confident that their physical complaints have no organic etiology.  My day is filled with my patient’s reporting symptoms of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pressure, rubbery legs, lightheaded feelings, inner trembling, numbness and tingling in the extremities, lump in the throat, knot in the stomach and head pressure, to…

My study of panic disorder for over three decades reveals three personality characteristics of the Panic Prone Person.  Examine the Panic Prone Personality Trait Inventory below to see how well you fit into the Pre Panic Profile. <strong>Panic Prone Personality Trait Inventory</strong> <strong>Personality Trait One: The Over Accommodator/People Pleaser…”I am Sorry Syndrome.”</strong> 1)      Do you worry excessively about what others think of you? 2)      Do worry…

Could My Throat Pressure be a sign of Throat Cancer?  Charles*, a 34 year old divorced engineer, felt a sudden sensation of throat tightness and pressure, while watching TV on a Saturday Morning right before the holidays. He noticed the “lump in the throat” persisted all day.  Charles could not help his mind from traveling into health worry.  He thought, “It feels like a ball…

Sarah* and the Fear of Losing Control I just received an urgent call from Sarah, a 35 year old married mother of three children. Yesterday, she watched a news broadcast showing a “perfectly normal mother” who snapped, went beserk and drove her car into a nearby river, drowning herself and her three children. Sarah was horrified. Over-Identification and Personalization She imagined what it would be…

Panic patients are suddenly hit with a barrage of physical symptoms, “Out of the Blue”. When dizziness, heart pounding, shortness of breath, weakness, numbness in the hands and feet, and hot cold spells strike without apparent cause, panic sufferers frequently seek medical evaluations (emergency rooms, family doctors) to determine the cause. Ballenger (1987) states that 90% of panic sufferers believe they have a physical disorder….

Early Treatment Studies The first psychological treatment studies for agoraphobia centered on graduated invivo exposure alone to the feared situation (Hand, LaMontagne and Marks, 1974). That is, the agoraphobic patients were instructed to reenter the situations they had been avoiding. Agoraphobia is a secondary complication of panic attacks. The agoraphobic patient utilizes escape and avoidance strategies to manage panic. They begin to live their life…

Do You Fit The Three Factor Pre-Panic Personality Profile? 1) Are you an over-accommodator? Do you fear getting others mad at you? Are you overly apologetic? Are you a people-pleaser? Do you have the “I am sorry syndrome?” 2) Are you excessively empathetic? Do you feel the pain of others as if it were your own? Do you have difficulty saying no and speaking up…

Step One: Take Control of Panic Attacks through Symptom Neutralization If You Try To Eliminate Your Symptoms, You Are Running In Fear. You must neutralize your response to the symptoms of heart pounding, dizzyness, heat waves, rubbery legs, shallow breathing, chest tightness, nausea, and numbness and tingling. Never try to eliminate your symptoms. If you try to eliminate heart pounding then you still fear it….