Panic Disorder Treatment in Greenwich CT

What is Panic Disorder? Panic Disorder involves repeated panic attacks. The panic attacks have physical symptoms, (e.g., racing heart, chest tightness, trembling, sweating) and feel like an abrupt surge of fear. They often feel like a heart attack and are often first diagnosed after a trip to the emergency room only to find no identifiable physical illness. Panic attacks often cause people to worry that they are going to die, lose control, or “go crazy.” People with panic disorder might start avoiding situations and activities that may cause a panic attack, like driving, going to the mall, going to concerts, or being in a crowd.

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How do you treat Panic Disorder? We treat panic disorder using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with exposures. We will teach you how certain thoughts (e.g., catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations) can maintain anxiety and panic. We will then work with you to identify, challenge, and modify these unhelpful ideas related to panic symptoms. We will also work with you to use various exposure exercises to target avoidance of panic and panic-related cues, including in vivo (e.g., going to crowded places or driving in traffic) and interoceptive (e.g., facing anxiety-producing bodily sensations) exposures.

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What kind of experience do you have treating panic disorder? Dr. Sala has received training and supervision in exposure therapy by some of the leading experts in anxiety disorders in the country. She has completed training in exposure therapy at UCLA. Please contact her to learn more about her experience with exposure therapy.