Kate | Panic Attack Therapist (@panicattacktherapist)

The ER trip that ended in being told you’re perfectly healthy. The wonder about what to do if it comes back. The lack of resources for how to handle it. The lack of empathy from others who don’t understand the fear you have now. And now you’re waiting for the next panic attack hit. Wondering how…

I’m Kate, a former panic attack/agoraphobia sufferer and current licensed therapist! I help adults who have a fear of their panic attacks to learn how to work with their anxiety instead of against it for actual recovery. The goal isn’t to “get rid of” or “eliminate” anxiety and panic, but…

OCD & panic attacks? Let’s chat! 📍Accepting new in-person therapy clients in Reston, VA & virtual through VA, DC, MD, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #ocd #mentalcompulsions #ocdtherapist #ocdrecovery #virginiatherapist Disclaimer: this account is for…

We aren’t really told when we’re young that anxiety is safe to feel, our thoughts aren’t facts, and we don’t have to give attention to every sensation. Panic attacks included! 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started…

Trying to control the panic and anxiety is the pattern that keeps it around. Dropping resistance to the emotions and physical sensations is key! 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #panicattacks #panicdisorder…

Which one did you need to hear today? ⬇️ 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #panicattacks #panicdisorder #panicattcksupport #panicattacktips #virginiatherapist Disclaimer: this account is for educational &…

Making sure you find a therapist who knows how to treat fear of anxiety and panic is key here! Sometimes those skills like deep breathing can backfire when treating panic disorder. Instead, we work on increasing your ability to feel panic and not have to lean on other behaviors to get rid of it…

Had some exposure practices yesterday! Progress isn’t the absence of discomfort, anxiety or panic. It’s what we do in the moment with it. 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #panicattacks #panicdisorder…

Panic disorder sufferers working on recovery… I see you 👀 Recovery isn’t linear! Ups & downs & frustrations are normal. Follow @panic_attack_therapist for more panic disorder content! 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get…

Tag your work buddy who gets it 🤦🏼‍♀️😬 Saying these out loud can feel so vulnerable and it’s even more difficult when those around you don’t struggle with panic attacks themselves. I treat panic disorder in my therapy practice and we work on how to respond to panic with acceptance instead of fear…

All the investigating around why you feel anxious today but yesterday you didn’t, or why you’re feeling a panic attack start at a restaurant you’re usually so comfortable at… You don’t have to know to move forward. You don’t have to know to live life. Recovery from panic disorder happens when we…

If being mean to yourself worked, it would’ve worked by now. The holidays come with lots of expectations to be places and do things which can feel extra heavy for those with panic disorder and anxiety. While it could be a great time to practice exposures and increasing your tolerance for…

You aren’t a flawed person for being scared. Panic is literally your fear alarm going off…*just at the wrong time*. There isn’t actually danger. And now the panic sensations have been labeled as the danger itself. But we can change how we respond to those sensations and get our life’s back…

Having a panic attack and developing a fear of the sensations of a panic attack can feel different. Being afraid of how it feels when your body has a fear response will just create more fear. Unfortunately it’s not something we change with the snap of our fingers, BUT we can learn how to change…

Panic disorder and agoraphobia don’t automatically mean staying home and being afraid of doing things out and about. It can also look like a high functioning person who says yes to everything. You wouldn’t even know that they’re white knuckling as you’re talking to them, or eyeing the bathroom…

You might be falling into this pattern if you’ve decided that “success” means not having a panic attack. But this isn’t the main goal in panic disorder recovery. The goal is to get good at feeling discomfort and take the meaning out of the sensations. Progress looks like having a panic attack and…

📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #panicattacks #panicdisorder #panicattcksupport #panicattacktips #virginiatherapist Disclaimer: this account is for educational & entertainment purposes only. Engaging with this…

Bottom line is: we treat panic as a boring story in order to break the fear cycle. 📍Accepting new therapy clients in DC, MD, VA, MI, & IN. Schedule a free intro call at the link in my bio to get started! #panicattacks #panicdisorder #panicattcksupport #panicattacktips #virginiatherapist…

I learned that the very thing I was doing to try and keep myself safe from panic attacks was the thing that was harming me most: avoidance. It feels safer, but panic isn’t actually a threat to us. When we do everything we can to avoid it, we’re just keeping ourselves stuck in a fear of panic…

✨ ERP experience ✨ specialization in panic disorders ✨ willing to do exposures with you in session either virtually or in person ✨ doesn’t give tons of reassurance for your anxiety to feed off of ✨ can hold space for you anxiety and panic attacks These are just some of the things I’d be looking…

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: these will probably feel extremely uncomfortable, even next to impossible to do and I know they go against every instinct in your body… BUT. This is the way our brain desensitizes to fear. We have to ACT accepting of the panic sensations in order to break that fear…

It makes sense to have these feelings and we can be frustrated by them. But in therapy, we learn to take action WITH those feelings. Your feelings are going to scream at you to not go or avoid the trigger for panic. But we recover through experiential learning, by taking the action anyways…

Allowing panic to happen when it shows up can make a huge change in how it affects your life. In therapy sessions, we work on how you can practice allowing panic. It’s a skill that will feel very at odds with what you’ve done in the past: resisting it. But once we’re willing to practice this…

You’ve probably developed these habits because your body has labeled these symptoms as bad or dangerous at some point, even though they aren’t. Panic will keep showing up until we learn to respond differently to it. In therapy, we practice helping you respond with acceptance instead of fear. We…

It makes sense that you want to have something with you like sour candy or ice packs to snap you out of the panic if it shows up. BUT. This won’t do anything to help with getting your life back from panic attacks. You’ll probably still be planning your day around the panic, cancelling plans and…

If your days look like this, there’s a good chance they will continue to until you learn how to stop making panic the most important thing in the room. This looks like briefly acknowledging the sensations or thoughts about it and then going on with the moment. This is a skill we learn and…

In therapy, what we do instead is practice to leaning into the panic. Basically the opposite of avoiding it! We learn how to be really uncomfortable during a panic attack and allow it while engaging with life at the same time. It’s a skill that takes time to practice and learn and having a…

I help adults who are scared of their panic attacks and have tried everything to get rid of them. The breathing techniques and positive mantras aren’t cutting it anymore. Instead, we work on leaning into the fear and practice letting ourselves experience the panic sensations that bother us the…

…that’s kinda the point?? The paradox with panic disorder is that the more we are FULLY willing to allow a panic attack to happen with no conditions, the less intense it may feel if it even shows up at all. This is because panic disorder thrives on our fear and resistance of the panic attack…

I wish more people who are scared of their panic attacks knew that derealization feels scary but just like all other panic attack symptoms, it can’t hurt us! The more we try to “figure it out” or “make it go away”, the longer it tends to stick around and the more we miss out on what’s going on…