In this episode of a Healthy Push Podcast, I was grateful to sit down with another one of my Panic to Peace students, Claire!
I’m always excited to sit down with one of my students, and Claire offers a unique, in-depth point of view on all things anxiety. She is not only a former student of mine, but also a licensed therapist! We discuss how even as a therapist and someone who knows anxiety intimately, Claire has struggled with anxiety and panic in the same ways so many of us have.
Be sure to listen to our full conversation, I think you’ll find it especially insightful!
Claire’s History With Anxiety
To start these conversations, it’s always helpful to understand where the relationship with anxiety started. For some, anxiety can seemingly come out of nowhere, with no warning signs, prior experiences, or symptoms. For Claire, this was the case. As she explains, anxiety is not something she dealt with as a young child, and she wouldn’t describe herself as a naturally anxious person. Instead, she vividly remembers a specific, ‘explicit event’, a panic attack at the age of 12, that ‘set her off’ on her journey with anxiety, specifically panic disorder.
As Claire grew into young adulthood and enrolled in grad school, pursuing a master's degree in counseling psychology, her panic episodes remained somewhat manageable. Certain situations and environments triggered her panic attacks, but she didn’t feel as though anxiety was consuming her on a day-to-day basis. Claire explains that it wasn’t until college and grad school that she truly started researching and understanding anxiety and panic, and was eventually able to self-diagnose herself with panic disorder.
Now, What?
I was curious to hear about what Claire’s next steps were, and how she approached her issues with panic disorder. We’ve all had the helpless feelings of what to do about anxiety and panic once the issues are defined, and how to effectively navigate our relationship with it moving forward. As a young woman pursuing a master's degree in a field very much intertwined with understanding and addressing anxiety and panic, something she was dealing with herself, Claire offered an interesting point of view, and insight into her journey. Let’s jump into a few applications Claire tried, how they worked (or didn’t), and what she learned in the process!
Exposure Therapy
I’m sure you’ve heard of or even tried exposure therapy, and Claire was no different. As her panic symptoms started to become more frequent and intense, exposure therapy was one of the first places she turned. She felt, looking at panic analytically, that this was a rational place to begin her journey in improving her relationship with it. After all, her resources and colleagues tended to support an application such as exposure therapy. According to the data, it must work, right?
What is Exposure Therapy?
Exposure Therapy is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, commonly used to treat conditions such as panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD. Essentially, a patient, in a safe setting and usually accompanied by a trained therapist, will be gradually exposed to the thing(s) they fear. In theory, this approach is meant to show the patient that these things are not in fact fearful, that their fear is irrational, and teaches them how to manage the fear. For anxiety and panic, therapists may try to “mimic” the symptoms of an attack. For example, therapists may deploy applications such as having you breath through a straw, or spin you around in a chair to the point of dizziness.
I’m sure you’re wondering, after all the supporting data and research, did exposure therapy work for Claire? Unfortunately… it did not (and this is actually pretty common!). Lots of Panic to Peace students have had this same experience. Claire was left with the familiar feeling many of us have experienced: why isn’t this working for me? Frustrated, she moved on to different approaches, including debating medication, trying hypnosis, and even acupuncture. While she admits that things like hypnosis and acupuncture did seem to help calm her nervous system momentarily, she was always left with the same thought, ‘it wasn’t improving my relationship with panic.’
Panic to Peace: Taking Control
Speaking from her medical and analytical background, Claire was desperate to find a “cure” for anxiety and panic. But, as time went on, she came to the realization that you’ll hear me echo and proclaim incessantly: there is no cure. There is no magic pill or quick fix to dealing with anxiety and panic. In order to effectively and healthily address anxiety and panic, it’s important to shift our mindset away from “cure this immediately”. Instead, looking at anxiety and panic as a personal and complex relationship that we can better understand and improve upon. As Claire took the next step toward long-term healing, I was curious to know what she found helpful within my Panic to Peace program, and how she applies it in her day-to-day life.
Today, Claire is in a much better place with anxiety and panic. After enrolling in Panic to Peace, one of the first things she mentions is something I hear often from my current and former students, and is music to my ears: the sense of community. We can sometimes overlook or underestimate the power of relating to others, especially in times of need. Claire shares that the community within Panic to Peace was incredibly helpful for her in showing her that she wasn’t alone, and it also gave her that extra layer of support throughout her healing journey.
Secondly, and equally satisfying to hear, was how Claire began to understand that she was the key to improving her relationship with anxiety and panic. She started allowing herself to experience all these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and each time would gain confidence in her capabilities. She remembers thinking, “I didn't develop anxiety overnight. I'm not going to get rid of it overnight.” Instead of constantly fighting these feelings and looking for the nearest solution or “skill” she had learned in therapy, she started looking at anxiety as something that may be present, but not something to be ashamed of or feared. Instead, it should be acknowledged and accepted. As she puts it, “I started thinking about my anxiety as like, hey girl, get in the car with me.” This shift in mindset is incredibly powerful and integral to forming a healthy relationship with anxiety and panic.
I can’t thank Claire enough for joining me on this week's podcast. Hearing about her journey, especially through the lens of a licensed therapist, offers incomparable insight that I think we can all benefit from! Anxiety and panic doesn’t discriminate, it can affect anyone and everyone, and my conversation with Claire was a reinforcing reminder of that. No matter your background or situation, remember that you are the most crucial part of improving the relationship with anxiety. You are more than capable, and you are not alone!
The doors to Panic to Peace will be opening in January 2025! If 2025 is your year to say goodbye to the anxious thoughts, symptoms, panic attacks, and fears and actually start LIVING your life, head here to get on the waiting list.
Feeling like you've tried everything but you're still struggling with lots of anxious thoughts, symptoms, panic attacks, and fears? Take my FREE 60-minute masterclass today and learn 5 shifts that will actually help you to overcome anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. And I promise, you won't hear any of the usual stuff from me - like doing breathing exercises, grounding practices, cutting out caffeine, and doing more exposures. Let's get you the peace and freedom you deserve without it being so hard!
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