Although treatment is typically individualized for each patient, there are some nonmedication therapies that are often used in combination with medication. The added benefit of nonmedication therapies is that the patient is actively involved in his or her own recovery, giving a sense of more control.

Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy helps patients to modify and gain control over unwanted behavior by changing the way they react in a given situation. Specifically, the therapist helps individuals to learn how to cope with difficult situations through different behaviors so they may eventually develop an inner sense of having more control over their life. Behavior therapy is built upon the principle that, since your reactions to these certain situations are learned, they can also be unlearned.

Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques, such as controlled breathing and positive visualization, are 2 typical methods that can further help people through an attack. Some experts have found that people with panic disorder tend to have slightly higher-than-average breathing rates. Teaching patients how to slow their breathing may, in some cases, help them deal with a panic attack and may also prevent future attacks.

Biofeedback—another popular "relaxation technique"—is a process whereby patients can monitor their body functions (such as the tightness of certain muscle groups) and alter those functions through relaxation. During a biofeedback session, a trained therapist applies electrodes and sensors to various parts of the body, which then display the patient's levels of muscle tension, brain wave activity, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, or skin temperature on a monitor. (Sometimes an audio signal is used instead of a visual graphic.)

Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is the most common treatment for patients whose lives are dominated by avoiding those situations they fear most. This type of therapy uses controlled exposure to feared situations so that patients can be taught how to deal with them on a rational level.

Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy focuses on the role of irrational and automatic thoughts—and it teaches patients that fearing the way their body feels at a particular moment is not necessarily dangerous. For example, mild pain in the chest* does not mean you're about to suffer from a heart attack.

This type of therapy helps some people control their anxieties by giving them a deeper understanding of their own thought processes and how they evaluate upsetting situations. Patients learn how to separate unrealistic thoughts from realistic ones and develop techniques to change the way they respond to a situation.

*Until you have been diagnosed by your physician as having panic disorder, you should always seek medical attention for chest pain or discomfort.

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