Panic Attacks
How Dr. Shaw helps
Panic Attacks

  • Are you bothered by attacks of an overwhelming feeling that you are
    going to die, have a stroke, or just plain lose your mind?  

  • Are those thoughts accompanied by difficulty breathing, chest pains,
    sweating, dizziness, numbness or tingling in your hands or feet, or
    nausea?  
.
  • Do you avoid driving, shopping, crowds for fear that you might have a
    panic attack?  Often people avoid situations in which they fear they might
    have panic attacks and develop a condition called "agoraphobia."  
These  are
some of the
symptoms of
panic attacks
and
agoraphobia
Treatment of Panic Attacks

Warning!! Technical jargon ahead!   In treating panic attacks, Dr. Shaw uses techniques
based on cognitive-behavioral therapy utilizing in vivo and interoceptive exposure to panic
cues.  Now that's a mouthful and the end of the technical jargon.  Here is what it means:

    Dr. Shaw works from a model in which panic attacks are understood as the normal
    human response to perceived threats as having gone out of control.  People who
    have panic attacks have come to fear the  attacks so much that they either live in
    constant fear of the next panic attack, or they avoid situations in which they might
    have a panic attack.

    In treating panic, Dr. Shaw first teaches you how to gain control of your thinking and
    your physical reactions to panic so you gain a sense of control over your
    symptoms.  Then Dr. Shaw carefully guides you through exposure to situations in
    which you may experience panic and coaches you to use the tools you have
    learned to control the panic.  This exposure to panic and coaching through the
    attack is repeated until you gain a sense of mastery over your symptoms.

    Does it sound simple? Well, it is simple, but effective.  Having an experienced
    professional by your side to coach you through the process is what makes the
    difference.
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David B. Shaw, Ph.D.                Phone:        757-788-9141
2211 Todds Lane                      Email:          DoctorShaw@lifework2000.com
Hampton, VA  23666                                                                                                                                
Dr. David Shaw, a licensed psychologist providing compassionate, competent care in the Hampton Roads Virginia area for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Tinnitus, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. Shaw is a provider for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and other insurances.