Praise for When Panic Attacks “Few truly great books on psychotherapy have been published, and this is one of them. When Panic Attacks tells you how to deal with all kinds of anxiety and with most other emotional problems. It is clearly and charmingly written.” —Albert Ellis, Ph.D., founder of the Albert Ellis Institute and bestselling author of A Guide to Rational Living “Another masterpiece from the author who helped millions help themselves with Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. Dr. Burns’s elegant writing style, compassion, and humor translate powerful psychotherapy methods into accessible, practical, and helpful tools for the vast number of individuals who struggle with anxiety.” —Henny Westra, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of the York University Anxiety Research Clinic “Dr. Burns has a truly unique and remarkable ability to present the most current evidence-based therapies for anxiety in a way that is engaging, compelling, easy to read, and—most important of all—useful. Readers will be able to make immediate practical use of the concepts and strategies Dr. Burns presents here. I’m sure this book will change many lives.” —Jacqueline B. Persons, Ph.D., Director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley “Besides being well written and accessible, with lots of patient narratives to spark interest, When Panic Attacks lays out exactly what readers need to do to feel better.” —Library Journal Also by David D. Burns, M.D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Intimate Connections The Feeling Good Handbook Ten Days to Self-Esteem Ten Days to Self-Esteem: The Leader’s Manual Copyright © 2006 by David Burns All Rights Reserved A hardcover edition of this book was originally published in 2006 by Morgan Road Books. Published in the United Sta tes by Morgan Road Books, an imprint of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.morganroadbooks.com MORGAN ROAD BOOKS and the M colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burns, David D. When panic attacks : the new, drug-free anxiety therapy that can change your life / by David D. Burns. p. cm. 1. Panic attacks—Treatment. 2. Panic attacks—Alternative treatment. I. Title. RC535.B87 2006 616.85′22306—dc22 2005052260 eISBN: 978-0-7679-2389-7 v3.1_r3 AUTHOR’S NOTE T he ideas and techniques in this book are not intended as a substitute for consultation or treatment with a qualified mental health professional. The names and identities of the people in this book have been disguised to such an extensive degree that any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Most of the cases represent composites of many patients with similar problems. I’ve done this to protect patient confidentiality. However, I’ve also attempted to preserve the spirit of the work we did together. I hope these stories ring true and resonate with your own personal experience. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my daughter, Signe Burns, for her enormous contributions to the creation of this book. Without Signe’s brilliant editing and spirit, this book would have been radically different. We worked on it together for over a year—a joyous but sometimes humbling experience, because Signe’s feedback was always ruthlessly honest. We had tons of fun and spent lots of time giggling uncontrollably just about the time our brains were starting to turn to mush toward the end of the day. I also want to thank Amy Hertz for giving me the chance to write this book and to work with her new publishing imprint, Morgan Road Books. I’ve been knee-deep in academic research and clinical teaching at Stanford for more than ten years, and there have been many new developments in the treatment of anxiety and depression that I’ve wanted to share with my colleagues and with the general public. I’m especially grateful to Marc Haeringer, associate editor at Morgan Road Books, for his fabulous editing and collaboration in the creation of this manuscript. I would also like to acknowledge many gifted colleagues whose creativity and innovation have contributed so greatly to the development and validation of the methods in this book. Of course, Drs. Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck were two of the earliest pioneers, but it’s really been a team effort. Thousands of gifted clinicians and researchers worldwide have worked together to put Cognitive Behavior Therapy on the map. Finally, I want to thank the psychiatric residents at Stanford University School of Medicine who have attended my Wednesday evening psychotherapy seminars over the past several years. This has been a dynamic personal and professional experience for me, and while I’ve been the teacher, I’ve also been the student. I’ve learned tremendously from all of you every single week. Your enthusiasm, compassion, and zeal have been an incredible gift! CONTENTS Cover Other Books by This Author Title Page Copyright Author’s Note Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. The Basics 1. I Think, Therefore I Fear 2. Are You Anxious? Or Depressed? 3. Do You Have an Anxiety Disorder? 4. Placebo Nation: The Truth About Antidepressants and Anti-Anxiety Medications 5. What Would It Be Worth If I Could Show You How to Change Your Life? 6. The Daily Mood Log Part II. The Cognitive Model 7. Uncovering Your Self-Defeating Beliefs 8. How to Modify a Self-Defeating Belief 9. The What-If Technique 10. Compassion-Based Technique 11. Truth-Based Techniques 12. Logical and Semantic Techniques 13. Quantitative Techniques 14. Humor-Based Techniques 15. Role-Playing and Spiritual Techniques 16. Motivational Techniques 17. Anti-Procrastination Techniques Part III. The Exposure Model 18. Classical Exposure: Taking a Page from the Tibetan Book of the Dead 19. Cognitive Exposure: The Monster in Your Mind 20. Interpersonal Exposure: The Fear of People Part IV. The Hidden Emotion Model 21. The Hidden Emotion Technique: Sweeping Your Problems Under the Rug Part V. Selecting the Techniques That Will Work for You 22. The Recovery Circle: Failing as Fast as You Can 23. Putting It All Together: The Woman with the Scar on Her Nose 24. Feeling Better versus Getting Better: Relapse Prevention Training References Your Anxiety Toolkit About the Author
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