Fear of a panic attack dominates the lives of many people, young and old, severely restricting the things they are able to do and their enjoyment.

In the United States it is believed that the symptoms of panic (e.g., racing heart, dizziness, sense of unreality) affect between one third and a half of the people (NIMH, 2001), and approximately 2.4 million people suffer from recurrent panic attacks (Kessler et al., 1994). Often symptoms of anxiety can be mistaken for signs of physical illnesses such as heart complaints, which generates further anxiety creating a vicious cycle of fear and symptom.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is the recommended treatment for anxiety conditions in the UK. Though anxiety and panic seem irrational and uncontrollable, clinically proven research has demonstrated that techniques such as changing the way you breathe and think, and gradually confronting the object of your fear, can rapidly and effectively bring your anxiety down to manageable levels.