Caring, Secular, Scientifically-Informed.

Anxiety often happens when your nervous system is on high alert. Anxiety is the overestimation of threat. It can be cognitive ("man, this is going to suck!") or it can be felt ("my body dreads going, but I don't know why"). Anxiety is a form of fear or dread, as it always happens during the anticipation of a thing." (Fear that occurs when the situation is actually happening is considered a phobia, and can also be treated effectively). 

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I (Todd) often tell my clients that people with anxiety do four things:

1. They overestimate the likelihood of a having negative experience

2. They overestimate the severity of the negative experience (if it is, in fact, negative)

3. They underestimate their ability to cope with the situation in the moment, and

4. They avoid (or try to predict and control) the situation.

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It is important to determine if the client is overestimating, because if your estimation of the threat is accurate, then you don't have an anxiety problem; you have a situation that needs to change.

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We provide evidence-based therapy for anxiety at our offices in Kennesaw, GA, and statewide via telehealth. Click here to request an appointment, click here to read about treatment options, or read on to learn more about panic disorders.

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Panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia

Panic attacks occur when the brain makes a catastrophic misinterpretation of ordinary sensations. (This is also something that occurs in chronic pain syndrome). This is especially true if the individual has had panic attacks before or has been in a severely frightening situation. The amygdala (the brain's alarm system) becomes hypervigilant and begins scanning the body for danger signals. It then sets off a cascade of worry that leads to panic (heart racing, difficulty breathing, shaking, fear of losing control, a desire to run away or retreat). When panic attacks occur so often that the person lives in fear of having another one, this is called Panic Disorder. Sometimes this can result in a person struggling to leave or stray too far from a perceived safe place or person, a condition known as agoraphobia. 

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Panic attacks can be a symptom of PTSD or other trauma exposure, but not always. Often they occur after prolonged periods of stress, but they can also occur for no apparent reason (there can be a genetic predisposition to both anxiety and panic). 

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Treatment for panic attacks can involve exploratory talk therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Tracking, and trauma-focused treatments (where appropriate). 

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