Understanding Panic Attacks and Overcoming Fear

DR ROGER BAKER is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Dorset Healthcare Mental Health Trust, Coordinator of a Research Unit at Poole Hospital specializing in mind-body research, and visiting Professor at Bournemouth University.

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7
1. PANIC: THE LIFE CHANGING EVENT 9
PART I: THE A TO Z OF PANIC 21
2. PANIC: WHEN AND WHERE 23
3. HOW PANIC CHANGES PEOPLE 32
4. WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK? 38
PART II: MYTHS ABOUT PANIC 53
5. WHAT A PANIC IS NOT! 55
6. DEATH AND PHYSICAL ILLNESS MYTHS 59
7. THE DESTROYED BY YOUR OWN BODY MYTHS 68
8. MENTAL MYTHS 72
PART III: ROOT CAUSES 79
9. LIFE EVENTS 81
10. COPING EMOTIONALLY WITH LIFE EVENTS 87
11. WHY DO PANIC ATTACKS HAPPEN? 93
PART IV: A PRACTICAL THERAPY PROGRAMME FOR PANIC 105
12. ATTITUDE! 107
13. THE ANATOMY OF FEAR 113
14. TAKING THE STING OUT OF FEAR 121
15. RALPH: AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESSFUL THERAPY 127
16. SETTING UP YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIMENT 138
PART V: THE PANIC SUFFERER AS NORMAL 145
17. CURES, HALF CURES, AND LIMITATIONS 147
18. LET’S FINISH OFF PANIC 152
19. THE SUBJECT MATTER CATCHES UP WITH THE AUTHOR 155
POSTSCRIPT TO THE THIRD EDITION 161
NOTES 165
HELP FOR PANIC SUFFERERS 170
INDEX 173